Agra Summit

Peace & Harmony News

Peace & Harmony Organizations

(For a copy send a blank email to pritamr@open.org with its subject as the UPPERCASE word in the article title)

Bangladesh

*Are Islamists Taking Over The Bangladesh POLITY? By Saleem Samad, Tehelka.com

India

*Intrigue and Insurgency, By Li Onesto

Pakistan

*South Asia's NIGHTMARE , By M.B. Naqvi

Sri Lanka

*Muslim Women Must be in CONTROL, By Syeda Saiyidain Hameed

AGRA SUMMIT

*The Indo-Pak Summit: Complete Coverage 

http://www.rediff.com/news/indopak.htm

*Slide Show: Welcoming the 'enemy'

A look at the welcome accorded to Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf, in pictures. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/14slid1.htm

*India-Pakistan Summit 2001

General Pervez Musharraf, only the fourth Pakistani leader since independence to set foot on Indian soil, arrived in Delhi on Saturday for talks with India's prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee. Accessopinion pieces and news sources in this Special Report:http://www.asiasource.org/news/at_mp_02.cfm?newsid=56812

*Musharraf pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi

The military dictator thus became the first Pakistani ruler to visit Rajghat and lay a wreath on Gandhi's samadhi.http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/14inpak6.htm

*President Narayanan Speech delivered on 14 July 2001 at a banquet he hosted in honor of Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf in New Delhi, India

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InfoTimes/message/872

*Speech Of President Musharraf delivered on 14 July, 2001 at a banquet hosted in his honor by Indian President K.R. Narayanan in New Delhi, India

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InfoTimes/message/871

*Monument of love overwhelms military ruler

'We will never forget the magnificent view of the Taj Mahal' from the Kohinoor presidential suite at the Amar Vilas Hotel, General Musharraf wrote in the visitors' book. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/16inpak23.htm

*Slide Show:The Musharrafs at the Taj

Watch the pictures of the first couple of Pakistan visiting Taj Mahal

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/15taj6.htm

*'Bahut Lajawaab,' says a dazzled first lady

Savouring the beauty of the Taj Mahal from the Khaas Mahal of the Agra Fort, the first lady of Pakistan said the fort was bahut lajawaab and an experience in itself. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/16inpak14.htm

*Slide Show: Images from the Agra Summit

Making tomorrow's history, todayhttp://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/15slid1.htm

*Agra summit runs into same old wall – Kashmir

The talks got extended by several hours as India and Pakistan failed to agree on whether to recognise the Kashmir problem as the fundamental dispute between them. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/16inpak25.htm

*A single phrase brought the house down

Pakistani journalists claimed the talks broke down over the use of the term 'cross-border' to qualify the terrorism that the two leaders were to tackle in future meetings. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/16inpak32.htm

*We were close to a breakthrough: Sattar

The Pakistani foreign minister said it would be wrong to characterize the Agra summit as a failure. He also said he had invited External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to Pakistan. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/17inpak18.htm

*Agra spirit should be carried forward: Pak

A Pakistan foreign ministry statement said the failure to reach an agreement at Agra on the full text of a joint statement was due to differences on one of its paragraphs. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/19inpak6.htm

*Upset Musharraf is still optimistic

Citing the examples of Palestine and Northern Ireland, where negotiations have been going on for decades to achieve peace, the general said resolving such issues took time. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/19inpak.htm

*Pakistani President Invites Indian PM To Visit Pakistan

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InfoTimes/message/911

PEACE & HARMONY NEWS

*'Bury the past, start afresh'

The two day 'India-Pakistan Conference On Development Perspectives In The New Millennium: Forging India-Pakistan Partnership' has over eighty delegates from both the countries deliberating on politics, security, communication, business, science and technology and education. 

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/10inpak4.htm

*Trial run for Indo-Bangla rail link on Wednesday

Regular services are expected to start later this year after completion of the general elections in Bangladesh. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/10train.htm

*Bangladeshi train arrives in India after 36 years

Initially, the train would run between Sealdah (Calcutta) and Bangabandhu Setu, from where the passengers would be transported to Dhaka by bus.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/11train.htm

*A solution for Siachen

India and Pakistan could take a leaf from world history and jointly administer Siachen until the larger issues are resolved. The question, says Claude Arpi, is whether Vajpayee and Musharraf will be bold enough to take such a step.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/12spec.htm

*Indian Army reduces 20,000 troops in Kashmir

The withdrawal of 20 army units from the Kashmir valley has brought down the army presence in the trouble torn area to the pre-Kargil days.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/13indopak23.htm

*Mutually Advantageous Détente

'The real opportunity for Pakistanis and Indians alike lies in understanding that our continuing conflict is an irritant that undermines the larger opportunity -- to mount the stage of the entire world together,' says Ashwin Mahesh.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/13ash.htm

*Pakistanis view summit with cautious optimism

Students and teachers of a school in Islamabad, currently in India at the invitation of Suchchi-Muchchi, a children's magazine, hope the talks will pave the way for strengthening ties between the countries.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/13indopak.htm

*Delhi-Lahore bus: A symbol of peace

The passengers of the Lahore- Delhi bus service gave a clear message that the relationships of love did exist between citizens of both the countries despite the hostility. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/14inpak34.htm

*'It is a lose-lose situation if both countries do not resolve their disputes'

Professor Naveed Hasan from the Lahore College of Business Administration, feels liberals on both sides should see the dividends of peace. 

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/16inter.htm

*My friend from Islamabad

Questions flew back and forth. This, after all, was the first time Vijaysree Venkatraman was meeting someone from across the border.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/18diary.htm

*Benazir for 'safe & open' Indo-Pak border

The former Pakistani prime minister also said that any agreement between India and a 'non-democratic' government in Pakistan would fail.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/30pak.htm

*Boundaries are very well on maps, but that there are none in people's hearts. 

Pakistani children on a visit to India affirmed what the people have always known, that the divide between the two countries is political, not personal. The girls from Islamabad's Khaldunia School ended their visit with one saying that they were going to go back to Pakistan and tell the people there that "hindustan ke log aman chahte hain". http://www.indiatogether.org/stories/pakkids.htm

PEACE & HARMONY ORGANIZATIONS

*The Pakistan-India People's Solidarity Conference (PIPSC)

The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) along with the Association of Peoples of Asia (APA, India Chapter), the Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD, India Chapter) and the Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA, India Chapter), organized this one-day in Delhi on 12th July 2001, and endorsed the following declaration.

They have started a Signature Campaign for Peace simultaneously in India and Pakistan. It which will culminate at a Celebration for Peace at the Wagah Border on the night of 14^th / 15^th August. You can sign the statement online at their website www.pakindpeace.org

Declaration

I. Preamble:

For over half a century now, the people of India and Pakistan have borne the burden of hostilities between the two States. We, the representatives of numerous civil society groups which have endeavoured for years to reform relations between India and Pakistan, welcome the Summit between General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and urge that they
seriously engage in a sustained dialogue. The resources of the two countries must be transferred from bombs to books, from submarines to schools, from missiles to medicines, from frigates to food, from runways for bombers to railroads for people. The two leaders must also pledge to eliminate the terrifying nuclear menace that threatens the people of the entire South Asia region.

II. The Pakistan-India People's Solidarity Conference has identified and arrived at an agreement on three major areas of concern between the two countries, which we feel need to be addressed at the Agra Summit. These are as follows:

Nuclear Weapons 

The nuclear weapons programmes of India and Pakistan have heightened mutual tensions and placed the entire South Asian region in grave danger. The two countries must move towards complete dismantlement of their nuclear weapons and associated systems and return to the global agenda for disarmament.

Democracy 

We affirm that peace, democracy and justice are indivisible. Hostilities between India and Pakistan have dangerously fuelled religious fundamentalisms and national chauvinisms. The support extended to these forces by the Indian and Pakistani States seriously undermine democracy, the rights of the minorities and women, and threaten intellectual freedom and free speech. We call for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. We also call for the strengthening of democracy in all parts of India. These acts are crucial for a lasting peace between the two countries. We call on the two leaders to recognise that today's needs and tomorrow's great possibilities are more important than yesterday's sad
injuries, and that old mindsets need to change with the times.

Kashmir 

For fifty-four years the governments of India and Pakistan have not only failed to resolve the Kashmir dispute, but have also been responsible for grave Human Rights violations. Let all sides reflect upon the tremendous suffering in Jammu and Kashmir caused by the denial of political, social, economic and human rights 
by India and Pakistan. The Agra Summit should focus attention on the plight of the widows, the orphans, the bodily wounded, the psychologically traumatised, the socially ostracised, and the physically uprooted—irrespective of religious, ethnic or political background.

The Kashmir issue is not only a territorial dispute between the two States but involves the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore, a just and democratic resolution of the Kashmir dispute demands the involvement of the people on both sides of the LoC in a non-sectarian solution. A Kashmir solution can work only in 
the atmosphere of Pakistan-India friendship, which this Summit must guarantee.

III. We call on the two governments to:

1. Withdraw all draconian laws in both countries that violate Human Rights.

2. Allow free movement of people between the two countries, and remove travel and visa restrictions, including police reporting.

3. Withdraw the order for prior Government permission and clearance to hold international meetings, conferences, seminars and workshops. 

4. Lift restrictions on exchange of newspapers, magazines and journals, etc.

5. Normalise cultural and trade relations between the two countries.

6. Cease hostilities with immediate effect in Kashmir, initiate the process of disengagement of armed forces, and terminate support to armed groups, both State and non-State.

7. Commit to a Nuclear Freeze. This would entail no further nuclear testing, no development, deployment and induction of nuclear weapons, and no further efforts towards the setting up of Command and Control systems.

8. Agree to a mutual reduction in the armed forces, and utilise the freed resources for meeting the people's social and economic needs. Both governments should also commit themselves to a time-bound programme for the systematic reduction of military spending, both direct and indirect.

*Petition for peace and reconciliation (Via Naeem Sadiq, F-15-2, 4th Gizri St. DHA Karachi. Ph. 5831008, Fax. 5831099, ns@super.net.pk)

On the eve of Musharraf - Vajpaee talks, the following petition was signed by 100 Indian, Pakistani and other nationals, as an statement of support for peace and reconciliation between the two countries. 

We the people of India and Pakistan, appeal to the leaders of both countries to bury the bitterness and mistrust of the past 50 years and open a new chapter of peace, reconciliation and friendship between the two great nations of this subcontinent. 

We the people of India and Pakistan wish to co-exist as friendly and peaceful neighbours. We wish to channel all our energies and resources towards the betterment of our people and towards elimination of hunger, disease and illiteracy. 

We urge upon our leaders to agree on seeking peaceful solutions to all outstanding issues, to refrain from further nuclear escalation and militant confrontation. It is time for reason to replace prejudice. It is time for people of the two great nations to collectively demand their right to peace, progress and prosperity. 

*'South Asian Conference on Fundamentalism: Role of Civil Society, Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 1 and 2, 2001.

A two-day organised by leading intellectuals and public figures of Bangladesh who had played a prominent role in the country's liberation from Pakistani 
military-bureaucratic yoke thirty years ago, it was attended by a large number of participants from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. The discussions at the Conference were on Resisting: Fudamentalism: Role of Government and Political Parties; Fundamentalism and Religion; Fundamentalism and Women; Fudamentalism, Communalism and Progressive Ideas; Fundamentalism and War Crimes; Fundamentalism and Terrorism; Communalism: Condition of Religious and Ethnic Minorities, Resisting Fundamentalism and Communalism: Role of Civil Society. The following declaration was adopted at the end of the conference.

Dhaka Declaration

We, members of the civil society of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, having participated in the two day South Asian Conference on Fundamentalism and Communalism held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on June 1-2, 2001;

1. Recognising that fundamentalism and communalism are undermining the vitals of our society, eroding democratic values, norms and institutions and perpetuating acts of violence and terrorism;

2. recognising that women, children and people belonging to ethnic and religious minority groups are particularly being victimised by fundamentalist and communalist forces;

3. recognising that these forces are geared to gain political control by various means whatsoever;

4. recognising that there is a great urgency in checking and rendering these forces ineffective without further delay; further recognising that unless concerted efforts are made to achieve these objectives, the entire South Asian region will be engulfed in medieval darkness;

5. recognising that countries in South Asia are endangered by identical problems and we should move unitedly and resolutely to deal with the problems;

6. recognising that some political parties and social groups are using fundamentalist and communal ideologies as well as these forces in furthering their ends; affirming the need to urge upon political parties and social groups in South Asian countries to desist immediately from utilising these forces for political benefit;

7. affirming the need of de-communalisation and secularisation implying an active reconstruction of ethnic and religious identities in a spirit of equality interdependence and mutual respect, we call upon states, governments, political parties and civil society organisations to uphold inter-ethnic, inter-religious 
and inter-faith equality as inalienable democratic principles

8. recognising that sections of the media are increasingly becoming the means to propagate fundamentali st communalist and extremist ideology and sentiments call upon media institutions and personnel to uphold principles and ideals of democracy, pluralism and secularism in order to promote values of diversity and tolerance

9. recognising that the process of secular democratisation of South Asian societies could effectively challenge patriarchy and gender subordination, reinforced and sustained by reactionary forces, we call upon states political parties and civil society organisations to uphold these fundamental principles;

10. We, members of South Asian civil society, recognising that the present Conference held in Dhaka together members of the civil societies of South Asia and paving a path to fight the communal and fundamentalist forces unitedly by upholding democratic, human and secular values; pledge .

(a) to harness our energies for promoting socialjustice, peace, gender equality, 

and secular democratic values;

(b) to work towards brin ging all perpetrators of crimes against humanity and war criminals to justice.

Hence, we propose to establish a South Asia platform "South Asian People's Union Against Fundamentalism and Communalism" to join hands in resisting all forms of fundamentalism and communalism in the region.

*Peace Support Group, Sri Lanka - A statement signed by Sunila Abeysekere, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Sunanda Deshapriya, Rohan Edirisinha, Ketheshwaran Loganathan, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Jeevan Thiagarajah and Joe William (Sunday Observer, July 22 2001)

The President's decision to prorogue Parliament in the face of a 'No Confidence Motion' against the government and a petition signed by a majority of the members of parliament calling for an early debate on the Motion, is clearly a subversion of the basic principles and practices of parliamentary democracy. The integrity of the parliamentary process is called into question when Parliament is prorogued for expedient and partisan reasons, a group styling itself the Peace Support Group has said. Furthermore the decision to hold a non-binding referendum during this period is a cynical attempt to divert attention from the blatantly anti-democratic act of prorogation by executive fiat. In addition, the wording of the question to be placed at the referendum - "Is a new constitution as a matter of national importance and necessity needed for the country?" - shows a measure of contempt for the public's understanding of the issues relating to constitution making. The objective of the referendum needs to be clarified. There is confusion as to whether it is purely consultative or the first step towards the adoption of a new Constitution through extra-Constitutional means.

The Constitution is a social contract among all the groups and communities living in a society. It should be an agreed text based on a broad consultative process as well as a multi-party consensus. In the absence of this, to even attempt to frame constitutional issues in a year/no format at a referendum, is to question the very legitimacy of the process of Constitution-making. Accordingly, we urge the immediate rescinding of the Presidential orders proroguing parliament and calling for a referendum. We also recommend the setting up of a 2 year Interim Government of Peace and Reconciliation in the spirit of partnership and power sharing, committed to advancing the peace process and democratic reform. This government should comprise the incumbent President, a Prime Minister who commands the confidence of Parliament and representatives of political parties who agree on a minimum programme of peace and democratic reform.

Our proposal is not to be confused with proposals from sections of civil
society and the polity that favour the setting-up of a 'National Government'
with the objective of excluding minority parties and prosecuting the war. We
totally reject this. What we favour, instead, is the formation of an Interim
Government of Peace and Reconciliation to implement a Minimum Programme which includes the following elements:

1. Re-activation of the peace process.

2. Constitutional reforms including the abolition of the Executive presidency, establishment of five Independent Commissions, electoral reforms, substantial Devolution of powers and a commitment to enhance the protection of human rights.

3. The strengthening of the existing Bribery Commission and Human Rights Commission.

We appeal to all political parties to rise above partisan interests and address the current crisis. We call on members of civil society to defend and promote democracy and peace at this critical juncture in our history.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

*INDIA-PAKISTAN RECONCILIATION SCHOOL (IPRS), a six-month long online-cum-correspondence Course for Indian and Pakistani Youth, has been set up by the South Asian Community Center for Education, Research and Action 
Trust, based in Chennai, India. The following six areas would be covered [I] Envisioning a Common Future, [II] Taking Stock of the Present Decadence, [III] Removing the Stumbling Blocks, [IV] Meeting Each Other Half Way, [V] Walking Together to Peace and Development, [VI] Nurturing Peace and Development:
More info from http://www.saccer.org or email <spudayakumar@yahoo.com>.

BOOKS, JOURNALS, MAGAZINES & VIDEOS

*Pakistan And India Under The Nuclear Shadow, (a video documentary based on a script by Zia Mian, and produced and directed by Pervez Hoodbhoy in VHS-PAL, VHS-NTSC, and Compact Disk format). Eqbal Ahmad Foundation P.O. Box 222 Princeton, NJ 08542-0222, USA, $35. 

In May 1998, over a billion people were thrust into the nuclear shadow as India and Pakistan blasted their way onto the world stage as nuclear weapons states. This path-breaking 35 minute independent documentary made in Pakistan takes a critical look at what the bomb has done for the two countries since then. Senior Indian and Pakistani military leaders assess the consequences of nuclear testing in South Asia and the possibility of war. Heads of Islamic religious organizations and militant groups engaged in jihad explain the hopes they have for the bomb and why they believe it strengthens Pakistan and Islam. Leading peace activists, academics and journalists make the case that nuclear South Asia is spiralling into instability, an arms race, deepening poverty, and an ever-greater threat of nuclear war, both deliberate and accidental. Through interviews, graphics, and archive footage, the film spells out in stark and urgent terms the nuclear danger that now imperils the people of Pakistan and India and the desperate need for peace.

*Out Of The Nuclear Shadow, Edited by Smitu Kothari and Zia Mian, 2001, 525 pp. In India, ISBN 81-86962-25-5 (Hb) Rs. 500 ISBN 81-86962-26-3 (Pb) Rs. 275, Lokayan, 13 Alipur Road Delhi 110054, 011-3969380. In USA and Europe, ISBN 184277 0586 (Hb) $69.95, ISBN 1842770594 (Pb) $27.50, Zed Books, 7 Cynthia Street London N1 9JF, Tel: 44(0) 20 7837 8466, Fax: 44(0) 7833 2960, http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk/home.htm

Outraged conscience, careful argument, poetry, political analysis -- gathered here is the diversity of voices, traditions, and approaches that are weaving themselves into an anti-nuclear movement in India and Pakistan.

In these essays written before, during, and after the May 1998 nuclear explosions scholars and activists from these two countries attempt to understand and challenge the nuclearisation of South Asia. These essays are an act of resistance against governments that see nuclear weapons as a currency of power, as symbols of prestige, as sources of security, as moments of glory in an otherwise dismal contemporary history.

*On the Abyss - Pakistan After the Coup, Harper Collins, New Delhi, 2000, Pages: 280, Rs. 195, Reviewed by: Yoginder Sikand

After what is widely believed to have been a failed summit at Agra, Indo-Pakistani relations are back to square one. It is not that much was expected from the talks in any case. Both Musharraf and Vajpayee have their own domestic constituencies to pander to, and neither would have been willing to brook any compromise on Kashmir, the single most crucial hurdle in the path of normalising relations between the two countries. As the essays included in this book stress, Musharraf, despite being the military ruler of his country, is faced with tremendous odds that seriously constrain the freedom that he can exercise in attempting to inch towards better relations with India. 

The noted Pakistani critic, Tariq Ali opines in his contribution that the dominance of the Punjabi feudal and bureaucratic elite, as well as the Islamist right-wing and the army, stand in the way of any mo ves to improve relations with India. Pakistani nationalism has sought to define itself in opposition to India ( a mirror opposite of Indian nationalism, particularly of the Hindutva variety), and thus moves to befriend India are generally viewed as compromising on not just Pakistani sovereignty and independence but, more crucially, on the very identity of the nation itself. Ali insists that a European Union-style South Asian Federation might actually hold the key to the seemingly hopeless quest for peace in South Asia.

Peace in South Asia is a must for the economic development of both India and Pakistan, says S.Akbar Zaidi, former professor of economics at the University of Karachi, in his essay. He cites facts and figures to show how highly skewed the income distribution pattern in Pakistan is (India, with its probably worse mass destitution, hardly fares better, though), in terms of class, region and ethnicity. He sees little hope for Musharraf in being able to stem the surging tide, warning that unless inequalities are redressed, civil war is certain, which might well take the form of ethnic conflict or religious radicalism. On the political front, he insists that as long as the army, the feudal lords and the bureaucracy continue to enjoy untrammeled powers, there is little hope for a genuine democracy to take root in the country. 

With the liberalisation of the Pakistani economy, however, Zaidi opines, the country seems to be moving even further away from participatory democratic structures as income inequalities further widen, a point that is also made by veteran Pakistani journalist, Shahid-ur-Rahman in his aptly titled essay, 'Who Owns Pakistan?'. Little wonder, then, as Aziz Siddiqui, join director of Pakistan’s Human Rights’ Commission, writes, Pakistanis, in general, do not seem to have responded negatively to the General’s coup, believing that it can hardly be worse than the civilian regimes that they have hitherto been subjected to.

Possibly the most formidable barrier to improving Indo-Pakistan relations is the enormous clout that the religious right-wing enjoys in both India and Pakistan. Khaled Ahmed, consulting editor for the Lahore-based 'Friday Times', makes an 
interesting analysis of the growth of militant Islamist groups in Pakistan, which are in the forefront of what they see as a 'jihad' against India. He argues that the Pakistani state has actively cultivated such groups to shore up its sagging legitimacy, and to pursue its goals in Kashmir. The collapse of civil society 
institutions, the failure of the Pakistani state in such crucial areas as medical and edeucational provision, and the influence of assertive Islamic movements abroad, in addition to a host of other factors, have made for the alarming rise of militant Islamist groups and a culture of violence that has wreaked havoc not just in Kashmir, but also inside Pakistan itself, with Shia-Sunni and intra-Sunni conflicts now assuming menacing proportions. Ahmed insists that one of the critical tasks facing Musharraf is to seriously attempt to reign in the militants. Never has the time been more appropriate for a more liberal and tolerant understanding of Islam, and, if one may add, of Hinduism as well.

While acknowledging that Pakistan has to take serious measures to solve its own problems, Jason Burke, former South Asia correspondent of the London-based 'Observer', writes that being the bigger of the two countries, India must show sympathy and needs to find the necessary compassion and generosity to understand the dilemma that Pakistan faces. Likewise, Mani Shankar Aiyar also insists that dialogue is indeed the only way out of the impasse in Indo-Pakistan ties. But, as the collapsed Agra summit so clearly suggests, a dialogue of the deaf can no longer do.

EVENTS

*August 31 - September 3, Chicago, Illinois, USA: ISLAM: Strength Through Diversity is the theme of 38th Annual ISNA Convention of American-Muslims Convention. The program includes lectures, a national qirat competition and a career and jobs fair.

*October 19-20, Madison, Wisconsin, USA: FIFTH ANNUAL CHINGARI VIDEOFEST: South Asian Video Festival at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will coincides with the Annual Conference on South Asia organized by UW-Madison Center for South Asia. The VideoFest provides an opportunity for 
independent filmmakers to showcase their politically progressive projects that deal with such issues as labor movements; social justice movements; religious fundamentalism; economic globalization and market fundamentalism and its impact on the poor; patriarchy and gender politics; the location and construction of social identities; lesbian, gay, and bisexual struggles; racism; political and economic human rights; and environmental degradation. Entries should have been released in or after 1998, and must be submitted on video (only NTSC, standard VHS 1/2 inch) by September 1, to Center for South Asia University of Wisconsin-Madison, Attn.: Brendan LaRocque, 203 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. More info from chingari@mail.studentorg.wisc.edu or http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~chingari

*October 20-22, New Delhi, India: THE SECOND LAWYER'S COLLECTIVE COLLOQUIUM ON JUSTICE FOR WOMEN - EMPOWERMENT THROUGH LAW. More info from Leena Prasad, Program Officer, Lawyers Collective – WRI, 63/1 Masjid Road, Jangpura Extension New Delhi-110014, India], Phone 91 11 4321102, Fax 91 11 4321101, E-Mail: wri@vsnl.net

VACANCIES

*Manhattan, New York, USA: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OUTREACH COORDINATOR/CASE MANAGER, Starting Date: September 1st, 2001. Send cover letter, resume and list of three references to Dr. Margaret Abraham,
Domestic Violence Outreach Coordinator/Case Manager Search Committee, Sakhi For South Asian Women, P.O. Box 20208, Greeley Square Station
New York, NY 10001, Fax: 212-564-8745/212-929/5785, Margaret.Abraham@Hofstra.edu

WOMEN

*Maradana rape incident: More women's action against militarisation – Suriya, Sunday Observer (Colombo), 15 July 2001

A prominent East-based women's organisation, the Suriya Women's Development Centre, Batticaloa, has called for greater "Women's activism against militarisation and the culture of violence". This call came in a statement issued by Suriya regarding the recent incident of rape allegedly committed by security forces and police personnel near a check point in Maradana, Colombo.

The Suriya stat ment said: "There has been an alarming escalation of war-time violence against women. Sexual violence committed by armed forces against Tamil women has been multiplying. Marginalised women are subject to violence by those who are in power that is further entrenched by patriarchy and the culture of violence."
 

For more information please visit ACHA's website <www.asiapeace.org>, or contact us by email at <pritamr@open.org> or by telephone at 503.393.6944, or 503.251.0070. The website has been designed and is maintained by Dr. Ingrid H. Shafer.