Two BSF men detained after 'human sacrifice'

Shillong:  Two Border Security Force (BSF) troopers were detained on Friday for allegedly killing a seven-year-old boy as part of an occult "human sacrifice" in Meghalaya, police said.

Krishna Singh, son of a BSF trooper, went missing on Wednesday after visiting a Durga Puja marquees with his elder brother in a BSF campus at Prahari Nagar in Tura in the western part of Meghalaya.

When the boy's family and BSF personnel launched a hunt, the body was discovered with multiple injuries in the campus on Thursday morning.

"It is a gruesome murder and we are suspecting it to be a case of human sacrifice," Meghalaya police chief N. Ramachandran told IANS.

He said two BSF troopers -- Chandrawan and Babu Khan -- had been detained and were being interrogated.

Police have also gone to Mankachar in Assam to quiz Lukman Haqib, a tantrik priest in connection with the murder.

Meghalaya to have bitumen-plastic roads

SHILLONG: In a first-of-its-kind move in the northeast, bitumen and waste plastic will be used for road construction in Shillong using a technology known for its durability, especially in extreme weather conditions.

To start with, a four-km stretch in Jhalupara area of the city, which gets damaged every year due to heavy rains, will be re-constructed by Shillong Cantonment Board at an estimated cost of Rs 30 lakh. The CEO of the board, S Prabhakaran, said the board is approaching Madurai-based R Vasudevan, the patented owner of the technology. He added it will be the same as of conventional bitumen mix but will have a longer lifespan.

"To lay 1 km of plastic road 3.75 m wide, 9 tonne of bitumen and 1 tonne of waste plastic are required. A normal road requires 10 tonne bitumen for each kilometre. So a plastic road saves 1 tonne bitumen for every kilometre laid. Each tonne of bitumen costs Rs 50,000 to 60,000," he said.

Meghalaya to introduce change in mining policy

Expressing concern over the unscientific rat hole mining prevalent in Meghalaya especially in Jaintia Hills areas, Deputy Chief Minister In-charge Mining, Bindo M. Lanong, has stated that Meghalaya government has incorporated certain clauses in the proposed State Mining Policy which would make it mandatory for miners to refill the land after conducting mining operations.
“We would not allow any miners to leave the land where unscientific rat hole mining has been carried out without refilling it. The Government would ensure that this is being implemented in its true spirit since it is a matter of life and death for the people residing in those areas,” Lanong said.
He said that the Government would also encourage planting of trees in all those areas where mining activities take place considering it the most effective way to preserve the greenery of the mining zones.
When asked about the recent incidents in Jaintia Hills where several cracks have appeared on the earth’s surface, Lanong said he had sought a detailed report from the department in this regard.
“I would be able to give detailed information only after I receive the report. But the government would not take this incident lightly,” the Deputy Chief Minister asserted.
Unorganised rat hole mining in the coal rich belt in Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya has remained a concern as it is posing hazard to the environment. These sometimes turn to death traps for mining workers too.

Upcoming ICCA Consortium Events in Indonesia

Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) will be joining other members of the ICCA Consortium from 5-15 October in Indonesia for a series of events. At a retreat from 6-11 October, the Consortium Steering Committee and Regional Coordinators will tackle a number of issues ranging from the action plan, 2020 Vision, and ongoing initiatives and partnerships to a global legal review and strategic inputs to international policy fora.

The 4th General Assembly will be held on 12 October at the CIFOR Campus in Bogor. From 13-14 October, the first ever national symposium on ICCAs will take place in Bogor. It will explore the concept, practice, limitations, and opportunities of ICCAs in Indonesia and, if appropriate, provide initial stimulus and support to a broad alliance of organizations and people willing to engage in appropriate follow-up activities.

UCPF urges state government to negotiate with militants

The United Christian Peace Forum (UCPF) in Garo Hills regions of Meghalaya has urged the state government to create a conducive atmosphere for talks with the militant groups operating in the regions. The UCPF also appealed to both the Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) and Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) to refrain from violence, especially releasing reports which are of unhealthy emotions, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among the people. In A memorandum submitted on October one to Chief Minister Mukul Sangma signed by Church leaders--Rev Greater Burn R Marak and Rev Manhseng A Momin, the UCPF asked Dr Sangma to invite the militant groups to come forward to the negotiating table to sort out the different issues. Expressing concern over operations by security forces, the UPCF also said that such operations should be carried out with due concern to the needs of the common people and the local communities and should in no way violate human rights especially the dignity of women and innocent youth. We have been watching the recent developments in different parts of Garo Hills and we feel we cannot simply sit and watch the situation anymore, the UCPF said. The UCPF also recalled how the recent bandh had affected people of Garo Hills particularly the rural poor who earn their daily bread by selling perishable products and school and college going students. During such frequent bandhs called in Garo Hills, the UCPF pointed out that many of the daily bread earners and their families were deprived of their right to livelihood. The UCPF also organised peace rallies on October 1 at Tura, Resubelpara, Williamnagar and Baghmara-- the three district headquarters-- and discussed the prevailing law and order situation in the region.

Forum appeals for peace in hills

Rallies in Garo hills for harmony
OUR CORRESPONDENT

People take out a peace rally in Tura, West Garo Hills, on Saturday. Telegraph picture
Shillong, Oct 3 : The United Christian Peace Forum yesterday appealed to the A’chik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) and the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) to refrain from violence while asking the Meghalaya government to initiate a dialogue with militant groups.
The forum, a conglomerate of various churches operating in Garo hills, also organised simultaneous peace rallies in West Garo Hills, East Garo Hills and South Garo Hills districts yesterday to appeal for restoration of peace and harmony in the region.
In a memorandum to chief minister Mukul Sangma, the forum highlighted the problems faced by the people as a result of “militancy” that has again surfaced in Garo hills after having been on the wane a few years ago.
“We have been watching the recent developments in different parts of Garo hills and we feel we cannot just simply sit and watch. You may have read the press releases that have come out in the media regarding the efforts that are being taken by the Forum to help the government mediate with the so-called militant groups,” Rev. Greater Burn R. Marak and Rev. Manhseng A. Momin said in the memorandum.
They said the recent bandh experienced by the people of Garo hills had been the worst in the history of the region and had affected the lives of all citizens, particularly the rural poor who earn their daily bread by selling perishable products.
“During such frequent bandhs, many of the daily bread earners and their families are deprived of their right to livelihood. The imminent price rise because of the disturbance in movement of essential commodities is also a great concern to the people. Garo hills is lagging behind in many areas such as infrastructure and if such bandhs are frequently called, the future of the region will be bleak,” the forum said.
The forum appealed to the ANVC and the GNLA to refrain from violence and also from issuing press statements which, apart from arousing unhealthy emotions, creates an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among the people in Garo hills.
In the recent past, a series of war of words between the ANVC, currently under ceasefire, and the GNLA, a nascent militant outfit, broke out.
“The Forum is trying its best to keep Garo hills intact and we humbly appeal to the government to look for effective, alternative and sincere measures to bring back peace and normality,” the Forum said.
On the current combing operations in the region, it said: “Their operations should be carried out with due concern to the needs of the common people and the local communities and should in no way violate human rights especially the dignity of women and innocent youths.”
“We appeal to you to create an atmosphere for talks so that the so-called militant groups can come forward to the negotiating table to sort out the different issues pertaining to their so-called cause,” the Forum added.

Indigenous Declaration on Climate Change and Traditional Knowledge

As the next round of negotiations under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opened in Panama, a gathering in Finland of Indigenous leaders from around the world has called upon the international community to remove scientific bias against Indigenous knowledge from climate change science and policy. The meeting adopted the Sevettijärvi Declaration, which calls upon the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to make all efforts necessary to include Indigenous knowledge and local perspectives in its assessment processes.

The Indigenous Peoples' Biocultural Climate Change Assessment Initiative (IPCCA) network will be releasing a synthesis report of the results of their local assessments in 2012, which will include evidence of climate change, impacts and adaptation and mitigation responses from the most representative ecosystems on the planet and provide recommendations to policy makers for future actions. “Addressing climate change requires that climate justice be taken seriously”, said Paulina Feodoroff of the Skolt Sámi nation. “We remind the international community that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples establishes international minimum standards for the respect, protection and fulfillment of Indigenous peoples’ rights. The IPCC and others are therefore obliged to include traditional knowledge in assessment reports."

The Sevettijärvi Declaration (also available in Spanish) contains further analysis and examples of the climate change impacts on Indigenous peoples and includes specific requests to the IPCC, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and national governments on how ensure that Indigenous knowledge properly informs climate change science and policy.