COMMENTARIES
  • Sandwiched: Plight of the Pnars
    Bibhu Prasad Routray    ·   18 Dec, 2003    ·    #1253    ·    Commentary    
    Five thousand Khasi-Pnar tribals have fled into Sahsniang in Jainita hills of Meghalaya as a result of the atrocities inflicted upon them by the United Peoples’ Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and the Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) militants...
  • Ruckus over Referendum III: Chinese Reactions
    Jabin T Jacob    ·   18 Dec, 2003    ·    #1252    ·    Commentary    
    For China, the Taiwanese debate over passage of the controversial referendum law has come as a spoiler in its warming relations with Washington. The “war on terrorâ€&Ac...
  • Ruckus over Referendum II: American Dilemma
    Jabin T Jacob    ·   18 Dec, 2003    ·    #1251    ·    Commentary    
    What exactly is the US up to regarding Taiwan? The contradictory signals emanating from Washington have all the hallmarks of a tussle at the highest levels of decision-making in the US.  The anger on the Chinese side over Taiwanese actions,...
  • Ruckus over Referendum I: Taiwanese Moves
    Jabin T Jacob    ·   18 Dec, 2003    ·    #1250    ·    Commentary    
    On 27 November, Taiwanese lawmakers adopted a proposal that gave the island’s president the power to hold an independence referendum in case of “ex...
  • Burmese Refugees in Delhi: Refugees Refused Refugee Status
    Paolienlal Haokip    ·   17 Dec, 2003    ·    #1249    ·    Commentary    
    It has been almost two months (Since 20 October) when the Burmese refugees in Delhi started a sit-in protest before the UNHCR office in Lodi Road, Delhi, braving arrests and rough handling by the Delhi police by day and the chill of winter by ni...
  • Attack on Hindi-speaking People in Assam (Regional Media Survey, 16-30 November 2003)
    Bibhu Prasad Routray    ·   17 Dec, 2003    ·    #1248    ·    Commentary    
    Attack on Hindi-speaking people in Assam Vernacular newspapers in Assam provided front-page details of the attacks on Hindi-speaking people in the state and other related developments. On November 18, the Asamiya Pratidin described the stri...
  • Afghanistan: Pain under the Veil
    Saji Cherian    ·   17 Dec, 2003    ·    #1247    ·    Commentary    
    Vida Samadzai, a dark-eyed brunette of the Pashtun tribe who fled Afghanistan with her family in 1996, stepped out in a red bikini at an international beauty pageant as Miss Afghanistan, professing to make the world aware of “Afghan women ...
  • The Stranded Pakistanis: Statelessness in Bangladesh
    R Ramasubramanian    ·   13 Dec, 2003    ·    #1246    ·    Commentary    
    The Biharis or ‘stranded Pakistanis’ as they are sometimes called, were an Urdu-speaking Muslim minority living in the majority Hindu region of Bihar in pre-independence India. With the breakup of India in 1947, a large group fled to...
  • APHC Responds to Delhi (Urdu Media Survey 16-30 November 2003)
    Amin Masoodi    ·   13 Dec, 2003    ·    #1245    ·    Commentary    
    Talks Offer and the APHC In its lead news, the daily Nadia Musharraq (16 November 2003) reported that Delhi was attempting to rope in the Geelani-led Hurriyat faction in the forthcoming talks. "On 22 October Delhi invited Abbas Ansari&...
  • An Emerging Space Race
    Ajay Lele    ·   12 Dec, 2003    ·    #1244    ·    Commentary    
    It could be said that the ‘space era’ started with the launching of the Soviet Union’s first vehicle Sputnik-1 into the earth orbit on 4 October 1957. Since then space technology has been used for both military and civilian pur...
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