Dawn breaks
Zan Jifang

The tense security situation in Northeast Asia appears to have taken a favorable turn two weeks after the United Nations imposed sanctions on North Korea for its recent nuclear test.
China, North Korea and the United States agreed on October 31 that the long-stalled six-party talks aimed at getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear program would resume soon, at a time convenient for the participants, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website.
At the invitation of China, the heads of delegations to the talks from the three countries held an informal meeting in Beijing on that date. The three heads reportedly had a “candid” and “in-depth” exchange of views on efforts to advance the talks.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said on the same day that the most pressing task was the resumption of talks at an early date and the establishment of a nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula.
“The resumption of the talks is just the beginning of our efforts to ease the tension on the Korean Peninsula, and we would like to maintain consultations with the relevant parties during the process,” Liu said.
The six-party talks, which involve China, the United States, Japan, Russia, North Korea and South Korea, have remained stalled since the last round of meetings in Beijing last November.
North Korea said it would not resume talks if the United States did not abandon its hostile attitude toward the country. The United States has also refused to have one-on-one discussions with North Korea, saying it would do so only under the multi-party framework.
On October 9, North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test, complicating the issue and putting the talks on the agenda again.
Welcome news
U.S. President George W. Bush said he would welcome North Korea’s return to the talks. He also expressed thanks to China for its diplomatic campaign to get the discussions moving again.
But Bush said the agreement did not halt the U.S. effort to enforce the UN Security Council resolution passed in response to North Korea’s nuclear test, which imposed an embargo on the sale of military and hi-tech material to North Korea.
Russia, for its part, termed the agreement to resume the talks “extremely positive.”
“We are sincere in our hope that the talks will be resumed in the near future,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev said.
“The return of all sides to the six-party process and other details remain uncertain for the time being. It remains to be seen, though, how much time will be needed to arrange the meeting,” he added.
Japan, South Korea and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also hailed the announcement of the resumption of the six-party talks.
In a statement released by his spokesman, Annan said he hoped the talks can be reconvened soon, and that they will yield positive results leading to lower tensions in the region.
High hopes
The agreed-upon resumption of talks is one of the first signs of an easing of tensions since North Korea’s nuclear test, experts said.
“It is encouraging that North Korea and the United States are set to return to the negotiating table,” said Liu Jiangyong, an expert on the Korean nuclear issue at Tsinghua University.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who is also the chief U.S. negotiator for the six-party talks, said discussions could be resumed as early as this month or next.
The United States expects “substantial progress” from the next round of talks, Hill said at a press conference following a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Kim Gye Gwan, as well as a three-way meeting that included China.
Hill said North Korea made no explicit promises that it would conduct no further nuclear tests, and added that the UN Security Council Resolution on North Korea remained in force.
North Korea has set no conditions for returning to the talks, Hill said, but “wanted our reassurance that we would address the issue of the financial measures in the six-party process.”
He said the United States has agreed to set up of a working group under the framework of the six-party talks to discuss the U.S. financial sanctions issue.
The United States imposed financial sanctions on North Korea last year, claiming that the latter was counterfeiting U.S. dollars.
Chinese observers believe the agreement to resume the six-party talks represents a concession on the part of both North Korea and the United States.
Pyongyang agreed to return to the negotiating table even though the United States has not lifted its financial sanctions, as North Korea has demanded, while the United States did not insist that the informal talks involve all six parties but agreed to attend the three-way talks first.
The topics will focus on whether the other parties can persuade North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program and even how it may peacefully use their nuclear technology, since North Korea has already declared itself a nuclear power, Shi Yongming, a researcher on Northeast Asian studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told Beijing Review.
“It is very hopeful to reach some agreements or a basic framework on how to return to the joint statement signed by the six parties at the fourth round held in Beijing last September,” he said.
All parties agreed in the joint statement on the goal and principles to realize a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula in a peaceful way.
“Of course, it will take time,” Shi said, “but it is also very urgent and necessary. If nothing is achieved, the situation will become even more complicated, which is unfavorable to all parties.”
Shi also commented that the agreement to resume the six-party talks would also have a positive effect on the Iranian nuclear issue.

(The Daily Mail-Beijing Review Articles Exchange Item)


Insurgency in Assam
Mamoona Ali Kazmi

The northeastern region of India comprised of seven states Arunachal Predesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. The northeast is one of the most backward regions of India. Abject poverty has alienated the locals from the Indian government. The Indian government has exploited the natural and mineral resources of the region without benefiting it in anyway. Economic exploitation and under development of the region has made insurgent groups to demand independence. For that purpose, these groups often engage in violent activities such as bomb blasts, extortion etc. The Indian government tries to initiate peace talks with these insurgent groups to end their violent activities. But, it continues to be heavily dependent upon the repressive laws and the army to control the insurgency. The region has witnessed more violence in the last 50 years than any other part of country.
There are over 100 insurgent groups present in different states of the northeast such as United Liberation of Assam (ULFA), United National Liberation Front (UNLF), National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) etc. These groups are creating problems of law and order for the Indian government. Some of these groups are demanding sovereignty and not ready to accept any thing less than independence. They are engaged in guerilla war with the Indian security forces.
ULFA is the most prominent insurgent group. Established in 1979, ULFA is aimed at liberating Assam through an armed struggle from the clutches of the illegal occupation of India. In its preamble, history of Assam is described as, “All the industries, industrial products and the markets came under the control of the colonial ruling class. As a result, the strategy of annihilation of a nation began. Services, industries and the markets are packed with foreigners, deceiving the indigenous people. They have encouraged illegal migration of millions of Indians and non-Indian foreigners into Assam and rehabilitated them. This has termed the people of Assam into street beggars and a minority in their own country. They have fabricated a portion of foreigners as the representative of indigenous people of Assam enthroning them at Delhi and Dispur as ‘Member of Parliament’ and ‘Member of Legislative Assembly’…. Above all, the Indian ruling class is executing the strategy of ‘divide and destroy’ by instigating group conflict”.
ULFA through out its history of struggle for an independent Assam resisted the negotiation process. It rejected the Indian constitution and its jurisdiction over the people and territory of Assam. But, recently the group conveyed its willingness to hold talks with the union government, thus granting an opportunity to end the insurgency in Assam. The People’s Consultative Group (PCG) is appointed by ULFA for talks with the Central government. The ULFA advanced six major demands for resolving the problem in Assam.

1. Demand to end, or suspend, army Operations against its cadres,
2. Release of its top leaders captured by the security forces,
3. Information about those cadres captured during ‘Operation Flush
Out’ in Bhutan in 2003,
4. Third party mediation for peace talks,
5. Holding talks in world fora like the United Nations (UN) and
6. Demand for a sovereign and independent Assam.

The ULFA has repeatedly insisted on the issue of a sovereign and Independent Assam and has instructed the PCG to make this demand the lifeline of the peace talks. But Indian government always had a problem in conducting talks with groups demanding sovereignty. The demand to end, or suspend army operations against the ULFA cadres also sparked controversy. The ULFA has, so far, faced three major army operations; Operations Bajrang’ and ‘Rhino’ in 1991-92, and ‘Operation Flush Out’ conducted by the Bhutan Royal Army in 2003.
The Indian government is not sincere in talks with ULFA because their demand of sovereignty is unacceptable to it. That’s why the Indian government is delaying talks. It is trying to initiate peace talks with the group in order to halt its militant activities. Despite the group’s willingness to have peace talks the Indian government is still continuing military operations against the same group. This shows Indian dual policy of engaging the group into negotiations as well as reducing its strength through military operations. The recent killings of ULFA cadres at Baganpara in Nalbari and Mendipather in Meghalaya by the Indian security forces at a time when the peace initiative was on had exposed the center’s double standard.
Such behaviour of the Indian government is indicative of the fact that it is not sincere in solving the problem through political means and tries a coercive solution. ULFA claimed that every Indian government shows its interest in the peace process when the elections are near and forget its promise after election victory. So peace process for ULFA is an election gimmick of the Indian political parties.


Widow burning
Amjed Jaaved

Sati is a Hindu custom which requires a widow to be burnt alive on her husband’s pyre. One wonders if its is a religious custom, or a customary murder. The idea justifying sati is that women are worthless without their husbands (no status as individuals).
The custom was banned by Mughals and then by Lord Wiliam Bentinck in 1829. Following its widespread resurgence, it was, again and again banned (in 1956, 1981, and 1987) with little practical effect.
The general belief and customary practise in India is that sati, if voluntary, is permissible. Indian courts also subscribe to this view _ After nine years of hearing, the court acquitted 37 men accused of forcing the 18-year-old Roop Kanwar to commit sati in Deorala (Rajasthan) on September 4, 1987.
Incidents of sati still continue to happen in India with state administration’s connivance. For instance, no FIR was registered when ‘a woman, Janakrani, 45, allegedly committed sati by jumping into the funeral pyre of her husband at Tulsipur village, about 80 km from Sagar’ (“Woman commits sati in Madhya Pradesh , Sify, August 22, 2006). Earlier, an Indian woman Sita Devi, aged 77 years, was thrown on the funeral pyre of her husband at Siddhpur village of Gaya district (Patna) in Indian state of Bihar (sify.com, April 24, 2006). A 70-year-old woman Ramkumari was burnt alive in similar manner at Bahundari village, 60 km from Banda (Uttar Pradesh) in May 2005.
The NGOs claim that the widows do not voluntarily jump into the fire. It is the pundits (religious leaders) who motivate, drug or bribe them to perform sati. Ram Kumari’s son had complained to reporters that ‘he had approached Jaspur police station to inform about the forced sati but was turned away after being threatened with dire consequences if he revealed anything about it’.
Those who attend the sati ceremony protest that the NGOs have no right to question them about their worship (puja)._Sati finds mention in Mahabharata- (a) Sati was the consort of Lord Shiva. She burnt herself in fire as protest against her father, Daksha. Daksha did not give her consort Shiva the respect she thought he deserved. (b) Madri throws herself on her husband, Pandu’s fire.
The police view, as upheld by judicial decisions is that sati, if voluntary, is no offence- Police officers say, ‘According to the Indian Penal Code, sati is an offence only when the burning of a woman on her husband’s pyre is accompanied by fanfare and celebration. If no witness comes forward to testify that a widow’s self-immolation is abetted by other villagers, no offence has taken place”.
Besides sati, there are other mediaeval rites, no less gory, still being practised in India. For instance, on Jun 25, 2005, a four-year-old girl, named Surjo, was boiled in a tub and then beheaded to please gods of rain as part of a religious sacrifice in Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh).
The police authorities say, “In a country where sons are sold for paisa 25, such events cannot be foreseen or forestalled”. The police were referring to sale of a son for paisa 25 in Malda district’s Biddhannagar colony (Calcutta-West Bengal). Forced by hunger, the destitute parents sold their only son for food items (like rice and a little turmeric), valued at paisa 25 a month ago. Having failed to get below-poverty-line ration card, the family had only two options, either to kill the baby or sell him to a relatively better-off family. The incident was focused in leading Indian newspapers like Telegraph, Indian Express and Times of India.
India is a country where over 300 million people live below the hypothetical poverty line of $ 1 a day. Life being cheap (or valueless for a widow), people like to end it by religious sacrifices, forced or voluntary, or by eating pesticides in the farms.