BE THERE! TODAY’S EDITION OF NOW! CONTAINS 1002 February, pgs 2005; NOW! 1 Deptt directs Wednesday, 02 Feb, 2005 Vol. 3 No. 243 Gangtok Rs. 3 SBI teachers to press attend first day CREDIT SBI announces Xpress XCredit.XXX Personal Loans for of school or net monthly incomes of Rs. 2,500 onwards; 18- times the salary; at face disciplinary 10.25% interest! contact PT Bhutia 94343 57921, action Chettri 94340 12824 or P Darnal 9434151288 GANGTOK, 01 Feb: A memo being issued by the Secretary, Human Resource Development Department, directs all govern- ment teachers, Headmasters, Cabinet clears Indigenous Primitive Tribe status for Lepchas Headmistress, Principals to be The Cabinet’s approval follows ment and National Commission a NOW REPORT Sikkim, the Principal Secretary present on the first day of the a Cabinet Memorandum for SC/ST, Government of In- in her memorandum pointed re-opening of schools - 07 Feb, GANGTOK, 01 Feb: The mooted by the Minister-in- dia, by Sikkim Lepcha Youths’ out that according to the 2004 failing which their absence will Cabinet on 29 January, ap- charge, Hissey Lachungpa, and Association [SLYA] and also Electoral Roll prepared by the be treated as Leave Without Pay proved the proposal placed by the Principal Secretary of the on the ethnographical details of State Election Department, the along with the usual discipli- the Department for Social Jus- Department, C. Cintury. the tribe submitted by the SLYA percentage of Lepcha voters nary action that will be initiated tice, Empowerment and Wel- The Cabinet memorandum to the Department. was 8.67 per cent out of the against such absentees without fare for the declaration of placed by the department was Arguing for the declaration total voters of 266,188, which any show cause notice. Lepchas as “Indigenous Primi- based on the memorandum of Lepchas as Indigenous incidentally was also the low- [IPR] tive Tribe Group of Sikkim.” submitted to the State Govern- Primitive Tribe Group of turn to pg 8 SURROUNDED BY STRIFE, SIKKIM REMAINS AN OASIS OF PEACE offers for the future of the prominently in Mr. CM CALLS FOR Rs. 1000 CRORE PEACE state,” he said adding that mu- Chamling’s speech. BONUS FOR SIKKIM AT NE CMs MEET tual trade, tourism-related He however highlighted the Minister, Pawan Chamling, ad- Nathula Trade, which was trade, investments, industry and fact that Sikkim was not oblivi- a NOW REPORT dressed the gathered CMs and much enquired about by the pilgrimage were expected to be ous to the threat posed by groups GUWAHATI, 01 Feb: The Union Ministers which, accord- Assamese journalists yesterday, some of the positive implica- like the KLO, ULFA, the Mao- chief ministers of all the north ing to information received, was also figured in his speech. tions. He also informed that he ists and the NDFB; in this regard eastern states, barring Tripura, highly appreciated. On this, Mr. Chamling said was looking forward to imple- he also mentioned arrest of “a who are in Assam to discuss se- Mr. Chamling began by in- that the border trade would be ment all the policies and pro- militant leader” in Sikkim and curity issues along with develop- troducing Sikkim and expressed used as an instrument of de- grammes of the Centre includ- the Indira Sharma murder case ment, grouped for a meeting to- his gratitude to the central gov- velopment. ing VAT for which, he said, the which had threatened the peace- day which was convened by the ernment, former NEC chairman, “In fact the Sikkimese peo- state was “completely ready”. ful atmosphere of the state. Minister in charge of North-East- Governor of Assam and those ple are excited at the throbbing The fact that Sikkim is a “We acted swiftly and suc- ern Affairs PR Kyndiah. The gathered for having supported prospect that the border trade largely peaceful state figured turn to pg 8 Union Home Minister, Shivraj the inclusion of Sikkim as the 8th Patil was also present. Chief member of the NEC. Emergency imposed in Nepal, King takes over KATHMANDU, 01 Feb: Ne- talks with Maoist rebels and pal plunged into a political cri- conduct parliamentary elec- sis today after King Gyanendra tions by April, the king in a tel- sacked the eight month-old Sher evised address to the nation Bahadur Deuba government, as- said: “I hereby dismiss Deuba sumed all executive government and as- powers for the next sume all executive three years and declared powers, in line with a state of emergency in the Constitution” he the country. said announcing Armoured vehicles Deuba’s second dis- with mounted machine missal in three years. guns patrolled the capi- The 55-year-old tal amidst reports that monarch, who as- several politicians have sumed the throne in been put under house 2001 following the arrest. All telephone gunning down of his lines, including mobile brother king phone services, were discon- Birendra, declared that a new nected soon after the royal an- government would be formed nouncement. under his leadership that “will In a brief comment to re- restore peace and effective de- porters, 59-year-old Deuba, mocracy in this country within whose house was surrounded the next three years.” by soldiers, said: “We will op- Meanwhile, India voiced pose this step.” “grave concern” over the de- Charging the Deuba gov- velopment. ernment with failing to hold turn to pg 8 2; NOW!; 02 February, 2005 ED-SPACE If you have to fight Fight by the rules t is an indication of just how Achuley! Iseriously the world now takes The Lepchas, not just of Sikkim but even neighbouring the brutality of Nepal’s conflict West Bengal, have for long been demanding Indigenous that someone like Louise Arbour Primitive Tribe Group status. The Lepchas of Sikkim, with was here this week. the Cabinet approval of 29 January, have secured this The former Canadian su- recognition. Congratulations for them. There will be few preme court justice is a name who will grudge the Lepchas this status. The Lepchas af- associated with genocides in ter all, have been at the receiving end of the domination Rwanda and ex-Yugoslavia. for too many centuries now. The original Lepcha way of She specialises in bringing war life is now lost for all practical purposes, their faith endan- criminals to justice through in- gered and their language on the brink of extinction. A sad ternational tribunals like she state of affairs for a race that is indigenous to the region did the massacre perpetrators and whose myths and legends have been incorporated from Rwanda as well as Yugo- into the identities of everyone else who followed them to slav president, Slobodan this hidden land. Cold statistics and harsh reality demand Milosevic. that they be made more secure, protected better and rec- ognition as “Indigenous Primitive Tribe Group” should Her presence in Nepal low the UN to get Nepali hu- lations at home would affect make them feel more comfortable in these fast-changing should have sent a chill down man rights violators into inter- the future of its UN peacekeep- times. Of course, there will be those who will react nega- the spine of every commander national courts. “They are more ing operations abroad. tively to this development and see it as a fragmentation of and political or rebel leader un- than enough for the UN Secu- Arbour also met human the BL identity. Be that as it may, with the very survival of der whose watch human rights rights activists and relatives of a people at stake, that can be seen as collateral damage atrocities are being committed. the disappeared. But her harsh- in the battle save the Lepcha identity. More than 12,000 Nepalis have EXTERNAL est words were for the Maoists Fact however remains that mere recognition as an In- lost their lives in the last nine who she warned shouldn’t digenous Primitive Tribe Group and its attendant safeguards years: most of them are un- AFFAIRS think they exist in a legal are not enough to guarantee a secure future. What the armed civilians, butchered, dis- vacuum. She told us: “I would Lepcha community makes of this status and how it works appeared, killed after arbitrary NEPAL like to warn the leaders of the out ways to benefit from it will decide what the coming dec- arrests and torture. rity Council to set up tribunals insurgency not to misread de- ades hold for them. Protection alone is no security or guar- This week in Kathmandu, for Nepali perpetrators,” Sher velopments in the wider world antee for preserving the Lepcha identity. No one should know this better than the Lepchas themselves. Revenue Arbour was outspoken in her Bahadur KC of the Nepal Bar nor to believe that they can op- Order No. 1 has offered little protection and if legislations criticism of state security and Association and international erate outside of the law.” She were protection enough then Dzongu should have been a the Maoists and warned them lawyer told us, “and Arbour said she was most concerned hotbed of development and prosperity for Lepchas. That, that they would be held to ac- was here to assess the human about the abductions of chil- everyone knows is not the case. The new status should be count. “In every part of the rights situation under that UN dren, forced displacement of taken as a motivation by the Lepcha community to foster world, political and military provision.” families, murders and extortion the still nascent efforts at furthering their understanding of leaders who thought them- Arbour met King by the rebels.