4204 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS March 28, 2006 watch in ‘‘the world’s largest democracy’’ for ask for freedom for Khalistan, yet the Indian TRIBUTE TO WALTER JEBE peaceful political activities designed to achieve government continues to treat it as a crime. freedom for their people. They do not even live by their own law. These arrests come in short order after the Dr. Chohan said on India’s Zee TV that Khalistan will be free by 2007. He has also HON. NANCY PELOSI recent arrests of Sikh activists Dr. Jagjit Singh been flying the Khalistani flag and that of OF CALIFORNIA Chohan and Kanwarpal Singh Dhami for his party, the Khalsa Raj Party, outside his speeches they made supporting Khalistan. Dr. office. According to the book Chakravyuh: IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Chohan committed the additional crime of fly- Web of Indian Secularism (page 183), Dr. ing the Khalistani flag from his residence. Chohan worked with Major General Jaswant Tuesday, March 28, 2006 Groups of Sikhs were arrested last year in Singh Bhullar, Professor Manjit Singh January and June for hoisting the Khalistani Sidhu, Didar Singh Bains, and others ‘‘to Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay trib- flag and making speeches in support of sov- stop Sikhs living abroad’’ from supporting ute to Walter G. Jebe, a longtime community ereignty for Khalistan. Dal Khalsa organized freedom for Khalistan and connived with the leader, businessman and historian, who died Indian government for the June 1984 attack of leukemia in the Veterans Hospital in Palo those events. It has organized numerous on the Golden Temple. events in support of a sovereign Khalistan in Alto on Feb. 25th at the age of 81. The unoffi- ‘‘It is evident that the Indian government cial mayor of San Francisco’s Excelsior dis- Punjab, and the support has been shown to is scared of the increasing amount of peace- be large. I guess this scares the Indian gov- ful activism in Punjab in support of trict, Mr. Jebe was a champion of small busi- ernment. Khalistan,’’ said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, ness and for his neighborhood and an out- Mr. Speaker, these actions are unaccept- President of the Council of Khalistan, which spoken advocate and historian. He has left an able in any country. We use our influence to is leading the Sikh struggle for independ- indelible mark on our city. ence. ‘‘The time of Khalistan’s liberation is put pressure on totalitarian regimes for just Mr. Jebe was born in 1924, raised in the these kinds of tactics. They are even more un- near. India will fall apart soon,’’ he said. ‘‘We condemn the arrests of Sardar Dhami Excelsior District, graduated from Balboa High acceptable when the country using them and Dr. Chohan but remind the Sikh Nation School, studied photography at Samuel Gom- claims to be democratic. This does not resem- that it must work only with leaders who are pers trade school and was drafted into the ble any kind of democracy I know about. honest, sincere, and committed to the libera- Army. After serving our Nation, Mr. Jebe re- Mr. Speaker, we must take a stand for free- tion of Khalistan.’’ Dr. Aulakh noted that in turned to San Francisco and opened Jebe’s dom in South Asia, as we are doing elsewhere New York in 2000, former Member of Par- liament Simranjit Singh Mann had called for Cameras on Mission Street. He was a self- in the world. The time has come to cut off our taught businessman, and neighboring busi- aid and trade with India and until basic human the Council of Khalistan’s office to be closed. nesses took bets on how long he would last. rights for all people are respected there. In ad- ‘‘Sikhs must be very careful about the lead- ers they follow,’’ Dr. Aulakh said. ‘‘This of- He stayed in business for 45 years. dition, we should put the Congress officially on fice has worked unwaveringly for a sovereign record in support of free and fair plebiscites in Khalistan for almost 20 years,’’ he noted. All politics was local to Mr. Jebe, who was Punjab, Khalistan, in Kashmir, in Nagaland, History shows that multinational states a member of the Excelsior Business Associa- and all the other minority nations seeking their such as India are doomed to failure. Coun- tion, the Geneva Excelsior Lions Club, the Boy freedom from India. It is time for America to tries like Austria-Hungary, India’s longtime Scouts, and other organizations he felt would show its active support for freedom, stability, friend the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czecho- improve the Excelsior. He also served on a dignity, and human rights. slovakia, and others prove this point. India number of San Francisco city commissions, in- Mr. Speaker, the Council of Khalistan has is not one country; it is a polyglot like those cluding the Delinquency Prevention Commis- countries, thrown together for the conven- published a very good release on the state- sion, the Library Commission and the Arts ience of the British colonialists. It is doomed ment by Dal Khalsa and the Shiromani Khalsa to break up as they did. ‘‘We only hope that Commission. He helped secure a branch of Dal. I would like to add it to the RECORD now the breakup will be peaceful,’’ said Dr. the public library for the Excelsior, and last for the information of my colleagues. Aulakh. year wrote a book about the history of the SIKHS ARRESTED IN INDIA FOR SPEAKING FOR The Indian government has murdered over neighborhood. KHALISTAN 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, more than 300,000 Walter Jebe was a respected authority on Christians in Nagaland, over 90,000 Muslims WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 15, 2006.—Sardar San Francisco history and taught courses Kanwarpal Singh Dhami, Chairman of Dal in Kashmir, tens of thousands of Christians Khalsa, and Dr. Jagjit Singh Chohan were and Muslims throughout the country, and throughout San Francisco. He collected vast arrested earlier this month for speaking out tens of thousands of Tamils, Assamese, quantities of photos and memorabilia on the for an independent Khalistan. They were Manipuris, and others. The Indian Supreme San Francisco Mid Winter Fair of 1894, the charged with sedition. These arrests follow Court called the Indian government’s mur- Pan Pacific Exhibition of 1915, the 1939 the arrests of Sikh leaders last year belong- ders of Sikhs ‘‘worse than a genocide.’’ World’s Fair and the 1906 Earthquake and ing to Dal Khalsa both in January and June Indian police arrested human-rights activ- Fire. for hoisting the flag of Khalistan. Kanwarpal ist Jaswant Singh Khalra after he exposed Singh Dhami was arrested after saying that their policy of mass cremation of Sikhs, in As a prominent member of the San Fran- the Sikh Panth could not live under someone which over 50,000 Sikhs have been arrested, cisco History Association, he headed the task else’s rule. He was accused of ‘‘. . . sedition, tortured, and murdered, then their bodies force that negotiated a deal for the Federal promoting enmity between different groups were declared unidentified and secretly cre- Government to turn over the Old Mint at Fifth mated. He was murdered in police custody. on grounds of religion, race, doing acts prej- and Mission streets to a nonprofit organization udicial to maintenance of harmony, imputa- His body was not given to his family. The po- tions, assertions prejudicial to national inte- lice never released the body of former to become a history museum. The Old Mint is gration and statements conducing to public Jathedar of the Akal Takht Gurdev Singh a San Francisco architectural gem that sur- mischief.’’ The government charged that he Kaunke after SSP Swaran Singh Ghotna vived the 1906 Earthquake and Fire and promoted separatist and ‘terrorist’ move- murdered him. No one has been brought to played a vital role in rebuilding the city. A ments. justice for the Khalra kidnapping and mur- member of the Old Mint Advisory Council, Mr. Dal Khalsa has sponsored numerous der. Yet according to a report by the Move- Jebe was responsible for overseeing the res- ment Against State Repression (MASR), marches and conferences in Punjab in sup- toration project. port of a free Khalistan, the Sikh homeland 52,268 Sikhs are being held as political pris- that declared its independence from India on oners in India without charge or trial, some With great appreciation for his fine work and October 7, 1987. It was the organizer of the since 1984! service to our city, I extend my deepest sym- two events at which Sikhs were arrested for Only in a free Khalistan will the Sikh Na- pathy to his wife of 53 years, Vivian Jebe, his making speeches and raising the Khalistani tion prosper and get justice,’’ said Dr. son Walter and daughter Vivian, and thank flag. It was announced today that they will Aulakh. ‘‘India should act like a democracy be joining forces with the Shiromani Khalsa and allow a plebiscite on independence for them, for sharing their magnificent husband Dal, headed by Sardar Daljit Singh Bittu, in Khalistan and all the nations of South and father with us. He was a true San Fran- support of a free Khalistan. The Punjab and Asia,’’ Dr. Aulakh said. ‘‘We must free cisco treasure and we are diminished by his Haryana High Court ruled that it is legal to Khalistan now.’’ passing.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 12:24 Mar 14, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00144 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BOOK3\DAT FILES\BR28MR06.DAT BR28MR06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE March 28, 2006 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 4205 PREPARE NOW DON’T WAIT FOR A economies is dependent on the frequency and These arrests are a follow-up to the arrests HURRICANE STRIKE magnitude of these events.’’ of groups of Sikh activists last year on Repub- Afterwards, he told us at Carib News that he was worried and nervous about the up- lic Day in January and again in June on the HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL coming hurricane season, which begins in anniversary of the Golden Temple for making OF NEW YORK June. His concern for the Caribbean region speeches in support of freedom for Khalistan IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES as a whole, not simply Grenada, wasn’t mis- and raising the flag of Khalistan. These events placed. were led by Dal Khalsa. Recently, Dal Khalsa Tuesday, March 28, 2006 After all, Ivan left a trail of devastation in was put under watch by order of the Chief Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to Jamaica, Haiti, St. Vincent and other is- Minister of Punjab after its leader, Satnam lands. The loss of life in Haiti was mind-bog- call upon the United States Government to as- gling and tragic. Other hurricanes also af- Singh, and the leader of the Shiromani Khalsa sist the islands of the Caribbean with prepara- fected the Bahamas and the U.S. Last year, Dal, Daljit Singh Bittu, announced that they tion for the impending 2006 hurricane season Katrina took its lethal high winds and heavy are joining forces to achieve sovereignty for and to enter in the RECORD an editorial from rains to the Gulf Coast of the United States, Khalistan. the New York CaribNews entitled ‘‘Prepare especially New Orleans and the pitiful sight Mr. Speaker, these are the kinds of tactics Now Don’t Wait for a Hurricane Strike’’ which of tens of thousands of homeless persons, at that totalitarian governments use, not demo- least 1,000 killed and the Big Easy brought to addresses the need to take timely action now cratic ones. A real democracy would not arrest its knees wouldn’t be erased from the mem- people for making speeches. This is under- before a natural disaster occurs. ory banks of Americans for decades to come. The impact and wreckage still linger in Gre- Add the inept response of the Federal Emer- lined by the fact that, according to the Move- nada from 2004 and 2005. In the aftermath of gency Management Agency, FEMA, and the ment Against State Repression, India admitted Hurricanes Ivan and Emily we realized that Bush White House to the nightmare and it to holding 52,268 Sikh political prisoners. Tens decades of progress was wiped away and in- would become clear why rich and poor coun- of thousands of other minorities are also held surmountable damage was done to 90 per tries alike should be petrified about the 2006 as political prisoners, according to Amnesty hurricane season. cent of the country’s housing stock and water- International. How can such things happen in But hurricanes aren’t the only cause for the world’s largest democracy? sheds. Similar devastation exists throughout despair. Monstrous floods hit Guyana in late the islands of the Caribbean who received di- 2004 from which it hasn’t fully recovered. The time has come to stand up against In- rect force of the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes. It Some estimates by the Economic Commis- dia’s tyranny. We should end our aid to India, is crucial that steps be taken to prepare for sion for Latin America and the Caribbean, especially since India uses 25 percent of its these tragedies long before they occur. We ECLAC, put the damage in Guyana to ap- development budget for nuclear development, must have programs in place to respond im- proximately 60 percent of its gross domestic and we should stop our trade until all people product. The floods affected almost two- enjoy basic human rights. And we should de- mediately and not wait until the disaster thirds of the 800,000 plus persons who live strikes. clare our support for free and fair plebiscites there. in Kashmir, as India promised in 1948, in Pun- WITH 2006 HURRICANE SEASON AROUND THE Clearly, nations and territories in the re- CORNER, A LOUD CARIBBEAN APPEAL: PRE- gion should have learned some important jab, Khalistan, in Nagaland, and wherever PARE NOW DON’T WAIT FOR A HURRICANE lessons from these tragedies. The first was people are seeking freedom. The essence of STRIKE that they should be prepared for the tragedy democracy is the right of self-determination MARCH 21, 2006.—Among Caribbean leaders, long before it occurs. Next, they must have and that basic right is being denied to minori- Dr. Keith Mitchell, Grenada’s Prime Min- programs in place to respond immediately ties in India. The best thing we can do to sup- ister, is undoubtedly the best person, not after the all clear has been given. That was port stability, freedom, and human dignity in only to talk about the importance of pre- why it was so distressing to hear both Dr. Mitchell and Jeremy Collymore, Coordinator the subcontinent is to stop rewarding the ty- paring a country’s response system before a rants and throw our full support behind those natural disaster occurs. He is also well quali- of the Caribbean Emergency Response Agen- cy, CEDERA, express regret that some coun- seeking freedom. fied to be the region’s spokesman on rebuild- Mr. Speaker, the Council of Khalistan has ing a nation after devastation caused by a tries seem to be waiting until the next ca- hurricane. lamity strikes in order to wake up. That issued a very good release on the arrests of That’s because of the wreckage Hurricanes would add to the suffering. Dr. Chohan and Mr. Dhami. I would like to in- In his speech to the diplomats and other Ivan and Emily left behind in 2004 and last sert it in the RECORD at this time. Thank you. representatives in New York, Dr. Mitchell year in Grenada. In a matter of hours Ivan DESIRE FOR KHALISTAN ALIVE AND WELL IN expressed the Caribbean’s disappointment at wiped out decades of progress in the Eastern PUNJAB the ‘‘poor response’’ to the region’s appeals Caribbean state, destroyed the productive for assistance in the wake of the natural dis- WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 21, 2006.—Slogans base of the economy, took at least a dozen asters. of ‘‘Khalistan Zindabad’’ filled the air at the lives and damaged 90 per cent of the coun- ‘‘In both cases only a small percentage of Holla Mohallah festival in Anandpur Sahib, try’s housing stock, forested areas, water- the pledges were fulfilled,’’ he said. That’s an Punjab, led by Dal Khalsa and the Shiromani shed and mangroves. In less than a year international scandal, a crying shame. Here Khalsa Dal. The two organizations pledged Emily came along and unfortunately piled were countries and institutions making to unite to liberate the Sikh homeland, on damage on top of damage and put a halt pledges, lifting people’s hopes but failing to Khalistan, which declared itself independent to much of the rebuilding effort after Ivan. live up to their word in times of need and from India on October 7, 1987. That put Dr. Mitchell and his people in the suffering. Dal Khalsa, led by Satnam Singh, presi- unenviable position of starting from scratch dent of Dal Khalsa, and Daljit Singh Bittu, f to rebuild a beautiful country. pledged to ‘‘provide a fresh platform for the Small wonder, then, that when the United SIKH ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN Sikhs who were depressed with the incom- Nations was about to launch its inter- PUNJAB petent and incapable leadership of various national Central Emergency Response Fund factions of the Akali Dal,’’ according to The last week in New York, the Grenada leader Telegraph, an Indian newspaper. Satnam was invited to join UN Secretary-General, HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS Singh said the organizations would reach out Kofi Annan, at the head table to speak to OF NEW YORK to people to involve them in ‘‘the struggle to delegates from around the world about the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES uphold our honor and dignity,’’ the news- value of being well prepared in case of a nat- Tuesday, March 28, 2006 paper reported. The Punjab government led ural disaster and the need for an effective re- by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has di- sponse by the international community to Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, Sikh activists rected the police that both groups be put appeals for help. Kanwarpal Singh Dhami and Dr. Jagjit Singh under watch. A key task was to appeal for financial and Chohan were recently arrested by the Indian Dal Khalsa has sponsored numerous technical assistance for victims of natural Government on charges of sedition. Their marches in Punjab in support of a free disasters. crime was to speak in support of a sovereign Khalistan, the Sikh homeland that declared Speaking on behalf of Caricom and ad- Khalistan. Dr. Chohan also flies the Khalistani its independence from India on October 7, dressing the high level meeting as a ‘‘sur- 1987. It was the organizer of the two events vivor of an unprecedented catastrophe’’ the flag from his residence. When did free speech at which Sikhs were arrested for making Prime Minister presented a sensible case for become a crime in a democracy? speeches and raising the Khalistani flag. small states. ‘‘The Caribbean is among the The Sikh homeland of Khalistan declared History shows that multinational states regions in the world most vulnerable to nat- itself independent from India on October 7, such as India are doomed to failure. Coun- ural disasters,’’ he said. ‘‘The survival of our 1987. tries like Austria-Hungary, India’s longtime

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