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ACHA PEACE
BULLETIN
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACHAPeaceBulletin
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A publication of
Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA)
www.asiapeace.org & www.indiapakistanpeace.org
Editor: Pritam K. Rohila, PhD asiapeace@comcast.net
Subscription is free.
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Volume XI, No. 7, July15, 2007, Next Issue,
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CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
*India-Pakistan Peace Day 2007
PEACE & HARMONY
EVENTS
*August 12, International Youth Day.
*August
12-15,
*August
13-17,
*September 4, Springs,
*December
1-2,
PEACE & HARMONY FELLOPWSHIPS
PEACE & HARMONY
FILMS
*Little
Terrorist
SRI LANKA UPDATE
PEACE & HARMONY NEWS
______________________________________________________________________________
EDITORIAL
*India-Pakistan
Peace Day 2007, Pritam K. Rohila, Ph.D., asiapeace@comcast.net
In 2004, the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia
(ACHA) started India-Pakistan’s Peace Day. Now, we are ready to launch this
campaign for the year 2007.
The 2007 campaign will consist of the following two
components:
1. Apology to the Victims of the 1947
Partition-related Violence
2. “39 Days of Peace” calendar
1. Apology
The Partition of British India in 1947 was perhaps the
darkest period in the history of
In the frenzy of communal violence, one-half to one million individuals lost their lives. Most were massacred. Many women committed suicide to protect what they considered their honor, or due to the shame of their dishonor. About 15 million people were forced to leave their homes Countless people could not withstand the hardships of the migration. They either succumbed to their miseries, or were marginalized in their new abodes, and could not regain their pre-Partition economic and social standing. Tragically, no one has so far accepted responsibility for these heinous crimes against humanity. No one has been prosecuted for these barbaric acts. The least we can do is to empathize with, and apologize to, the victims and their families. Therefore, we invite you to join us in this long-overdue effort by signing our Petition of Apology on our website www.indiapakistanpeace.org
2. 39 Days of Peace calendar Some people believe, and we agree that we create
our own reality through our thoughts, words, and actions. And when we are
united in a common, deeply-felt purpose, the power to create positive change is
increased many times.
Therefore, on our website www.indiapakistanpeace.org we have prepared for your use 39 affirmative
statements, one for each day between August 14 and September 21. You are
welcome to modify them if you wish.
We are confident that when all of us affirm each
day’s words, we will help create a consciousness of peace that blesses us all,
including the people in and from
We urge you to join us in promoting peace within
us and in the world around us by saying aloud the affirmative statements of
peace and harmony.
Please send us announcements and reports of your celebrations of India-Pakistan Peace Day 2007. We will post them on our website www.indiapakistanpeace.org
Do not hesitate to contact us at asiapeace@comcast.net if you have any question, comment, or suggestion
PEACE & HARMONY EVENTS
*August 12, International Youth Day. As a way to
promote better awareness of the World Program of Action for Youth, the U. N.
General Assembly on
A major focus of the Day is practical action to further encourage the empowerment and participation of youth in the processes and decisions that affect their lives. The media have especially important role to play in support of the observance of the Day to promote public awareness of youth issues. More info from http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyouthday.htm
*August 12-15,
#4, Vasanttara, Above
Udhyam Vikas Sahkari Bank, Next to Surya Hotel, Off
*August 13-17, Peace-city Sadikabad, Pakistan: INDO-PAK STUDENTS PEACE CAMP 2007 for youth of 15-22 years is being organized by Centre for Youth Development & Activities (CYDA), in collaboration with Yuvsatta-Chandigarh, Beaconhouse School System, Sadikabad, and Institute of Peace & Secular Studies, Lahore, to promote peace, particularly between Pakistan and India. A number of mixed group activities shall take place; no lengthy and boring lectures would be made.
The
camp will be held in Peace-city Sadikabad at Beaconhouse School System. More
info from Mubashir Mirza mirza.mubashir@yahoo.com
*September 4, Springs,
*December 1-2, Islamabad, Pakistan: INDIA-PAKISTAN RELATIONS: PROSPECTS
AND CHALLENGES aims to analyze the significant issue pertaining to peace
building in South Asia, with particular reference to the on-going peace dialogue
between India and Pakistan, at Preston
University, Islamabad. Registration fee is Rs. 1,000. More info from Dr. Sohail Mahmood, Preston University, 85, Street 3, H-8/1,
Islamabad - 44000, Pakistan, Phone: +92 51 111-707-808 (office); Fax: 092-
051-4430648, Cell: +92 345 511 79 21, E-Mail: mahmood.sohail@gmail.com
PEACE & HARMONY FELLOPWSHIPS
*September 17 is the last date
for submission of applications for Senior Fellowships in the Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program
of the U. S. Institute of Peace for the 2008-2009, in
PEACE & HARMONY FILMS
*Little
Terrorist
Directed by Ashvin Kumar and produced by
Judith James, and available in DVD
format at 15 US Dollars each from http://www.little-terrorist.com
This Oscar Nominated (2005) short film
relates the story of a Pakistani Muslim boy who accidentally crosses the Pakistani-Indian
border which is riddled with land mines. He ends up in a strange country that
regards him as a terrorist. The old orthodox Hindu Bhola takes him in and hides
him from the Indian soldiers. However, traditions and prejudices about Muslims
remain an obstacle in the relationship between Bhola and the boy. Ultimately,
humanity triumphs over prejudice when Bhola risks his own life to help Jamal
cross the border again.
SRI LANKA UPDATE
*Strengthen National
Institutions to Deal with Human Rights Violations and Overcome National
Regression
July 3, 2007, Press Release by the National Peace Council
of Sri Lanka, 12/14 Purana Vihara
Road, Colombo 6, Phones 2818344, 2854127, 2819064, Tel/Fax:2819064, npc@sltnet.lk,
The National Peace Council is disturbed by the controversy
surrounding the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Serious Human Rights
Violations (COI). This Commission was appointed in November 2006 by President
Mahinda Rajapaksa in the face of mounting concern over the climate of impunity
and terror with regard to abductions, extortions, assassinations and other
grave human rights violations in the country.
Unfortunately, the functioning of the Commission has been tarnished by the recent public correspondence between the Commission itself, the Attorney General, and the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) mandated to observe the investigations carried out by the Commissioners. We are relieved that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has written to the Chairman of the IIEGP, Justice P.N Bhagwati, and requested him to continue with his work. We also appreciate the continued work of the Commission, and the Sri Lankan Commissioners, who have taken up the difficult challenge of seeking to ensure justice in a time of impunity.
The Eminent Persons were brought in to observe the working of the Commission. So they have to express an opinion on whether the Commission is working according to international standards, and if not, to point out the failings. The National Peace Council believes that the IIGEP needs to take immediate steps to directly observe the investigations conducted by the Commission, in the process of fulfilling the desired requisite of collective responsibility. Basing their public statements solely on information provided by intermittently-present assistants may lead to misunderstandings.
Given that the Commission's mandate extends only to a few cases, a feasible and practicable time frame must be set for the culmination of inquiries. This will ensure greater efficacy and answerability, and place greater pressure on responsible parties to give effect to their mandate in a timely manner. In this context, the National Peace Council welcomes the positive recommendations made by the IIGEP to improve the functioning of the Commission. We urge all parties to coordinate proceedings in accordance with international standards and norms and to cooperate in a manner which gives due respect to the authorized mandates of investigation, observation and recommendation. We also encourage the COI and IIGEP to work together to complete their mandated tasks within a reasonable time frame.
The National Peace Council of Sri Lanka appreciates the initiatives of the Government to enact national legislation that provides assistance and protection to victims and witnesses, and to amend the Commission of Inquiry Act. We insist that these measures be realized without delay in Parliament.
As the role of the Attorney General's Department is central to the dispute we urge the COI and IIGEP to seriously review the matter and seek a mutually acceptable solution that ensures transparency and impartiality that best serves the interests of justice.
Today, well
over a thousand persons are reportedly dead or missing and alarming patterns of
defamatory propaganda and systematic terror campaigns have intimidated civil
society. The Chairman of the Presidential Commission to Probe Abductions,
Disappearances and Killings, Mahanama Tillakaratne has recently stated that
1713 disappearances were reported in the country during the period
The National Peace Council regrets that more than seven months have passed since the establishment of the Commission, and four months since the appointment of the Eminent Persons, but the human rights abuses continue without ceasing. Every day that passes sees more of the same infringements that these two bodies were expected to investigate. Their failure to end the spree of human rights violations and abuses shows that ad hoc and temporary bodies, however well intentioned, cannot deal with the major crises of governance in our country.
We believe
that
PEACE & HARMONY NEWS
*Now fashions to go beyond borders TIMES OF INDIA |Saturday,
*Musharraf orders crackdown on militancy DAILY TIMES |
*
*Lanka studies devolution in India DAILY NEWS
|
*Lankan
foreign minister to visit B'desh THE NEW AGE |
*Nepal-India border meeting begins KANTIPUR ONLINE |
*Indo-Pak theatre festival scheduled DAILY TIMES |
*
*
*Edhi’s plea to clerics:
pursue peace DAWN |
*
*The
*Troops pullout from J&K schools on anvil Indian Express |
*Indo-Pak
*
*
*
*First Pak-India Jashn-e-Ghalib DAILY TIMES |
*
*Indian
train arrives in
*Kashmiri plane hijacker now peace maker THE STATESMAN
*
*Pak
making regional peace efforts: Aziz DAILY TIMES |
*
*
*Pak Navy ships on
goodwill visit to Male MIADHU |
*Free trade zone along LoC proposed DAWN |
*
*Andhra (
*Indian writer's ashes scattered in
*Pak ghazal queen enthrals
*Anti-Ulfa group in war for peace The Telegraph |
*
*Sufi festival brings
*Indo-Pak talks focus on jailed civilians INDIAN EXPRESS |
*Lankan minister calls on
*UK HC ups involvement in Sri Lanka peace process Lanka Business Tuesday, July 03,2007 http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=403323&category=Frontend&Country=SRI%20LANKA
*
*Bangla army chief to visit India TELEGRAPH |
*Indian
Eastern Command Chief visits Bhutan KUENSEL ONLINE |
*
*
*Nepal-Lanka ties celebrated
THE HIMALAYAN |
*
*Singh, Musharraf to meet in
*Gandhi deplored Urdu script fall INDIAN EXPRESS |
*
*
*Indo-Pak accord on gas transportation HINDU |
*
*No War Zone declared in Lanka BBC |
*Talks with
*
*
*Malé marches against drugs
MIADHU NEWS |
*
*
*
*Kashmiri Hindus see hope for return DAILY TIMES |
*Lanka-Andhra Pradesh to promote tourism DAILY NEWS |
*Lanka FM to visit Nepal
DAILY NEWS |
*
*Pak
Punjab to build Nanak University DNA |
*Pak
promoting regional peace: Kasuri DAILY TIMES
*
*Tariq Aziz, Lambah in peace bid THE NEWS |
*
*Hurriyat wants to see Pandits back, ready to apologise, Neeraj Santoshi , June 21, 2007 http://www.indianexpress.com/story/60404.html
*‘Pak,
*Plan launched to mitigate effects of war THE HIMALAYAN TIMES |
*Lanka: Compromise
seen vital to peace bid Yahoo News |
*
*Women's rights inch forward in south Afghanistan BLACK ANTHEM | June 19, http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=399064&category=Frontend&Country=AFGHANISTAN
*Cooperation
tops
*Religious leaders condemn violence, The Academic,
*Situation in
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=397813&category=Frontend&Country=MAIN
*UN to declare Gandhi's birthday as World Non-violence Day, Dharam Shourie | June 14, 07
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jun/14un.htm
*Pak-Afghan-Iran anti-drug plan unveiled DAILY TIMES |
*PM, Carter discuss peace process THE HIMALAYAN TIMES |