GJMM campaign

SNS, KURSEONG, 15 NOV: Two senior leaders of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha left for Ranchi yesterday to campaign for the All Jharkhand Students’ Union Party in the state Assembly elections in Jharkhand slated on 25 November. The GJMM general secretary, Mr Roshan Giri and another leader, Mr Raju Pradhan would also participate in the birth anniversary programme of the Adivasi legend, Birsa Munda. 

Informing this, the GJMM assistant secretary, Mr Binay Tamang said that they would campaign for the AJSUP at different places in the state. “Our support for the Adivasi cause in Jharkhand and the Dooars in the north Bengal region is well known. Both the Adivasi and the Gorkha community remain amongst the most exploited communities in the country even over sixty years after the independence. We regard it our duty to advocate for the development cause of the Jharkhand as well as for the repressed Dooars region in Jalpaiguri,” Mr Tamang added. He further said that the GJMM leaders would pay obeisance to the memory of the legendary Birsha Munda on his birth anniversary. “The Adivasi community in Jharkhand has invited us to attend the programme. We have great regards for Birsha Munda who had sacrificed his life on the altar of the Adivasi cause as well as the collective cause of the country,” he added.

FIR against Alipurduar personnels

SNS, JALPAIGURI, 15 NOV: Two Akhil Bhartiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad leaders today filed an FIR at the Alipurduar police station after some jail personnel allegedly assaulted them at Alipurduar Jail yesterday when they went to visit a prominent leader of the organisation, Mr Raju Bara, kept there on charge of fomenting disturbances at a tea plantation at Hasimara under Kalchini block a few days ago.

Raising the allegation, the brother of the jailed ABAVP leader, Mr Birendra Bara said that police keeping guard on the jail had asked for bribe for permission to meet his imprisoned brother. “When we refused, the guard along with some of the jail staffs physically assaulted us. My friend and I were later admitted at Latabari primary health center and given first aid,” he said.

Eye screening programme

SNS, KURSEONG, 15 NOV: Under the banner of National Programme for Prevention and Control of Blindness, the Kurseong Sub-divisional Hospital has started the School Eye Screening Programme at several government-sponsored schools in the Kurseong Municipality area. The government would provide treatment free of cost and Rs 200 per pair of glasses for the needy students under the NPPCB programme.

Bear mauls again
TT, Gangtok, Nov. 15: A Himalayan black bear pounced on and mauled a grass cutter near the state secretariat here this morning, barely two weeks after three senior forest officials were injured in a similar attack in a residential area of the town.

Around 10.30am, 38-year-old Bimal Gurung was working on a green patch between Palace Ridge Park and the Tashiling state secretariat when the bear came up from behind him. It pounced on him, its force pushing him to the ground. It is not clear how Gurung, who is hardly able to speak, fended off the bear or why the animal left him.

On a weekday, the area on the outskirts and on a higher level than Gangtok, is fairly crowded with people queuing up to the secretariat which houses the various departments of the government.

Chutim Dorjee Lepcha, the person in whose house Gurung worked, said he heard shouts for help and rushed out. “I saw Bimal bleeding and barely able to walk up the slope towards the road. He managed to tell me that a bear had pounced on him while he was cutting grass. The animal was nowhere to be seen,” he said.

Gurung was rushed to Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital where doctors, who attended on him, said his right arm was fractured and he suffered severe injuries on the head, chest and face.

Later, he was shifted to Central Referral Hospital at Tadong.

Forest secretary S.T. Lachungpa visited the injured man at STNM Hospital and handed him Rs 5,000 as initial payment for his treatment.

“I held a meeting with senior forest officials after the incident and it was decided that seven to eight spots in the state capital which is contiguous to forested land would be manned constantly to prevent incidents like this one. We appeal to the people to be very cautious in the morning and at nightfall when bears are mostly active, looking for food,” Lachungpa said. He added that Himalayan black bears were known to attack humans without provocation.

The bear was still at large till late this evening. A team from Himalayan Zoological Park led by deputy director Madan Shankar, senior wildlife officials and local police combed the area. The forest department also received reports today that an adult bear, most probably a female, and two cubs were sighted in Shyari, another locality in the capital.

“We combed the area around the secretariat and tried to flush out the bear using firecrackers but it could not be traced and most probably the animal must have moved to another location,” Shankar said.

Today’s incident takes the number of bear transgressions into human habitation in the state to more than 20 in the past one month, forest sources said.

The department has chalked out a plan that would entail a cost of Rs 60 lakh for better arms, darts, ambulances and other material to tackle the bear menace. However, the report is yet to be submitted.

The last sighting of the animal was on Thursday when three bears, which swam across the Teesta river at the reservoir site at Dikchu in East Sikkim, killed a goat. Forest officials said the increase in the population of bears and other wild animals in the forest areas have led to food competition forcing the animals to migrate into human settlements.
Farmer hurt in wild bear attack 
SNS, KURSEONG, 15 NOV: Chenam Lepcha (73), a farmer, was injured when a wild Himalayan bear attacked him near his residence this morning. A resident of Beechgaon-Sittong-1, he was working on his field when he was attacked. He suffered multiple injuries at his neck and head and was admitted to the Kurseong sub divisional hospital.

This is the third such attack in a month. One Raju Lepcha was mauled in the village in Sitong by a bear barely a week ago. In October, one Anita Gurung (36) and her son Diwas Gurung (10), residents of Labda Busty at Mongpoo were seriously injured by a wild Himalayan bear also at Mana near Sitong.

Den Tshering Lepcha, the gram panchayat member representing the area said they had informed the forest officials regarding such incidents but till date nothing has been done in that direction. “These attacks are becoming frequent,” he added.
Briton brings succour to Makaibari

SNS, Kurseong 15 Nov: There are several villages in the Makaibari Tea Estate region that are facing drinking water problems. But recently, a man from England has come forward to help the deprived people of the region.

Mr Paul Tinning (61), (in SNS picture) a resident of Cumbria, England, has come forward to help by constructing several water reservoirs in Makaibari Tea Estate region. Mr Paul is a builder in England. He visited Makaibari on 20 October and on 23 November to oversee work for the project. Mr Tinning will go back to England after completion of the project.
A few days ago, Mr Tinning completed the construction work of a water reservoir with a capacity of 2400 litres at Kalamati in Makaibari Tea Estate. He is currently completing construction of another reservoir with a capacity of 15000 litres at Koyalapaani village as well as the construction of a 1800 litres reservoir at Thapathali. Besides these, the renovation works of Kodobaari Primary school along with construction works based on rain-water harvesting are also going on under the technical guidance of Mr Tinning.
Meanwhile, he has also distributed medical equipment and aid to VIM ~ a heathcare centre in Makaibari. Talking to the Statesman, Mr Paul Tinning informed that in 2007, his son Mr Simon Tinning (28) had visited Makaibari for several weeks as an educational volunteer. Later, Mr and Mrs Tinning came down to Makaibari to visit their son. During their short stay, they were touched by how local residents had to travel miles to fetch drinking water from remote areas.
Furthermore, sources of water became depleted during the dry season resulting in contamination due to silting and stagnant water.
It was then that Mr Paul Tinning offered to help. With the help of the Furness Rotary Club of England and the Clifford Howarth Trust, he collected Rs 3.5 lakhs for the purpose.
So far, around Rs 1 lakh was already invested in the project. “The rest of the amount would also be utilised within the next year,” he said.
Mr Paul further added that presently, several construction works on water reservoirs are on and more will be constructed at different villages in Makaibari region.
Mr Rabin Khawas, resident of Makaibari said that around six villages and more than 200 houses of Makaibari region will benefit from the project.
The names of the villages are Koyalapaani, Chaptey Busty, Kodobaari, Kaalimaati, Fulbari and Saat Ghumti.
Mr Khawas also informed that during the construction of the reservoirs, special attention has also been given to the sources of the water.
Due to the poor conditions of the water sources, water problems has risen exponentially in the region. Now, with the technical and monetary assistance of Mr Tinning, the sources are being activated.

Local husband abducts his divorcee

bhutanusa.com, Beldangi, Jhapa, 2009/11/15: A woman from Beldangi-2 refugee camp, who is said to have married to a local resident, has been abducted by her divorced husband.A woman from Beldangi-2 refugee camp, who is said to have married to a local resident, has been abducted by her divorced husband.

It is learnt that, Hari Maya Gurung, 20 of Beldangi-2 Refugee Camp, sector A/1 Hut number 216, who had tied her knot to Bishwas kumal, a local resident of Topgachi V.D.C, had only divorced some months ago. Gurung was compelled to dissolve her marriage with Kumal owing to the fact that led to the difficulty of her Third Country Resettlement resulting from her having married to a local resident, police has reported.

According to the report, Kumal has abducted his ex-wife for revenge, who opted to divorce him for Third Country Resettlement. Refugees who are married to the local residents face difficulty in resettling in third countries, despite their keen interest. So divorce cases and breaches of wedlock have become a sort of common phenomenon in camps. 
From Refugee Camp to Arizona-Journey with uncertain Destiny

Dipak Lamichhane, bhutanusa.com: Departure amid farewell hugs and kisses  mingling with tears in eyes and reluctant smile on lips have really set an indelible impression in my heart.  The faces of those who lovingly waved their melancholy hands  still dance before my eyes and hope they will always be vivid and evergreen in my memory to the time eternity.  Anyway, golden rule of  life is to meet and depart  yet there is  faint hope for human beings to meet again in some point of their lives.

Seeking  an outlet to nearly two -decade long pathetic and confined camp dwelling, we  heavy heartedly waved the camps  finally  on 8th August  at 7:5 am local time. Undergoing strict security checks at civil aviation office in  Chandragadhi, Jhapa, we embarked Yeti airlines (9N-AHV) at 12:35 PM which landed us in Tribhuwan international airport (Kathmandu)  after 45 min i.e. at 1:20pm where we were cordially received by IOM officials. After that we were taken to IOM transit camp located at Bans Bari in  Kathmandu where we were confined within its premises for 3 days prohibiting outside mobility owing to security cause.

On 11th august  at 8:15pm after having undergone strict checks at TIA aviation office, we boarded Qatar airways thanking Nepali hearts for generously hosting us for nearly a couple of decade. The sun was drawing a deep red wound  across the eastern horizon and the last stars  in the sky were beginning to make their absence known in the brightening sky when we first landed Asian soil outside Nepal possibly for the last time at Qatar international airport after the long exhilarating flight of 4hours 40 min.

The moment I thought of  thanking the  repressive Druk oligarchy, the so called the ” The  last Shangri-La” for  at least not budging to repatriate its genuine citizens  that ultimately paved the way for theirs being US citizen, we embarked Qatar airlines which left for Paris, the capital of France after 2-hour stay in QIA. The mind-numbing flight from Qatar lasted for 8hrs 10 min when we landed  a beautiful and giant international airport in Paris. We impatiently waited continental airways for 1 hrs 45 min that would land us to our succeeding final destination i.e. Newark Liberty International Airport (port of entry).  After arriving at  US custom and border protection office within NLIA, we underwent awfully tight security screenings. There after we were forwarded to Department of  Homeland Security (DHS) where our biometrics were taken. We were asked to submit all reliable and authentic documents (IOM bag)  for the necessary legal procedings. Having strictly checked us and  our legal papers inspected thoroughly, DHS authorized our admission in the US as refugees for an indefinite period. There, we were granted a paper document called I-94,  a legal refugee visa for the admission in the  USA that permits us to live and work legally here. At this point of time, Prakash Manandhar, who escorted us all the way from Kathmandu to Newark, left  handing us over to IOM officials.

Accompanied by 35 long-suppressed refugees up to NLIA, we were feeling homely till our arrival in the USA. But when they gave the last wave inside NLIA and headed towards their final destination our hearts pounded with greater magnitude of nostalgia and tears trickled down our cheeks that added a brick to reach the climax of mental distress.

After having  all our belongings checked, we restlessly waited to quit NLIA for our destination that was yet to come. After our long passive stay we finally boarded continental airways at 8:15 pm New York time that departed after 30 min landing us in hot but golden city phoenix after an approximate flight of 6 hours and 10 minutes where pretty Mellissa, our case manager was there to receive us hand to hand. Then she left us to our apartment located at the Pines of Camelback 4802 north 19th avenue, apartment no B249 possibly at 1:30 pm mountain time.

This was a very first and the longest journey I have ever taken in my life. It was  a journey from the eastern horizen  to western; it was a journey with uncertain destiny; it was a journey in search of an identity; it was a journey before which  I sadly waved all those who loved me more than themselves. I unknowingly missed all those who always went that extra mile to inspire and encourage me. They made me want to try harder; they made me want to succeed. They made me believe in me. For this and so much I wish you all the best of luck. May warm spring time memories fill you through and through inspiring you to seek your dream anew…..

(The writer is a resettled Bhutanese refugee in Arizona, USA)