Malaysian Indian Minorities' Human Rights

Theresa Kok - PRAY or POUNCE?

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:22:00 +0000

Theresa Kok - PRAY or POUNCE?

I am ranting & raving... screw grammar, screw everything...

I just don't understand you flers la...10000 Malaysian Indians fought the FRU for a whole day coz they could not accept temple demolition. that despite nationwide scare tactic and police roadblocks. Then 800,000 Indians boycotted the Thaipusam. Then they completely trashed the only party that represented them for 50 years. now MIC got nyawa nyawa ikan only.

5 of their leaders are in arbitrary incarceration since Dec last year. The Chinese like to say many things about Indians but one thing for sure they got balls lah...

But the Chinese? MCA and Gerakan (dont gimme the bull Gerakan is multi racial, they are so only when in trouble) are in full steam. No real impact. Still can talk Cock. Even after Sin Chew reporter and Theresa Kok these parties talk cock. The rest of the population swallow their talk cock.

Here we have a woman, Theresa Kok, under arbitrary detention for something she claims not to have done. Even if she did it she should face open court and not detention without trial.

Hey you all know or not? How it is in the jail cell?

It is 8 feet by 8 feet. No window. Steel door with one peep hole which is opened every hour for inspection 24/7. There will be one toilet and one wash basin plus some toilet paper. She can be peeped any time as she does not know the time. She cannot take a bath or shower unless she is allowed by her captors.

She has to sleep on a cement or wood platform without pillow, without mattress and without blanket.

Her food quality is suspect. How do we know some crazy bugger does not add anything dirty into her food? So easy what? All of you sure have heard how waiters spit in your food or drink. What guarantee she tak kena like that by some crazy guard who hates her? maybe that's why she kena diarrhea. Imagine, already in shit situation, kena cirit birit somemore? How to manage. have to go toilet many times, she is wiping herself and suddenly peep hole opens, there goes her modesty. You think got dettol soap in the cell ah?

You think she got attached bathroom ah? You fools. your maids have better facility and freedom than your MP la.... Theresa Kok can only get improved facilities (like getting access to the toothpaste her father bought her !!!!!) IF SHE COOPERATES WITH HER CAPTORS. That's why RPK sent his stuff away!!! He knows. I also KNOW. Just read Kasim Ahmad's book about his detention you silly, uneducated, unread, self interested parvenus!!!

So despite all these, you buggers can only let her old man father and old woman mother manage it with the help of some Indian lawyers?????

WTF????

All you can do is sign online petition and do candle light VIGIL????? Pray????? PRAY????? Screw it. if GOD wanted to help he'd have stopped far worse atrocities in this world.

Betul your otak rosak. You want a SECULAR COUNTRY but when faced with political problem you run to your prayer halls for solution? Ever think about that???

Come on lah. Protest louder. Protest more effectively. be strategic. BUT DON"T DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL !!! I NEVER ASK YOU TO GET ANGRY, HATE ANYONE OR DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL OKAY!!!

Do legally but do louder lah...maybe like screwing yr MCA and Gerakan so called leaders??? Calling yr nearest UMNO MP and screwing him on the phone. Calling all ministers And never stopping until we jam up their lines forever unless they release the girl?

must I teach you everything??? no own brains???? cannot do more than what you are doing?????

How can we go to bet every night knowing the poor girl is suffering?

Your problem is simple. You have allowed your mind to follow the FRAME given by the regime. MENTAL FRAME = "ISA DETAINEE".

What if you think outside the box and FRAME the situation as MENTAL FRAME = "POLITICAL CAPTIVE" ? Will you react differently????

GOPIO NEWS for NRIs/PIOs - August, 20008

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:30:00 +0000

Issue: VII-2

August 15, 2008

GOPIO NEWS
August 15, 2008
A Publication of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)

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In This Issue

CHENNAI IS THE VENUE FOR PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS 2009

GOPIO CONDEMNS BOMB BLAST IN BANGLORE AND AHMEDABAD

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM - 2009...FOR DIASPORA CHILDREN

GOA TO APPOINT...NRIs TO STATE BOARDS AND CORPORATIONS

GOPIO INTERNATIONAL AND CHAPTER NEWS

NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs and PIOs

GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION

EDITORIAL BOARD

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CHENNAI IS THE VENUE FOR PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS 2009

Parvasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is the annual flagship event of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) which aims to connect more 25 Million Indians with India's Economic and Social development. The Ministry is organizing Seventh edition of the PBD on 7-9 January, 2009 in Chennai, the South Indian city in Tamilnadu. The role of overseas Indians in the country's emergence as a global power will be the main theme. The event will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil will address the concluding session of the three-day meet.

During the annual meet, the Diaspora's role in India's emergence as a global power will be the focus of deliberations. The congregation of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) will also dwell upon aspects like preservation of language and culture and health concerns of Indian Diaspora. Regional working sessions of the Diaspora residing in the Gulf, Asia-Pacific, Africa, USA, Europe, Caribbean and Canada will be organized.

A special trade and industry exhibition during the event with corporate, state governments, NGOs and financial institutions as participants will also be held as part of the convention, an official statement said.

Early this year, more than 1,500 participants from 50 countries had attended the PBD 2008 meet.

GOPIO CONDEMNS BOMB BLASTS IN BANGLORE AND AHMEDABAD

The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) expresses strong and unequivocal condemnation of the series of bombings in Bangalore and Ahmedabad on July 25 and July 26, 2008 respectively, that killed at least 29 innocent people and left many more injured. GOPIO considers these brutal and despicable acts as unforgivable and unjustified criminal actions directed to create widespread fear among innocent citizens.

"This is indeed a heinous act against humanity. GOPIO condemns this brutal and savage attack perpetrated against innocent citizens and the sick in a hospital. We share the pain and anguish of our brethren and sisters in India, and extend our condolences to the families of the victims and offer prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured," said Inder Singh, President of GOPIO International.

"It is obvious that these senseless attacks are meant to cause terror among our citizens" said K. N. Gupta, President of GOPIO of India. "Terror will not succeed as the will of decent people shall overcome such criminal acts", continued Mr. Gupta.

GOPIO commends the Government of India for its diligent efforts in providing emergency services to the survivors. GOPIO would fully support all measures taken by the government to bring security, calm and confidence to the people and applauds all efforts to prevent similar attacks in the future.

"We all grieve that such inhumane and uncivilized crimes has been perpetrated against innocent people in the land of our birth and forbears, a land where freedom has in itself been savagely wounded by the criminals", said Dr Thomas Abraham, Chairman of GOPIO International

GOPIO expresses deep and abiding concern for the victims of these national tragedies, their families, friends and associates. It is indeed a time of deep sorrow for India, a very nervous time for the people of Bangalore and Ahmedabad and citizens of India in general. "We are very confident that the people of India will survive these national disasters and will retain courage, sense of dignity, pride, their values and their freedom. There is no doubt that a resilient nation as India will overcome these brutal and senseless attacks and the Government of India take necessary steps to prevent similar violence in the future," said Ashook Ramsaran, Secretary General of GOPIO.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM - 2009 FOR DIASPORA CHILDREN

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs had introduced a Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children (SPDC) in 2006, to assist Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in pursuing under graduate courses in several disciplines in India. Under this program, over 220 PIO/NRI children have benefited during the last three academic years.

The Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children - 2009 has been announced. The following are the highlights of the SPDC-2009:

100 scholarships are being offered for undergraduate courses in several disciplines including Engineering/Architecture/ Technology, Humanities/Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management - BBA/BBM, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture/Animal Husbandry, Sciences, Law, etc.

The program is open only to PIOs/NRIs from the specified 40 countries having a larger concentration of Indian Diaspora.

50% of the scholarship would be reserved for PIOs. However, in the event of non-availability of suitable PIO candidates, the unfilled slots could be assigned to NRI candidates.

NRI candidates would be eligible for the grant of scholarship only if their total family income per month does not exceed an amount equivalent to US $ 2,250 (US dollars two thousand two hundred and fifty only)

Children of NRIs should have pursued at least three years of education inclusive of 11th & 12th or equivalent (not beyond), in a foreign country during the last six years, and should have passed the qualifying examination abroad.

the last date for receipt of duly filled-in application forms in the prescribed format by Ed.CIL is 1st September 2008.

PIO/NRI Students already studying in India on a self-financing basis or under any other arrangement will not be eligible under this scheme, which is open only for fresh admissions in the first semester/year of undergraduate courses.

Candidates would be selected on the basis of a common entrance test to be conducted by Ed.CIL on 26th October 2008 at this Consulate. Exact timings would be intimated subsequently. The candidates would also have to fulfill all the criteria prescribed for the purpose.

The amount of scholarship admissible would be 75% of the Institutional Economic Cost (IEC) or US $ 3,600, whichever is less. IEC includes Tuition fee, Hostel fee & other institutional charges.

A copy of the announcement, information booklet and application form for the Program can be downloaded from the Ed.CIL websites www.edcil.co.in and www.educationindia4u.nic.in.

GOA TO APPOINT NRIs TO STATE BOARDS AND CORPORATIONS

Goa is set to become the first state in India to appoint non-resident Indians (NRIs) to various boards and corporations.

"Putting Goan expatriates on state boards and corporations is one of our various steps to reconnect them with their roots. When this happens, Goa will be the first Indian state to accord this honour to expatriates," said Eduardo Faleiro, former minister of state for external affairs and currently Goa's commissioner for NRI affairs.

"In view of their often-heard complaints about property disputes, we are amending the tenancy Act next month for a summary trial of property-related cases filed by NRIs. These people cannot stay in India for a long time to fight such cases,'' said Faleiro.

Speaking at the Goan Global Convention, Faleiro said that about 500,000 people of Goan origin live abroad. ``Almost one third of Goa's total population of 1.4 million lives abroad. Goa was also the first state to have started a scheme to issue `Goa Cards' to NRIs to give them unhindered access to government departments.

"We will also be the first state in India to put NRI representatives from countries with a large Goan expatriate population on a high-powered committee to address their grievances. This committee, headed by me, will have high-ranking state officials, including district collectors," Faleiro said.

To expedite NRI investment proposals, he said, the Goan government has appointed a nodal officer in the industry department.

"To reconnect second and third generation Goans abroad with their roots, the state government has launched a program called `Know Goa'.

"Under this program, we will invite 15 youngsters (in the age group of 18 to 26) who have distinguished themselves academically or professionally, to visit Goa for 15 days as guests of the state. We will pay all their expenses,'' the former Indian minister said.

Faleiro said the state government has also initiated a study to monitor migration from Goa. "As part of this study, we will visit people in their homes to know how many of their family members live abroad and how much money they send back home. We have also asked the Reserve bank of India to help us know how much remittances are coming into the state," he said.

The next Global Goans Convention is likely to be held in Australia.

"After holding first four conventions in Goa, we thought of going out of India and holding it in different countries. We held the first convention in Portugal last year. Hopefully, we will meet in Australia next year," Faleiro said.

GOPIO INTERNATIONAL AND CHAPTER NEWS

GOPIO TnT PAYS COURTESY CALL ON TnT PRESIDENT RICHARDS
On Tuesday, July 15, 2008 a delegation of GOPIO Trinidad & Tobago Chapter paid a courtesy call to Trinidad & Tobago's President George Maxwell Richards. The delegation consisted of: Deosaran Bisnath, President of GOPIO Trinidad; Oscar Ramoutar, Treasurer; Sacha Mahabal, Assistant Secretary; Ena Maraj, PRO; Ms. Shivanie Ramcharitar, Youth Officer; and Dr. Vijay Ramlal Rai, Head of Culture Committee.

Public Relations Officer of GOPIO Trinidad and Tobago, Ms. Ena Maharaj, informed President Richards of the history, formation, and objectives of GOPIO international and Mr. Deosaran Bisnath, President of GOPIO Trinidad and Tobago discussed the policies, objectives, and plans of the New Executive and members of GOPIO Trinidad and Tobago.

In recognition of distinguished service to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, a plaque was presented to President Richards by Mr. Deosaran Bisnath, President of GOPIO Trinidad.

GOPIO TnT officials with TnT President Richards. From L. to R.: Sacha Mahabal, Oscar Ramoutar, Deosaran Bisnath, President Richards, Ena Maraj, Shivanie Ramcharitar and Dr. Vijay Ramlal Rai.

TWO NEW GOPIO CHAPTERS INITIATED IN AUSTRALIA

Two new chapters have been initiated in Australia. GOPIO Brisbane under the leadership of Umesh Chandra and GOPIO Sydney North West under the leadership of Amrinder Bajwa. Both the chapters will be on probation for three months during which the ad-hoc chapter committees shall complete various legal and procedural formalities.

NRIs and PIOs from Brisbane area and those from Sydney North West interested to participate may contact GOPIO Brisbane President Umesh Chandra : ceo@chantex.com.au and GOPIO Sydney North West President Amarinder Bajwa amarinder@bellsoft.com.au

GOPIO CENTRAL NEW JERSEY & PLAINSBORO ROTARY CLUB FELICITATES ANJALI DEVI

Rotary Club of Plainsboro, New Jersey and The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) of Central Jersey recently felicitated Mrs. Anjali Devi, a veteran Artist from Telugu Movie industry. The event was well attended by Indians living in Plainsboro, South Brunswick, Monroe and Princeton areas.

A veteran Telugu actress and producer, Devi acted in over 360 films and well known for her mythological role as Sita in Lava Kusa and glamorous roles in movies like Suvarna Sundari and Anarkali. Mrs. Anjali Devi received various Awards, including Raghupathi Venkaiah Award in 2005 for her life time service to Telugu film industry; she was conferred with Ramineni Award given for 2006 in fine arts sections. She won the prestigious ANR National Award for 2007.

The event started with an introduction of the Rotary Club of Plainsboro by Andy Iyengar, Past President of the Club. Mr. Dinesh Mittal, President of the club shared some of the community projects undertaken by Rotary Club of Plainsboro. Mr. Darshan Doshi, President Elect talked about some of the new projects that the club will be undertaking in this fiscal year. Dr. Rajeev Mehta (President, GOPIO Central New Jersey) spoke about the good work that GOPIO International has done for the Indian Diaspora and also introduced GOPIO of Central Jersey to the gathered audience.

Telugu artist Anjali Devi with officials of GOPIO Central New Jersey and Rotary Club of Plainsboro

Mr. Suresh Reddy introducing Mrs. Anjali Devi said, he was very fortunate to introduce Mrs. Devi who hails from Peddapuram, East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh, India. Mr. Reddy said Mrs. Devi acted in Lava Kusa, a milestone film and the first color film in Telugu film industry in 1963. Mr. Dinesh Mittal, President of the Rotary Club of Plainsboro along with Dr. Rajeev Mehta President of the GOPIO Central Jersey Chapter presented a Plaque to Mrs. Anjali Devi. Plaque read "Rotary Club of Plainsboro & GOPIO felicitate Mrs. Anjali Devi, for her relentless contribution to the Telugu/Indian film Industry".

Speaking at the event Mrs. Anjali Devi talked about her family, her career as an artist and philanthropy work that she is doing. Mrs. Devi was very passionate of the social projects that Rotary Clubs around the world take up and she wanted to participate in Rotary Club of Plainsboro's, "Jaipur Limb Project". Mrs. Anjali Devi donated some money for Jaipur Limb Project at the event. It was a great event that ended with many pledges towards Rotary social projects.

Contact: GOPIO-Central New Jersey President Rajeev Mehta, E-mail: rajimehta@hotmail.com

GOPIO-AMSTERDAM PARTICIPATES WITH SURINAMESE HINDUSTANI COMMUNITY

This year the Surinamese-Hindustani community in the Netherlands has organised and is organising different programmes to celebrate the 135th Pravasi celebration. One of the special programmes of this Pravasi celebration in the Netherlands was an international symposium. It was held in The Hague on 5th June 2008 with a special reference to the Indian Diaspora of the Caribbean.

Shri Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Indian Overseas Affairs was the Chief Guest.

The keynote speaker was Prof. Dr. Brij Lal of the Australian National University. Prof. Lal was also Member of the Fiji Constitution Review Commission whose report forms the basis of Fiji's constitution. He was also the editor of the "Encyclopaedia of Indian Diaspora" published by the National University of Singapore.

The other speaker was Sandew Hira, Dutch historian and publicist of Surinami PIO origin. Sandew Hira is the pseudonym of Dew Baboeram. Dew is a researcher and consultant and is the editor in chief of the Global Atlas of the Indian Diaspora (GAID).

Minister Vayalar Ravi with GOPIO Amsterdam President Rajindre Tewari and other GOPIO officials after lunch hosted by GOPIO

The Hague Immigration Lectures with special reference on Indian Diaspora of the Caribbean and Fiji by Prof. Lal and the lecture by Sandew Hira are uploaded at the GOPIO website, http://www.gopio.net/publications.htm.

Contributed by Dr. Wahid Saleh in The Netherlands

HARISH BAJAJ IS GOPIO NATIONAL COORDINATOR FOR NEW ZEALAND

Harish Bajaj has been appointed as the new GOPIO National Coordinator in New Zealand. Harish is a well known community activist in Auckland. He is Justice of the Peace and also has been conferred Queen's Service Order (QSO) for his service to the community. It has been due to the community mobilization work done by Harish that GOPIO has many chapters in New Zealand.

Contact: Harish Bajaj at harish@targettravel.co.nz or GOPIO Pacific Regional coordinator Noel Lal at noel@spengineering.com.au.

GOPIO SETS UP TASK FORCE ON NRI/PIO SENIORS

GOPIO Int'l has set up a task force on seniors with a purpose to find out issues and problems which Indian seniors may be having in the countries they have gone and settled and government benefits they may be getting. The Seniors Task Force Committee is headed by Mr. Jeet Suchdev, a well known community leader and former GOPIO National Coordinator in New Zealand. He is expected to prepare a document which would address questions such as:

What are the established procedures for sponsorship, who can sponsor and whom

What benefits seniors are entitled and after how long

How does single senior's benefits compare to couple's benefits

What are the established procedures in getting the benefits and are they difficult to follow

What is available org. assistance to seniors in going thru the process Approximate number of seniors sponsored by Indians

Sources of income for seniors: Own, government, children, other

Are these benefits adequate for fair living conditions

How does the senior's living condition compare the native born

Level of contentment and happiness

Are children and siblings supportive of seniors

Facilities for senior activities: Govt, private, civic

Reports of complaints and disillusionment

Return to India - percentage and prevalence

GOPIO would like input on the subject, which can be sent to GOPIO Secretary General at Ramsaran@aol.com.

GOPIO CHAPTERS CELEBRATE INDIA INDEPENDENCE DAY

GOPIO Sydney Chapters Join Hand - Three GOPIO chapters in the metro Sydney area, GOPIO Sydney, GOPIO North West and GOPIO South West chapters joined together to participate in India-Australia Friendship Fair on 10 August 2008 in Sydney Olympic Park.

GOPIO Sydney, GOPIO North West and GOPIO South West chapters had set up their own stall in the magnificent Athletic Centre venue. Among various VIPs who visited the stall were Her Excellency Mrs Sujatha Singh, High Commissioner of India, Hon. Mr David Bradbury, Federal Member of Parliament from Lindsay constituency.

Dr Rohitas Batta, President GOPIO Sydney Chapter, Mr Amarinder Bajwa, President, GOPIO North West Chapter and Mr Mahavir Prasad, Treasurer GOPIO Sydney put all out efforts to market GOPIO in the mega event. Electronic presentations were the brain child of Mr Bajwa.. Mr Gambhir Watts, Mr Harry Walia, Mrs Lucky Singh, Mr Vijay Jogia and Dr Virk were also present from the GOPIO family.

The event was organized by United Indian Associations, an apex body of the Indian organizations in Sydney. This function was attended by Her Excellency High Commissioner of India, Mrs Sujatha Singh, Consul General, of India in Sydney, Hon. Mr Sujan Chinoy, various Federal and State Parliamentarians and other dignitaries. About 10,000 people attended the fair which is celebrated every year to mark Indian Independence Day. Cultural Items were the main attraction and about 100 stalls provided variety of food and other information about educational, social and cultural aspects of multicultural India & Australia.

Contact: GOPIO Sydney President Dr. Rohitas Batta battark@hotmail.com, GOPIO Sydney North West President Amarinder Bajwa amarinder@bellsoft.com.au, GOPIO Sydeny South West President Jagdish Lodhia lordsjewellers@aol.com or GOPIO Austraslia National Coordinator Gambhir Watts gambhir@bmgw.com.

Photo below: GOPIO Sydney chapters' team members including Dr. Rohitas Batta, Amarinder Bajwa, Harry Walia and Mahavir Jain with Australian Member of Parliament David Bradbury at the Australian-India Friendship

GOPIO-CT Celebrates with Flag Hoisting and Children's Program in Stamford

On August 16, 2008 Stamford, Connecticut witnessed a cheerful gathering of Indian Americans from Fairfield and Westchester County celebrating the 61st Anniversary of India's Independence. GOPIO - Connecticut Chapter sponsored this event at the Stamford Government Center with Stamford's Mayor Dan Malloy as the chief guest along with Mr. P.S. Sashi Kumar, Consul for Visa and Passport and Community Affairs at the Indian Consulate, New York. The event was attended by about 300 people ranging from toddlers to seniors. There was certainly a feeling of pride and unity in the room decorated with balloons, banners and Indian and American flags.

Mayor Malloy praised the Indian community which is one of the fastest growing communities in Connecticut. "Some people are afraid of change. However, this country provides great opportunities to new immigrants who in turn bring their cultures and values to the American society. Celebrating countries of our origin is also an American tradition," said. Mayor Malloy issued a proclamation India Independence Day Stamford and raised the American and American flags. "As the Indian flag is raised and its national Anthem is sung, I encourage all citizens to join the Indian Community in celebrating the 61st anniversary of India's independence.

Mr. Sashi Kumar complimented the community's contribution to the passage of US-India Atomic Energy Cooperation Bill in the US Congress. "When India got its impendence, people around the world thought it would disintegrate. India has not only progressed, the country has become new place of opportunities with global stature," said Sashi Kumar.

GOPIO-CT President Sangeeta Ahuja, in her welcome address said that GOPIO-CT has become very active group providing services not only to the Indian American community, but also to the local society.

Following the flag hoisting ceremony, children read the contributions of several leaders of India independence movement and other revolutionaries including Rani Lakshmibhai of Jhansi, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Lal Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh, Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Pandil Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Valabhbhai Patel.

The program was coordinated by Arun and Mangala Dongre.

Contact: GOPIO-CT President Sangeeta Ahuja at 203-329-9744 or sangeetaahuja@aol.com

NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

GOPIO VICE PRESIDENT RAJ LOOMBA AMONG QUEEN'S HONORS LIST

GOPIO's European Region Vice president and entrepreneur Raj Loomba whi has been campaigner of widows' rights is among 17 other Asians chosen for the Queen's Birthday Honors this year. Loomba, founder of the Loomba Trust has been made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for "charitable services to poor widows and their children overseas."

A tireless campaigner for improving the plight of widows and their children all over the world, Loomba and his wife Veena Loomba set up the Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba Trust in 1997, of which Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is the President. The Trust educates over 3,600 children throughout India, including 500 in Tamil Nadu who lost their father or both parents in the tsunami.

As chairman of the British Indian Golden Jubilee Banquet Fund, Loomba runs a program of visiting fellowships at Cambridge, Oxford and other leading universities including Edinburgh, Hull and Wales, whereby prominent Indian academics raise awareness of India's diverse heritage and current achievements as an emerging force in the world economy.

Others in the honors list this year are - Surina Narula, Jashvant Chauhan, Prof Romesh Chand Gupta, Samatiben Desai, Balraj Singh Dhesi, Satbir Singh Giany, Baldev Krishan Goyal, Tanika Gupta, Prakash Chandra Kakoty, Kulwant Kaur, Kumar Jayant Shamrao Kotegaonkar, Balwantbhai Dayabhai Unka Patel, Hitesh Kaji Patel, Sheliagh Ann Ram, Shahien Taj, Mahesh Paul Thapar, Vandana Saxena Poria, and Shalini Mahtani.

GOPIO CHAPTER PRESIDENT BECOMES JUSTICE OF PEACE

GOPIO Auckland South Chapter President Davinder Singh Rahal has been appointed as Justice of the Peace (JP) in New Zealand.

Justices of the peace are appointed to carry out important functions in the administration of documentation and justice. All JPs perform such duties as witnessing documents, certifying copies and taking declarations, affidavits or affirmations. Some with legal qualification can be authorized to perform judicial duties.

GOLFER VIJAY SINGH WINS BRIDGESTONE INTERNATIONA

Vijay Singh, the former world's #1, was victorious on the PGA Tour after not having won a tournament in almost a year and a half. His 32nd PGA Tour victory means he has won more tournaments on the tour than any foreign-born player - more than such big names as Gary Player, Ernie Els and others.

Despite having his belly putter abandon him at several critical spots down the stretch, Singh gutted out the victory Sunday, winning the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational by one stroke over Stuart Appleby and Lee Westwood at Firestone Country Club and pocketing $1.35 million.

Singh, who has alternated between the belly putter and a conventional model all season, shot a final- round 2-under 68 to finish the 72 holes at 10-under 270. Appleby also shot 68, and Westwood, who began the day as one of the tournament's tri-leaders, shot 69 and failed to catch the 45-year-old Fijian, who became the oldest player and the first in his 40s to win a WGC event.

BRITISH INDIAN RAMI RANGER RECEIVES DIVERSITY AWARD

Dr. Rami Ranger, MBE, FRSA was appointed as one of the diversity champions by the Next Steps Foundation and the Award was presented to him by the Rt. Hon. Andy Burnham MP the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sports in a prestigious ceremony which was attended by over 500 dignitaries and guests. Among those present was the Foreign Secretary The Rt. Hon. David Miliband MP.

As a Diversity Champion, Dr. Ranger will travel throughout Europe Championing Diversity in Europe. It should be noted that Dr. Ranger has been Championing the cause of Ethnic Minorities in Britain for decades. He worked hard to make the Conservative Party an Ethnic Friendly and it has now become an inclusive Party.

He was also the first to bring British people of Indian and Pakistani origin to celebrate for the first time ever, anywhere in the world, their joint Independence Day Celebrations last year. It marked a watershed in their relationships in this country where they live side by side and where their destines are now linked.

INDIAN AMERICAN SARITA JAMES SELECTED AS WHITE HOUSE FELLOW

Sarita James from Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been selected as one of the fourteen White House Fellows for the Class of 2008-2009. Currently, Sarita is a Senior Vice President of the 50-person Strategy and Policy Division at New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Prior to NYCEDC, Sarita worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company, where she advised clients in the technology and telecommunications industries. She began her career as a Program Manager at Microsoft Corporation, where she was awarded two patents and served on the board of its 2,000-plus-member women's organization.

In 1994, she received the Grand Prize at the International Science and Engineering Fair for her research on software speech recognition. James's humor writing has appeared in the New York Times, and she has received a first offer on her upcoming memoir, "Indian in Indiana: Adventures of a Misfit from America's Heartland." She has run the 2003 ING New York City Marathon and cycled in the 2000 Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, a 200-mile, one-day event.

Sarita spent a summer volunteering with Mother Teresa's orphanage in Kolkata and serves on the board of Ankur Kala, a Kolkata-based women's non-profit. She received a B.A. in Computer Science from Harvard College and her M.B.A. from Oxford University's Said Business School.

The White House Fellows Program, founded in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, offers exceptional men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. Fellows participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with leaders from the private and public sectors and study trips to examine U.S. policy in action. Following the Fellowship year, the Fellows repay the privilege by contributing to the country as better national leaders and public servants.

Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive and based on a record of remarkable professional achievement, evidence of leadership skills, a strong commitment to public service, and the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute successfully at the highest levels of the Federal government. The program has fostered leaders in many fields, including Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, former CNN President Tom Johnson, United Nations Foundation President and Former U.S. Senator Timothy Wirth, former Supreme Allied Commander for Europe Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Senator Samuel Brownback, and U.S. Representative Joe L. Barton.

PRESIDENT BUSH TO NOMINATE SANDY BARUAH AS US SBA ADMINISTRATOR

President George W. Bush has recently announced his intention to nominate three individuals to serve in his Administration. The President intends to nominate Santanu "Sandy" K. Baruah, of Oregon, to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Mr. Baruah currently serves as Assistant Secretary for Economic Development at the Department of Commerce. Prior to this, he served as Chief of Staff of the Economic Development Administration at the Department of Commerce. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development at the Department of Commerce. Mr. Baruah received his bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon and his master's degree from Williamette University.

In the meanwhile, the U.S. Senate has voted to confirm the nomination of Neel Kashkari as the U.S. Treasury's second assistant secretary for international affairs. Kashkari, a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs & Co who serves as an adviser to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, will join Assistant Secretary Clay Lowery in the international affairs role, expanding the Treasury's capacity to work with foreign governments and multilateral institutions. Kashkari, who headed Goldman's information technology security investment banking practice in San Francisco before joining the Treasury, has been advising Paulson on a variety of issues, including the U.S. housing market, since his nomination in November 2007. Paulson was chief executive of Goldman Sachs before taking over as Treasury Secretary in July 2006.

INDIAN AMERICAN TO HEAD MONTEREY INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Indian American Dr. Sunder Ramaswamy has been appointed as the president of the California based Monterey Institute of International Studies. Dr. Ramaswamy is currently the Dean of the Faculty Development and Research, Frederick C. Dirks Professor of International Economics, and Project Director for Middlebury Monterey Institute of International Studies.

He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Purdue University in 1991, an M.A. in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, and B.A. (Honors) in Economics from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, India. His principal fields of specialization are Development Economics, International Economics, Issues in Applied Microeconomics and Quantitative Methods.

Over the years he had held visiting positions at the Madras School of Economics (Chennai, India, Vanderbilt University, Institute of Financial Management and Research, (Chennai, India), Purdue University, and the World Bank. He has been involved with World Bank projects on various aspects of economic reforms in India. In the past he has also been associated with USAID and INTSORMIL projects on agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa. His teaching interests include Development Economics, International Economics, and Microeconomic Theory. His research interests are in the areas of development economics, international economics and applied microeconomics. His co-edited several books including Development and Democracy: New Perspectives on an Old Debat and Social Capital and Economic Development: Well-Being in Developing Countries.

PIO ECONOMIST GOBIND NANKANI RECEIVES GHANANIAN NATIONAL AWARD

Gobind Nankani, prominent Indian-origin development economist and head of the Global Development Network (GDN), has been honored with a top Ghanaian national award for his contributions to the development of Ghana and Africa. Ghanaian President John A Kufour presented Nankani with the 'Order of the Volta' on July 3 in Accra.

Nankani was cited particularly for his role as vice president for Africa at the World Bank from 2004 to 2006, and also for his contribution over the years to the promotion of social development policy and financing. Kufuor presented awards to distinguished personalities, including foreign nationals. The awards were instituted by the nation's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, when Ghana attained republic status on July 1, 1960.

Speaking at the National Honors Awards, on the theme 'Branding Ghana for a Prosperous Future', Kufuor said: "We have sought to honor a cross section of society who in the course of their work has made exceptional contributions to the development of the nation. Today's function is to urge them on to greater service to the nation and encourage others to follow their example."

As head of GDN, Nankani oversees a worldwide association of researchers and policy institutes with the goal of generating and sharing knowledge, building research capacity and bridging the gap between ideas and policy for development.

Nankani firmly believes that "world-class research capabilities exist in developing countries. The challenge is to ensure that they influence policy debate at the country and regional levels". Informed policy-making instead of opinion-based policy-making is the key to effective and inclusive development and poverty reduction.

The online research database GDNet has over 7,000 registered researchers and provides access to over 14,000 journal articles for researchers in developing and transition countries. GDN became an International Organization in February 2008. It is headquartered in New Delhi. It signed the Headquarters Agreement with the Government of India in May 2008. GDN's regional offices are located in Cairo, Egypt and Washington. Its site is www.gdnet.org

PIO SOUTH AFRICAN JUDGE IS NEW UN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER

Navanethem Pillay, a judge in South Africa, has been appointed the new UN High Commissioner of Human Rights. Pillay (67), is to succeed Louise Arbour of Canada who completed her five-year term on June 30.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told the General Assembly his intention to appoint Pillay, who has served since 2003 as a judge on the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Pillay was nominated after "an extensive selection process" which included consultations with member states and with the NGO community, Ban's spokesperson said,

"The secretary-general is committed to ensuring that human rights remain high on the agenda of the organisation. He expects that the new high commissioner will preserve the independence of her office and will maintain effective working relations with the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council," the spokesperson said.

INDIAN AMERICAN SANJAY JHA NAMED CO-CEO OF MOTOROLA

Motorola has named Dr. Sanjay Jha as CEO of its handset business and co-chief executive of the parent company (2007 sales: $36.6 billion). Motorola said it had snagged Sanjay Jha, the chief operating officer of Qualcomm Inc. and a star of the wireless industry, to head its handset division as it prepares to become an independent company.

Jha will also be co-chief executive of the parent company, sharing the responsibility with incumbent Greg Brown. Brown will take responsibility for Motorola's other two divisions.

INDO-GUYANESE GEORGE SUBRAJ HONORED

On Sunday, July 20, 2008 in Queens, New York, members of the Indo-Caribbean Counicl (IIC-NY) and Shri Devi Mandir welcomed Shri George Subraj, a PIO born in Guyana, to bestow upon him The Council's highest honor. Giving meaning and expression to its mission to "recognize Indo-Caribbean's and to serve others," The Council invited Shri George Subraj to receive this accolade for his financial, moral and humanitarian support of the first kidney transplant in Guyana, which was performed at the Georgetown Hospital. In fact, this is the first kidney transplant in the English-speaking Caribbean. Reflecting its plural composition, Council members Shri R.D. Kalicharran, Dr. Tara Singh, Hajee Zakir, Rev. Seopaul Singh, Shri Lalbachan Haricharran and Shri Roopnarain Persaud were in attendance at the temple to receive and welcome the honoree, Shri George Subraj.

Not only did Shri George Subraj contributed financially to the successful operation, he personally involved himself in all the logistics, permits and clearances from Government Ministries and hospital personnel. One could have expected complete cooperation from Guyanese officials; this however was not the reality. It was an uphill struggle to secure the necessary "paper works", and, if Shri George Subraj did not personally involve himself in securing the permits, the operation would not have even occurred, much less become the success it has been recorded to be. George Subraj's philanthropy deserves, and is here given, its rightful place in the history and maturity of the Indo-Caribbean group of People of Indian Origin.

The eight-hour operation was conducted by a U.S.-based medical team headed by Indian-born Dr Rahul M Jindal of Brookdale University Hospital. Other members included: Dr Edward Falta, Transplant Surgeon of the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre (WRAMC), Washington; Dr Melenie Guerero, Pulmonary Care Physician; Laura Owens, Transplant Coordinator; and Dr Arthur L. Womble, attached to the Athens-Limestone Hospital, Athens, Alabama. The local team comprised: Dr Ravi Purohit, Surgeon; Dr Ramsundar Doobay, Consultant, Internal Medicine; Dr Anita Florendo, Registrar, Internal Medicine; Dr Vivienne Amata, Anaesthesiologist; Dr Pheona Mohamed-Rambaran, Laboratory Director; Delon France, Medical Technologist; and Dr Wilson, Radiologist.

Munesh Mangal is recovering well, and so is his mother, who donated one of her kidneys to him. They were discharged from hospital on Monday, July 21, 2008. Munesh is responding well to treatment and George and Lake returned to Guyana on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, to monitor and help provide post-operative care to the Munesh Mangal's family. The Guyana government has promised to supply at least three years' medication to Munesh. "If this is done right, then we will be on the right track to carry out similar transplant cases in the future." observed Shri George Subraj in his acceptance remarks. He continued in his remarks to give thanks to each and everyone who assisted in fulfilling the need of the sick. He made special mention of Lake Persaud, also a recipient of an ICC-NY award, for his exceptional public relations work to make the kidney transplant project the success that it is.

INDIAN AMERICAN BAGS BRONZE AT OLYMPICS 2008

The past four years have been a rough road for Houston-based Raj Bhavsar. A junior standout turned NCAA star and World team stalwart, Bhavsar felt he deserved a spot on the 2004 Olympic team and was devastated when he was named alternate instead.

That disappointment led Bhavsar to a dark place, where he questioned just about everything in his life. Houston gymnast Raj Bhavsar was named to replace 2004 Olympic gold medalist injured Paul Hamm on the USA Gymnastics men's Olympic team.

Fueled by an underdog's mentality, a burglar's guts and the grace under pressure that is a minimum requirement for performing on the Olympic stage, the men of USA Gymnastics won a bronze medal in the men's team competition.

China won the gold medal with 286.125 points, and Japan slipped past the U.S. on the final apparatus to take the silver with 278.875. The U.S. scored 275.85 to edge Germany at 274.6 for the bronze. The Americans were fueled early on by the bold, rock-solid performances of a squad that included Houston gymnasts Jonathan Horton and Raj Bhavsar, and at the end by Sasha Artemev's redemptive series of twirls around the pommel horse as anchor man on the team's weakest apparatus.

"It's been an amazing and enlightening experience. After '04, there was a lot of hurt that went on in the sport for me. I had to succumb to that and surrender to it," said Bhavsar.

TWO INDIAN AMERICANS AMONG FORBES TOP-PAID YOUNG CEOs LIST

Two Indian-origin businessmen, publishing software giant Adobe's Shantanu Narayen and global outsourcing major Cognizant's Francisco D'Souza, have made to the league of young CEOs with fattest pay package in the US, as per a list compiled by Forbes.

Narayen has been ranked at the 5th and D'Souza at the 15th position in a list of 15 young CEOs, aged 45 or less. The list, published in the online edition of the US business magazine, has been topped by a person of Pakistani origin Nabeel Gareeb, who is the CEO of chipmaker MEMC Electronic Materials since April 2002.

In terms of age, D'Souza is the youngest of the 15 CEOs at 39. Gareeb is aged 43 and Narayen is 44, the report said.

However, Gareeb tops the list with an annual pay package of 79.6 million dollars, as against 12 million dollars of Narayen, who is the CEO of Adobe Systems since December 2007.

The annual total compensation for D'Souza, the CEO of Cognizant Technology since January 2007, has been put at 3.7 million dollars.

NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs AND PIOs AROUND THE WORLD

FIRST NRI UNIVERSITY TO BE SET UP IN BANGALORE
The first university for overseas Indians providing higher and professional education will be set up in Bangalore as per recent announcement by the Indian government. The privately-run university will have 50 per cent seats reserved for People of Indian Origin and Non-Resident Indians and 50 per cent for students from within India.

The university would be governed by guidelines of the University Grants Commission. However, the Manipal Academy of Higher Education will set up the university and would have complete autonomy to decide the courses, fees structure and administrative set-up. It is likely to start admissions from next year. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs will supervise to ensure that the regulations are followed.

INDIANS ARE SECOND LARGEST GROUPS OF SKILLED MIGRANTS TO AUSTRALIA

IANS has reported that Indians have become the second largest group of skilled migrants arriving on Australian shores under the temporary skilled migration program during 2007-2008, according to new data released by Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Evans.

While almost a quarter of the temporary workers came from the UK, India came second with 14 percent followed by the Philippines at nine per cent and South Africa at six per cent. to meet the severe national skills shortages, especially in professional occupations and highly skilled jobs, as many as 110,570 visas were granted under the temporary skilled migration program last year, a 27 per cent increase on the previous year's 87,310.

As many as 81 per cent of 457 (work) visa holders were employed in professional occupations and highly skilled jobs with computing professionals, registered nurses, and business and information professionals being the top three listed occupations for temporary overseas workers.

The minimum salary Levels for 457 visa holders will increase by 3.8 per cent beginning Aug 1 next, after remaining frozen for over two years. The average nominated base salary for the temporary workers is about A$73,100.

Evans emphasized that the program is not a cheap labor scheme and the government would not tolerate the exploitation of workers.

"Although incidents of migrant worker exploitation are the exception rather than the rule, the government is moving to improve the protections in place to prevent exploitation of temporary skilled workers from overseas," Evans said in a statement.

Many of those coming under the temporary skilled migration program are choosing to become permanent residents. Almost 25,000 people on 457 visas became permanent residents during 2007-08, up 30 per cent on the previous year.

UK TIGHTENS VISAS FOR STUDENTS

Britain has unveiled stricter visa rules under which students from India and other non-European countries will be required to provide their fingerprints and prove that they have money to support themselves.

Official sources said the new system, known as Tier 4, will be more transparent and easily understood and will simplify the existing immigration rules. They said according to the new rules the students will have to be sponsored by education institutions that have been licensed by the UK Borders Agency.

Home Office minister Liam Byrne said "foreign students wanting to take advantage of our world-class universities and colleges must meet stringent criteria". "All those who come to Britain must play by the rules," he said.

"By locking people to one identity with ID cards, alongside a tough new sponsorship system, we will know exactly who is coming here to study and crack down on bogus colleges," he said.

According to new rules, the students will need to be sponsored by a licensed educational institution and obtain an identity card in advance, have a good academic track record and demonstrate that they can financially support themselves and any dependents.

The rules are intended to prevent people abusing the system by entering the country as students and then disappearing, the sources said.

The new student visa system under the Points Based System will require colleges and universities to report about the international students who fail to attend courses after gaining student visas, they said.

MINISTRY OF OVERSEAS INDIAN AFFAIRS TO HELP PIOs TO FIND THEIR ROOTS

In response to repeated requests - eight this year itself - from people of Indian origin settled in places such as the Caribbean Islands, the government is all set to put in place a mechanism to help these people trace their roots.

These people are descendants of indentured laborers of the 19th century, who settled in the then British colonies and lost all connections other than an emotional bond with India.

Officials from the Ministry of Overseas Indians Affairs will meet officials from the states of UP and Bihar - the two states from which most indentured laborers were sent - later this month to set the ball rolling. Though UP claims to have already put in place a department, complaints from PIOs have shown it is far from effective. Apart from helping these people, the government also hopes that this will facilitate their investment in their villages.

MALAYSIAN INDIAN PARENTS PROTEST RACIAL ABUSE

About 500 angry parents and other members of the Malaysian Indian community gathered outside a school to stage a protest the alleged use of racial slurs the teacher against ethnic Indian students.

The incident took place at Banting, the principal town of Kuala Langat in Selangor state. The crowd began gathering outside SMK Telok Panglima Garang's main entrance from noon and dispersed about two hours later.

The headmaster was on leave so some teachers accepted on his behalf copies of the police reports made by two students. The reports also alleged that the teacher had beaten some students.

Coalition of Malaysian Indian NGOs secretary Gunaraj George, who was among those who handed over the reports, said such abuse would only result in breeding hatred and racial polarisation in schools.

The school teacher has been transferred but the local community refuses to treat the matter as closed and has demanded a public apology.

Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong said the teacher might be sacked if the allegations were proved true. He added that the ministry was awaiting an official report.

Ethnic Indians constitute eight per cent of Malaysia's 28 million population.

ABOUT 300,000 OCI CARDS ISSUED BY GOVT. OF INDIA

The number of Overseas Indians granted Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards reached 285,611 as of July 31, 2008, large majority, over 120,000 are from the United States. Other countries where sizeable numbers have been given OCI cards are from UK, Canada and Australia and Sri Lanka.

The OCI scheme was started in December 2005 in response to persistent demand for "dual citizenship" from overseas Indians in North America and the western world. The OCI certification facilitates life-long visa-free travel to India in addition to certain economic, educational and cultural benefits.

INDIAN PHYSICIANS AGAIN CLASH WITH BRITISH GOVERNMENT

Indian doctors are once again suing the British government, this time accusing it of violating the spirit of a four-month-old court order by seeking to deny thousands the opportunity to live and work in Britain.

The doctors, who won a landmark judgment in their favor April 8, say the British home ministry subsequently refused to withdraw an earlier rule that they say unfairly disadvantages doctors from India and other countries currently working in Britain.

The rule concerns the number of years a person needs to have lived in Britain before qualifying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) - the first stage to full citizenship.

The home ministry raised the minimum requirement from four to five years in April 2006, but refused to withdraw this change while issuing policy guidance in July this year - a move that a spokesman for the doctors termed as "unfair and unlawful".

"Once again the Home Office has been requested to abide to the rule of law, and once again it seems inevitable that the law of the country needs to be enforced onto an obsessed Immigration Ministry which is going to waste the tax-payers' money to further defend such unfair and unlawful policies," said Amit Kapadia, executive director of the HSMP Forum.

In April this year, the Forum won a high-profile case in favour of doctors who had been granted Highly Skilled Migrants Programme (HSMP) visas but suddenly found themselves unable to work in Britain because of changes made to the visa criteria.
Although the judgment concerned changes made in November 2006, the Forum says the government is violating the spirit of the ruling.

According to Kapadia, the judgment delivered a complete package to bring relief to doctors. This action by the Home Office threatens the livelihood of a very large number of doctors.

"Migrants and their families who applied for indefinite leave to remain after four years - as it was initially promised by the UK government to entice them to come to Britain to contribute to UK economy - are now issued with refusal letters and are being asked to leave the country," the Forum said.

It said the difference of a year in qualifying for indefinite leave was causing migrants hardship and upsetting their plans.

Many migrants' children - faced with the prospect of having to pay high university fees that are charged international students - have abandoned studies, changed career plans or taken a year off studies.

Kapadia said the government has until mid-August to reply to a legal notice served by the Forum.

RULES FOR NRI INVESTMENT IN REAL ESTATE

Under the general permission, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) can freely purchase immovable property, such as residential and commercial property in India. There are no restrictions on the number of residential/commercial properties that an NRI/PIO can purchase. No document for the property is required to be filed with the Reserve Bank of India.

The general permission does not cover the purchase of agricultural land, plantation property or farm houses in India. A proposal to acquire agricultural land, plantation property or farm houses in India will require specific approval of the Reserve Bank and such proposal is considered in consultation with the Government of India.

SIKH GIRL IN SOUTH WALES WIN LEGAL BATTLE TO WEAR KARA IN SCHOOL

A teenage Sikh girl won a historic legal battle to wear kara, a religious bangle, in her school, which banned her from attending classes for breaking the "no jewelry" rule nine months ago. 14-year-old Sarika Watkins Singh was excluded from Aberdare Girls' School in South Wales in November 2007, for refusing to remove a wrist bangle which is central to her faith.

Justice Silber in the High Court said the bangle - known as the kara - was a symbol of her Sikh faith and not a piece of jewelry. "The school is guilty of indirect discrimination under race relations and equality laws."

As a sequel to the judgment, Sarika will be returning to the school in September wearing the Kara, a slim steel bracelet.

EDUCATIONAL SEATS FOR CHILDREN OF INDIAN DIASPORA

The Government recently decided to reserve at least 15% seats in various state educational institutions for children of Indians staying abroad. The ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA) has asked the states to create 15% additional seats in educational institutions to accommodate children of NRIs/PIOs.

With a large number of NRI/PIO children showing keen interest to study in India, overseas Indians have been lobbying for an NRI university for the last many years. The government has already announced the setting up of one or more NRI universities, yet details of such a university have not been finalized. In the meantime, the government has decided to create seats in the existing institutes for the children of the Diaspora.

INDIANS SEEKING ADMISSION IN OVERSEAS UNIVERSITIES ON THE INCREASE

USA has been destination of choice for Indian students seeking higher education. Last year, as many as 83,000 Indians were enrolled in American universities while over 76,000 had enrolled in the prior year. However due to higher cost of learning in the US, Indians have been seeking admission in institutions of learning in UK, Australia, France or elsewhere.

During the last few years, many foreign employers have been recruiting the best and brightest Indians. Some foreign universities have also been attracting talented Indian students. Last year, 21,000 Indian students in the UK were on student visa.

In June, Indian government approved renaming Fulbright scholarship as Fulbright-Jawaharlal Nehru Scholarships and Grants and doubled the number of available scholarships. The cabinet also approved financing of education exchange program between India and the US.

UK STRENGTHENS SAFEGUARDS AGAINST FORCED MARRIAGES

Many South Asian parents - Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis -- force, pressure or persuade their children, particularly daughters, to get spouses from India, many with disastrous results. Children, on the other hand, born and raised in the western countries, face duality between their parents' culture and the host culture and would much prefer to marry person of their choice. The UK government has announced tightening of rules to prevent forced marriages.

Most of the victims of forced marriages are from South Asian communities and they range in age from 18 to 21. In the new law, the age for marriage visa has been raised to 21. All sponsors will be required to register their intention to marry overseas. Thus a young person before leaving UK would know in advance that the marriage will take place overseas. The sponsor and the spouse, in case of forced marriage, will face deportation for violating the new law. These steps are expected to significantly strengthen the safeguards against forced marriages.

The UK government would also require that the new spouse should know English or learn within a reasonable period. The spouse will be required to sign up an agreement to learn English and in the event of failure to learn English, permission to stay in the UK can be revoked.

GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION

GOPIO is a non-partisan, non-sectarian global organization with chapters in several countries, actively promoting the interests of people of Indian origin worldwide by monitoring and addressing current critical issues of concern, and by enhancing cooperation and communication between groups of Indians living in various countries.

GOPIO Individual Life membership is open to all who believe in the mission of GOPIO. The one-time fee is $5,000 for Platinum Life Membership, $2,500 for Gold Life Membership and $1,500 Silver Life Membership and half the amount for each category for those from developing countries and India.

GOPIO is looking forward to opening chapters in all major cities of the world so as to network people of Indian origin all over the world. If you do not have chapter in your city, please visit GOPIO website

http://www.gopio.net/chapter_initiative.htm) and get details of chapter initiation . Process involves sending a letter of intent to start a chapter by a committee of five people or more. For more information, contact:

GOPIO President - Inder Singh, California, USA, Tel: 818-708-3885, E-mail: gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net

GOPIO Executive Vice President - Lord Daljit Rana, UK, Tel: +44 28-9807-8787, Email: dsrana@andrashouse.co.uk

GOPIO Secretary General - Ashook Ramsaran, New York City, Tel: 718/939-8194, E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com

NEW LIFE MEMBER

To become a Life member of GOPIO, visit http://www.gopio.net/membership_form.htm, print and fill up the form and send it with a check to: GOPIO, P.O. Box 1413, Stamford, CT 06904, USA.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Chief Editor: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO (Stamford, CT, USA)

Editors: Ashook Ramsaran, GOPIO General Secretary (New York, USA); and Munish Gupta, GOPIO Media Chair (Los Angeles, Calif)

Webmasters: Prashant Gupta (Gurgaon, Haryana, India) and Abu Thomas (New Rochelle, NY, USA)

Contributors of this issue:
Inder Singh (USA), Karan Narula (Australia), Bina Mahabir (USA), Deosaran Bisnath (Trinidad & Tobago), Dr. Renu Mishra (USA), Sunil Prasad (Belgium), Sat Sukdeo (USA), Barjinder Sodhi (Germany), Raj Lakha (UK), Harish Bajaj and Suman Kapoor (New Zealand) and Ryan Tewari (The Netherlands)

GOPIO NEWS welcomes NRI/PIO related stories from all over the world. Be a volunteer correspondent or reporter. Contact Dr. Thomas Abraham, Tel: 203-329-8010, E-mail: gopio@optonline.net

Visit GOPIO's Official site at www.gopio.net or www.gopio.com

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GOPIO NEWS for NRIs/PIOs - July, 20008

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:23:00 +0000

Issue: VII-2

July 15, 2008

GOPIO NEWS
July 15, 2008
A Publication of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)

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In This Issue

GOPIO CHAPTERS INITIATED IN NEW ZEALAND

UAE DETAINES THOUSANDS OF INDIAN WORKERS FOR RIOTING

EUROPE EMERGING AS LIKELY DESTINATION FOR SKILLED WORKERS

THE INDIAN STUDENTS BEST IN THE GLOBAL SCENE

GOPIO INTERNATIONAL AND CHAPTER NEWS

NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs and PIOs

GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION

EDITORIAL BOARD

Quick Links

GOPIO Home
GOPIO News Archives

New Chapter Inititiave

GOPIO Constitution

GOPIO History

GOPIO Accomplishments

GOPIO Business Council Bulletin Board

GOPIO Publications and Articles

NOTE: GOPIO News is a FREE bi-monthly newsletter of GOPIO International, based in the USA. We need your help in reaching out to more NRIs/PIOs around the world. Please go to the bottom of the news bulletin and click the FORWARD button and type e-mail addresses of your friends and relatives. One could also subscribe to the newsletter by visiting www.gopio.net and typing in the e-mail address. All preivous issues of GOPIO News are available at GOPIO News Archives. You can also write to GOPIO-intl@sbcglobal.net and your email will be added to the list of recipients.

If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in future, please go to the bottom of the newsletter and unsubscribe.

GOPIO CHAPTERS INITIATED IN NEW ZEALAND, MELBOURNE CHAPTER INAUGURATED

GOPIO is expanding in the oceanic region, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Several chapters have been initiated in New Zealand last month. In May this year, new GOPIO chapters were also inaugurated in Sydney and Melbourne.

GOPIO MELBOURNE CHAPTER INAUGURATED IN STYLE
At the Melbourne Chapter inauguration, Indian Consul General Ms Anita Nayar was the chief guest. Ms. Marsha Thompson Parliamentry Secretary for Industry and Trade, Mr Martin Foley MP for Albert Park, Mr Jude Perera Member for Cranbourne, Mr Ian Wilcox Dept of Trade and Foreign Affairs, Mr George Lekakis Chairperson of Victorian National Commission and various community leaders were present at the launch. Also participating were Dr Martand Joshi, former Indian Consul General, Mr N Sunderesan representing FIAV&TSM, and leaders of the various cultural, business and religious organizations.

Master of Ceremony Mr. Nilesh Bhandari opened the formal part of the function by welcoming all guests. The speakers were Ms Anita Nayar, Consul General of India, Mr Inder Singh, President, GOPIO International and Mr Karan Narula President, GOPIO-Melbourne who also proposed a vote of thanks to all Members of Parliament, Consul General of India and present members and potential members.

Photo below: Marsha Thompson, George Lekakis and Anita Anayar

Photo above: GOPIO-Melbourne President Karan narula with dignitaries

Sponsors included the National Australian Bank (Mr Neesan V.Naidoo), Mercantile Pacific Pty Ltd (Mr Karan Narula and Mr Kunal Narula), Societa Cofica (Mr Dia Ram Sharma), Ashley Opals (Mr Ashok Aswani), Krishna International (Mr Bob Uppal) and Azurn (Mr Ananda Rao).

Media representatives included: Mr Neeraj Nanda (South Asia Times), Mr Raj Indian Voice), Ms Preety Jabbal (India Link Newspaper), Ms Sudha Saini (Channel 31) and Mr Moti Visa (Beyond India).

The event was organized in the Grand Ballroom of Hotel Windsor. After registration the invitees had some time for networking. There was light music and delicious snacks courtesy of the talented chefs.

For more information on GOPIO-Melbourne, Karan Narula at E-mail: karann@mercantilepacific.com

GOPIO CHAPTERS INITIATED IN NEW ZEALAND
During the visit of GOPIO Int'l team to Auckland, New Zealand on May 16, Suman Kapoor showed keen interest in starting GOPIO chapter. She made pioneering effort to launch GOPIO Waikato chapter. GOPIO New Zealand coordinator Jeet Suchdev provided necessary support to Mrs. Kapoor in starting the first GOPIO chapter in New Zealand.

A cross-section of the people at the Waikato chapter inaugurationn

Harish Bajaj, a community leader in Auckland became GOPIO's chief supporter and has been able to convince some people to take the leadership role and initiate GOPIO chapters in various parts of Auckland. He has been instrumental in initiating the following chapters:

1. GOPIO Auckland  East under the leadership of Naresh Shukla
2. GOPIO Auckland West under the leadership of Virinder Aggarwal
3. GOPIO Auckland  Botany Down under the leadership of Ramesh Gupta
4. GOPIO Auckland Downtown under the leadership of Rajiv Pandey
5. GOPIO Auckland  South under the leadership of Davinder Singh Rahal
6. GOPIO Pukekohe, Auckland under the leadership of Manjit Singh
7. GOPIO Auckland Central under the leadership of Ashok Bhatia

MORE GOPIO CHAPTERS IN AUSTRALIA INITIATED
In addition to these chapters in New Zealand, GOPIO Sydney Southwest in Australia has been initiated under the leadership of Jagdish Lal Lodha and GOPIO-Brisbane under the leadership of Umesh Chandra.

GOPIO plans to expand chapters in other cities in Australia. Contact: Gambhir Watts, National Coordinator, GOPIO Australia. (Email: gambhir@bmgw.com. Mob. 0413 880 881)

For details of GOPIO activities in the Oceanic Region (Australia, New Zealand and Fiji) contact: GOPIO's Pacific Regional Coordinator is Mr. Noel Lal who can be reached at +61-0413990184, E-mail: spe@spengineering.com.au

UAE DETAINES THOUSANDS OF INDIAN WORKERS FOR RIOTING

Workers at a large ceramic manufacturing unit in United Arab Emirates (UAE) were detained at an undisclosed location on the outskirts of the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, on charges of rioting. The workers - from Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Kerala - of Ras Al Khaimah were rounded up by security agencies after they went on a rampage at their labor camp on Friday night to protest against the poor quality of food being served to them. Although not all of the nearly 3,000 workers were involved in the fracas, the police took all of them to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in army vehicles.

While there have been strikes by Indian workers in the past in the UAE over poor working conditions and unpaid salaries, which have led to the Dubai riot squad being called in, this is the first time the UAE army has been pressed into service to arrest Indian workers for rioting.

The workers have been questioned and their fingerprints taken. Those found to be involved in the violence will be deported after serving their prison terms.

Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmed said that the workers went on a rampage at their camp over poor quality of food served to them," and added that he wasn't aware of the exact number of workers detained.

Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and officials of the Ministry of External Affairs are in contact with UAE officials.

EUROPE EMERGING AS LIKELY DESTINATION FOR SKILLED WORKERS

EUROPE EMERGING AS LIKELY DESTINATION FOR SKILLED WORKERS

With the government of India negotiating a slew of labour treaties with many EU countries, Indian workers may soon find job-hunting in Europe relatively painless. Recently India agreed to join the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), paving the way for smoother labour movement to Europe. The most important advantage for India's membership with IOM is the capacity of the IOM to facilitate bilateral instruments with potential destination countries.

The first in line may be Denmark, the latest European country to come to India looking to plug its demographic needs of young working population. In May, a fact-finding team of the Danish Immigration Services had come to India - a follow-up to the visit of Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen in February. It is learnt that India is planning to sign a social security agreement (on the similar lines as was signed with Belgium), as well as a labour mobility partnership. The Indian side has proposed that the labour mobility agreement be a tripartite one, with the IOM as third party. India as an observer had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on regional dialogue and facilitating managed and legal migration with the European Union.

A US-based manpower supply company's "Talent Shortage Survey 2008" had found that European countries had significantly high difficulty in filling up available positions, ranging from 73 percent in Romania to 18 percent in Italy. The reasons for the shortage range from an aging population in west European countries to the flight of the educated young from East European nations. Recently, the European Union had introduced the idea of a "blue card" to compete directly with the American "green card" to attract the right kind of highly-skilled educated emigrant. But most of the countries have to still agree to implement it. Therefore, negotiation with individual countries to facilitate manpower supply seems a better proposition.

The European Commission in a policy document last year discussed attractive conditions for the admission and residence of highly qualified immigrants in member countries. And even though a common policy for EU nations on attracting and retaining highly qualified immigrants may not yet have become a reality, some of the issues which have been raised are very significant. The aim of the new proposal for entry and residence of third-country nationals for highly qualified employment is to provide member states and EU companies with additional tools to recruit, retain and better allocate the workers they need. By doing so, the EC intends to increase the competitiveness of the EU economy by enhancing the contribution made by legal immigration. Various countries in continental Europe have already implemented policies that will help attract skilled workers from countries such as India.

Contributed by Sunil Prasad

THE INDIAN STUDENTS BEST IN THE GLOBAL SCENE

Indian students are considered among the best in the world, according to the legendary Oxford University's Chancellor, Chris Patten. Hence, Chancellor Patten is calling for more of them to join the campus. The London University has produced some the best students who went on to play pivotal roles on the world stage. Such personalities include Indian Prime Minister Manhoman Singh and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Currently, there are Indian 257 students on the institution registrar roll.

"We want more Indian students because we want the best in the world to come to Oxford," Chancellor Patten told Press Trust of India news agency. Most of the Indian students have enrolled in the Business School. Patten continued, "About a quarter of the students are doing MBAs". He continued, "But I would like to see more in social sciences and humanities, doing both undergraduate and post-graduate work."

Though Indian students are lesser in number, they have won more scholarships than their Chinese counterparts. In 2007, they won 54 different scholarships, including the Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, according to an Oxford journal. A one-year MBA program could cost around Rs 4 million, including the cost of tuition fee, boarding and lodging and the out-of-pocket expenses.

Contributed by Bina Mahabir

GOPIO INTERNATIONAL AND CHAPTER NEWS

GOPIO-BERLIN HOSTS LORD DILJIT RANA AND PUNJAB CHIEF JUSTICE VIJENDAR JAIN

Chief Justice Vijendar Jain, Punjab & Haryana High Court and Lord Daljit Rana, GOPIO Executive Vice President visited Berlin last month. GOPIO-Berlin Chapter President Barjinder Sodhi organized a community meeting for the visiting dignitaries. The chief justice explained public interest litigations and power of judicial review exercised by the Indian Courts.

Mr. Sodhi arranged a meeting at German Chancellor's House with a Minister of State Prof. Dr. Maria Böhmer and Minister of State in the Federal Chancellery and Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration. The minister informed the guests that about 15 million migrant families live in Germany. The Federal Government makes efforts for their successful integration and equal participation in social life of their new country.

Sodhi also arranged a meeting with the officials of Justice and Law ministry and many German Parliament Members for the chief justice to exchange views with regards to the system of judicial administration in Germany. Mr. Jain had the opportunity to discuss relevant laws in dealing with the environmental issues with Mr. Sigmar Gabriel, Federal Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. The Minister emphasized the advancement made by Germany in the field of Solar Energy, Biomass and other renewable sources of energy.

Photo Below - GOPIO Vice President Lord Daljit Rana, Chief Justice Jain, Prof. Dr. Maria Böhmer, Minister in the Federal Chancellery and Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, GOPIO-Berlin Chapter Presient Birjinder Sodhi

GOPIO UPPER NEW YORK HOLD GOLF OUTING

GOPIO Upper New York held a successful Golf Outing on June 11 at Dunwoodie Golf Course in Yonkers, New York. The lowest score of 79 was scored by Basheer, the longest drive by Danny Ramnarine, closest to the pin by Naseer and the most honest golfer was Ali. The presentation dinner was held at Patang Restaurant in Yonkers. A brief history of the accomplishments by Sewsankar "Papwa" Sewgolum, the South African Indian golfer who defeated Gary Player in the Natal Open in 1965 when Player was the number one golfer in the world, was given by GOPIO Upper New York President Sat Sukdeo.

Papwa Sewgolum, the poor illiterate golfer went on to win the Dutch Open twice and played in the British open and in the US circuit before he was banned from leaving South Africa and from competition against white golfers in his home country under the laws of Apartheid. He remained unbeaten in colored tournaments in South Africa and was never given an opportunity to compete internationally. The crosshand stroke is named the" papwa stroke" after him as it was his way of holding the club for all his shots. He died in 1978 at fifty years old.

Two golfers were former caddies at Lusignan Golf Course in Guyana and Farook Hussein gave an overview of his experience as a caddy in the days of colonialism. We were grateful for the presence of Joe Solomon, famous former West Indies Test cricketer who scored 91 for eighteen holes.

GOPIO-AMSTERDAM HOSTS MINISTER VAYALAR RAVI

On June the 5th GOPIO-Amsterdam hosted a special lunch in honor of Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi during which a dialogue was held about the spread of Indian persons over several parts of the world. This event was co-hosted by Seva Network Foundation.

Even though the lunch was intended to be a formal event, guests had the possibility to interact with one another during the pre-lunch reception. During the lunch, opportunities were provided to discuss various practical - but more importantly - policy subjects with Minister Ravi.

Minister Ravi explicitly accentuated the fact that we should look at the future and not only concentrate on India but feel that India is proud of the PIO achievements in their respective countries. The latter is exactly what uplifts the image of India. Ravi said that if the NRis/PIOs perform well in the society where they live, they also remain the proud children of the Indian Diaspora. "One should not live in isolation but be integrated in Dutch society in order to give value to the local society," Ravi added.

On behalf of the invited guests GOPIO-Amsterdam President Ryan Tewari expressed his appreciation by thanking the Minister for attending and sharing his vision with the guests. As a token of gratitude GOPIO presented the Minister a traditionally Dutch blue coloured tie and Dutch tulips. Even though the Minister doesn't wear ties, Minister Ravi appreciated the gesture and he promised to keep this as a reminder of GOPIO, this event, and his visit to Amsterdam.

GOPIO METRO-WASHINGTON DC INTERACTS WITH MOIA OFFICIAL ARATHI KRISHNA

The Indian American Community of Greater Washington D.C. area felicitated Mrs. Arathi Krishna, Community Development Officer, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Embassy of India, at the R.A.A.Z. restaurant on June 29th, 2008 in Gaithersburg, Maryland under the Chairmanship of Dr. Renuka Misra, President of GOPIO-Metro Washington DC Chapter. Over 85 persons attended the interactive dinner including prominent Indian American leaders and area organization Presidents.

Dr. Misra in her welcoming address emphasized the popularity of Mrs. Krishna and the overflowing responses from the community encompassing diverse groups. She traced the meteoric rise of Mrs. Krishna's political and social involvement as well as her musical talents. Dr. Misra in her welcome address also pointed out Mrs. Krishna's unique personality in helping the community and she asked the guests to contact her if and when they need her services involving PIO/NRI issues.

Others speakers at the evening included Mr. Satish Gupta, President of India Cultural Coordination Committee Dr. Sambhu Banik, Professor of Psychology and Counseling, Bowie State University; Dr. Ram Singh, President, IAFFPE, Virginia Chapter; Mr. Benoy Thomas; Mr. Kaleem Kawaja, President, Indian Muslims in America; former ambassador Har Swarup Singh; Dr. Parthasarathy Pillai, elected delegate from the Prince George's County Central Democratic Committee & Former President of NFIA; and Dr. Kaushal Chauhan.

Mrs. Krishna in her speech thanked the community for the support they have given and vowed to live up to the expectation of the community. She gave a brief outline of her activities as well as highlighted the various schemes under the auspices of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. She promised to follow up any concerns of the community in those areas in the most expedited manner.

NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

ASTRONAUT SUNITA WILLIAMS RECEIVES PADMA BHUSHAN

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has received India's third highest civilian award, The Padma Bhushan from Indian Consul General S.M. Gavai. Among this year's Republic day honourees, she could not receive the award in person from President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi.

"It is a great honour. I am elated," said Williams dressed in a purple kurta and matching pleated printed salwar as she received her award. Recounting her 195 days stay in space, she said: "Earth looks beautiful from space as there are no borders on the planet. Sometimes we think we have borders because we are male, female, of different religions or have differently colored skin. Well, you don't, they are just in your mind and they are not real."

"I could see this borderless world only after I went to space, but there are people like Mahatma Gandhi, who could visualise all this even without going to space. Gandhiji's vision of keeping people at peace together is really a cornerstone of humanity," Williams added.

She is the second Indian-American astronaut to go into space after Kalpana Chawla who perished in the 2003 Columbia disaster with six other astronauts.

INDIAN AMERICAN DR. SAMBHU BANIK APPOINTED IN PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE

A senior Indian-American community leader in Washington has been appointed by President George W Bush to serve as a member of the President's Committee for 'People with Intellectual Disabilities.' Dr. Sambhu N Banik, Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Bowie State University was appointed for his active participation in the community for the past 40 years. Dr. Banik is also advisor of GOPIO-Metro Washington, DC.

This is a presidential appointment where members are selected for their expertise to advise the President on various issues, concerns and policies involving the citizens with Intellectual Disabilities. Banik is also the president of Banik and Associates, Family Diagnostic and Therapeutic Center, Washington. He has served various community organizations and associations. Dr. Banik was also recently honored as the Outstanding Professor by Bowie State University (voted by students).

Hailing from Calcutta, West Bengal, Banik has received his BSc and MSc Degrees from Calcutta University and PhD from University of Bristol, England. He came to England in 1960 and in USA in 1964. He spent a few years in Saskatchewan, Canada teaching at the University.

Banik has worked for over 20 years in the Washington DC Government in various capacities in the Mental Health Administration. He has published number of articles on various mental health related fields in national and international journals. He has also published two very popular cookbooks on Indian culinary.

"This is a great honor and recognition of all the Indian-Americans who are contributing in every aspect of America's life," Banik said in a statement.

BRITISH INDIAN TEENAGER RECEIVES THE DIANA AWARD

Kamalpreet Kaur Aulakh from Leicester in the UK was felicitated at a crowded ceremony last month at Leicester Town Hall for receiving the Diana Award. A teenager of Indian origin, Kamalpreet had made a pledge at 13, to serve the needy. In just three years, she has lived up to it.

The Diana Award is given to youths between 12 and 18 years for outstanding community work. Manjula Sood, the first Asian to be the Lord Mayor, had nominated Kamalpreet for the award. Aulakh is the first person from Leicester to be given the honor. She and her sister Jaspreet were born in England after their parents migrated there in the early 80s. Her father - Satnam Singh Aulakh from Malot village in Punjab - had married a Kenyan of Punjabi origin and has been working night shifts at the Walker Crisps factory.

A student of Beauchamp College, she hopes to take up medicine. "I intend to teach rather than practise," she says. After school and during holidays, she volunteers at the Loros charity shop and takes part in Lotus, a youth program, where she teaches values of compassion to the youth. Aulakh has also carried out fund-raising work for youth groups, Good Values Club and Wishes 4 Kids.

INDIAN AMERICAN NIKHIL DEOGUN ELEVATED TO FOREIGN EDITOR OF WALL STREET JOURNAL

An Indian American, Nikhil Deogun, has been promoted as international editor of the Wall Street Journal, one of three editors reporting directly to the managing editor in a new shake up. A former student of Doon School, Deogun is currently editor of the Money & Investing section of the financial daily. He took charge of the global network of bureaus and correspondents from July 7.

Announcing the shake up in a memo, Robert Thomson, who took over as managing editor of the Journal in May, said: "At the heart of our new structure will be a National, International and Enterprise Team, a triumvirate which will report directly to me and to whom the bureau chiefs will report."

The three deputy managing editors, he said, will sit close together in what could be called a "news hub", thus streamlining commissioning and editing decisions, and giving them a central role in the production and presentation of copy for the paper and the website.

Deogun has been with the Journal since 1994. Before taking over the Money & Investing section in 2007, he served as deputy bureau chief of the paper's Washington bureau for three years.

Deogun becomes the second India-born journalist to become deputy managing editor at the Journal. The first was Raju Narisetti, who left the paper two years ago to launch Mint, a New Delhi-based business daily of the HT group.

Born in Assam, Deogun grew up in Kolkata and studied at the Doon School. His first newspaper job was an internship at The Statesman in Kolkata. Deogun now joins three other South Asian foreign editors of famous magazines: Nisid Hajari at Newsweek, Aparisim 'Bobby' Ghosh at Time, and Stephanie Mehta at Fortune. Amongst other South Asians holding senior journalistic positions in the US is Davan Maharaj, managing editor of the Los Angeles Times.

RUSHDIE BESTOWED KNIGHTHOOD AND WINS BOOKER AWARD

Indian-origin author Salman Rushdie, has won the 'Best of the Booker' award for Midnight Children. The announcement was made at the London Literature Festival in London on Thursday. The winner of the title has been decided by public global voting. Millions of people, including from India, voted for the one-off award on the Internet, through online partnerships, with national and international media, with libraries, reading groups and book retailers.

Besides Rushdie's Midnight Children, the other five contenders were: Pat Parker's 'The Ghost Road', Peter Carey's 'Oscar and Lucinda', J M Coetzee's 'Disgrace', J G Farrell's 'The Siege of Krishnapur' and Nadine Gordimer's 'The Conservationist'.

The award celebrates the 40th anniversary of the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The only time that a celebratory award has previously been created was in 1993, its 25th anniversary, when Rushdie won the 'Booker of Bookers' award for Midnight's Children.

Rushdie was also knighted early this month by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature.

INDIAN AMERICAN SNEH MEHTANI WINS INT'L WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURIAL CHALLENGE AWARD

Well-known Indian restaurateur, Sneh Mehtani, copped the International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) award at a glitzy event held at the Harvard Club in New York earlier in June. The award's ceremony was organized IWEC, in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona, the Indian Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI-FLO) and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce (MCC).

Mehtani, who received a diploma in Cosmetology from North Carolina, did a variety of interesting jobs, ranging from airline sales rep to make-up artist, before turning her attention to the restaurant business. She had her first opportunity to open her first restaurant in 1983. Mehtani operated the Moghul Restaurant for ten years in Manhattan before deciding to build more restaurants in New Jersey. Soon, she added five other illustrious eating houses to her growing list: Moghul, the flagship for fine Indian dinning restaurant; Mirage, an elegant catering facility specializing in International Cuisine; Ming, which serves Pan Asian Cuisine and Moksha, which specializes in traditional South Indian cuisine.

Her family's latest accomplishments include the development and launch of three elegant and distinct dining and nightlife joints in the Hyatt Complex in Morristown. The restaurant and bar lounge caters to a very high end and hip clientele. She has catered to all types of events in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and all over the Untied States. This award is one of many that she has received in her impressive career. Three women from the US were chosen and Mehtani was the only Indian American to receive this award.

According to the organizers, the purpose of the awards is to promote a global dialogue on women's entrepreneurship, exchange experiences, forge partnerships among enterprises and potential customers worldwide and to build personal contacts and networks among women's business associations and individual entrepreneurs.

Contributed by Bina Mahabir

INDO-TRINIDADIAN STUDENT WINS TOP HONORS

Twelve-year-old Ajay Rameshwarsingh, a student of the Gandhi Memorial Vedic School, Aranjuez, won the top honors in this year's Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam beating 17,854 students for the first place. This year's second and third top places went to Tanuja Maharaj, a student of El Dorado South Hindu School, and Anthony Rajkumar of Curepe Presbyterian School respectively. Maharaj passed for St Joseph's Covent, St Joseph and Rajkumar will be heading to Hillview College, Tunapuna in Trinidad.

An exuberant Ajay, who passed for Presentation College in Chaguanas, told Newsday that he knew he could have placed among the top 100 students but never expected to be the top student in the country. "I can't believe it. I am proud of myself. I knew I was going to place in the top 100 but not first," said a beaming Ajay. "I always studied consistently but always took time for relaxation especially to play cricket." Ajay added that he was interested in construction and would like to become a civil aviation engineer.

Ajay's father Devendra Rameshwarsingh, who resides in Norway but is visiting his son, said words would not be able to describe his happiness. "Tears showed everything," said Rameshwarsingh. Jade Pariag of Brothers Road Presbyterian Primary School and Jesse Benjamin of Newtown Boys' RC Primary School also tied for first place in 2006. In 2004, Rianna Gobin of Grant Memorial Presbyterian Primary School placed first while Danielle Stewart of St Gabriel Girls' RC Primary School did so in 2005.

Contributed by Deosaran Bisnath

PIO IN UK QUALFIES TO BECOME BRITAIN'S YOUNGEST DOCTOR

At the age of 22, Indian-origin Heenal Raichura has qualified to become Britain's youngest doctor and is all set to practice medicine. Daughter of Nalin and Shobhna Raichura, Heenal was accepted into university to study medicine in 2002 when she was 16. Six years later she has passed her degree and is all set to start work at University College London Hospital where she hopes to become a surgeon.

Heenal said that, "It's quite a surreal feeling to actually, finally, become a doctor after six years of a degree. To finally come out at the end and say, 'I'm a doctor', my childhood dream, is an indescribable feeling. "My parents tell stories about how I would come over and put my head against their chest because I didn't have a stethoscope to play with. I was always interested in trying to figure out what was going wrong with the body." Her proud father Nalin, 65, said: "She encountered immense difficulty in finding universities that would accept her at the age of 16 because the minimum age at entry is 17 years 6 months."

She was offered a place to study medicine at St George's University in London where six years later she has graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree. She received her degree at a presentation ceremony in June and is believed to be Britain's youngest doctor. On top of the normal five years of medical study Heenal also spent an extra year to get a degree in Anatomy and Developmental Biology from the University College of London.

She lives with parents, who run a wholesale business, and her 25-year-old sister Sonia.

Contributed by Raj Lakha
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NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs AND PIOs AROUND THE WORLD

NOMINATIONS INVITED FOR BHARATVANSHI GAURAV SAMMAN 2009

Nominations are invited for the Bharatvanshi Gaurav Samman - 2009 from eminent personalities of Indian Diaspora by Antar-Rashtriya Sahayog Nyas (Trust for international co-operation). The Award carries Rs. one lakh in cash, a citation, a plaque and a shawl. The nominations along with detailed bio-data are to reach the Nyas Office at 6-M, Bhagat Singh Market, New Delhi-110001 by 30th September 2008.

The Antar-Rashtriya Sahayog Nyas was created with the objective of maintaining close contacts with the Indian Diaspora and to acknowledge and appreciate their achievements by publicly honoring at least one person every year to be selected for excellence for working for the Indian Diaspora. The Nyas honored Ranjith Ramnarain of South Africa in 2005, Satnarayan Maharaj of Trinidad & Tobago in the year 2006 and Dr. Thomas Abraham of United States in January 2008 at New Delhi for their contributions to the Diaspora.

The Selection Committee includes prominent members of the Indian Diaspora such as Sir Aneroodh Jagnauth, President of the Mauritius Republic; Mahendra Choudhry, Finance Minister of Fiji; Basdeo Pandey, former Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago; Dr. Ved P. Nanda, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Denver University, USA; Subhash Chandra, Chairman & Managing Director Zee Telefilms Ltd.; and R. P. N. Singh, Chairman S. S. R. Medical College, Mauritius. J. C. Sharma, former Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, is the President of the Nyas.

TWO PIO MALASIAN MPs HELD FOR HOLDING PROTEST RALLY

Two Indian origin lawmakers were among three opposition members of the Malaysian parliament who were arrested in Malaysia for joining a rally to seek the release of detained activists of a Hindu body. Indian origin lawmakers, S Manikavasagam and R Sivararsa, and their Malay colleague, Zuraida Kamaruddin, had joined a rally to seek freedom for five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) activists, and 65 others detained under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA).

The lawmakers, from the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), were among six detained by the police. They were released on bail later. The PKR party has emerged at the head of an opposition alliance with an unprecedented 82 members in parliament and rules in four of the country's 13 states. The protest, held in front of the Istan Negara, the palace of the royal head of the state, is the first such involving elected representatives.

Holding of rallies requires police permission in Malaysia. Around 70 who rallied, including children, had gathered in front of the Istana Negara, demanding the release of the 70 men currently detained under ISA at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping. The children were accompanied by their mothers as well as other family members.

The official said that all except the six left after they were asked to. The rally was organised by the Hindraf and joined by members of the Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA, a human rights body.

According to Hindraf national event coordinator Kannan Ramasamy, they gathered to appeal to the King Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin to advise Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar to release all the ISA detainees.

Five Hindraf leaders - M Manoharan, P Uthayakumar, V Ganabatirau, R Kengadharan and K Vasantha Kumar - are serving two-year jail terms under ISA after they organized a protest rally on Nov 25 last year alleging discrimination against the two million-plus Tamil Hindus in jobs and education. They also alleged that over 35,000 Hindu shrines had been demolished in the last five decades.

Appeals for the release of the "Hindraf-5" from abroad and from different quarters within the country, including members of ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, have not been heeded by the government. The royal head of the state issued a decree in April to confirm the detention of the five and directed that they serve their full two-year terms.

SOUTH AFRICAN INDIAN COUPLE MOVES DURBAN COURT OVER RACIAL SLUR

A young Indian couple, allegedly targeted with racial slurs for six months by their African neighbors who called them ''coolies'' and told them to ''go back to India'', have made very emotional appeal to Equality Court in the South African city of Durban. Gopaul Mohun and his wife, Radhika, residents of Amanzimtoti, south of Durban, told the court that they had been insulted by their neighbor Msizi Joel Mosondo and his family for the past six months.

''They said we were cane cutters and that is all we are fit for,'' Mohun said in the papers filed in the court.

''Mr Masondo said he was oppressed and that he fought for this country and that Indians only benefited from his hard work,'' he said.

Masondo's wife said: ''You coolie, go back to India where you belong,'' Mohun alleged.

''The family uses derogatory racial words and phrases and tells neighbors about 'these Indians','' he said. Mohun told the court that he had twice tried to serve warning notices on the Masondo family but they had refused to accept it.

''He and his family continue to make violent threats...on me and my family despite my attempt to bring peace. The police told me that Masondo's wife had refused to allow her husband to accept the notices and said that she doesn't care about me because I am a nuisance to them,'' he said.

But Masondo, in a brief affidavit, replied that Mohun was the ''trouble maker''.

''Therefore, while the case and investigation is going I'm not responding to anybody like Mr Gopaul who brews trouble now and again and talks too much'', said Masondo.

South Africa has recently witnessed heightened racial tensions with renewed xenophobic attacks that has left more than 63 people killed and displaced over 70 000

SIKHS MARCH TO PROTEST HATE CRIMES IN NEW YORK

The Sikh community in New York marched through the streets in Queens Borough protesting a spate of hate crimes against Sikh school students and calling upon the Department of Education in the city to take proactive action to stop the menace.

Nearly 200 people on Monday marched from the two gurdwaras in Richmond Hill, which has a large Sikh population, to the Richmond Hill High School, where Jagmohan Singh Premi, 18, was punched in the face June 3 after a student tried to remove his patka (smaller turban). School authorities suspended the attacker from the school soon after.

Within a week of that incident, Gurprit Kaur, a 12-year-old student at Public School 219 in Flushing, discovered that a fellow student had cut off a portion of her religiously-mandated uncut hair.

Last year, 15-year-old Harpal Singh Vacher's turban was yanked off and his hair sheared with scissors by a fellow student in a school in Elmhurst, also in Queens. The attacker was later convicted of hate crime.

Sikh men have become targets of bias crimes because of their distinctive look, more so after 9/11. The Sikh Coalition, a New York-based advocacy and rights group, released a report in April which said that almost 60 percent of the 400 Sikh students surveyed had suffered bias-based harassment or violence in city schools.

John Liu, New York City Council Member who is on the Council's Education Committee addressed the protesters. "Continuing inaction by the department of education in the face of repeated bias attacks in our public schools is utterly reprehensible, not only because of the bigotry and hate involved but also because the department refuses to acknowledge the magnitude of this persistent problem," Liu said.

In both Premi and Vacher's case, he said, the department ignored warning signs and pleas for help from the victims.

New York City Schools chancellor Joe Klein had earlier met the Sikh community and said new bias regulations were being implemented.

The protest coordinator Sonny Singh, however, said the education department is reactive - it takes action only after an incident. "But the community wants it to be proactive to prevent hate crimes. And we have resolved to keep taking to the streets to achieve our aim," Singh said.

CANADIAN IMMIGRATION IN EXCHANGE FOR INVESTMENT

Immigration to Canada takes more than three years. But people desiring to invest Canadian $400,000 can get a fast track permanent residency or even Canadian citizenship in much lesser time under the investor category.

Renaissance Capital Inc. (RCI), a Montreal-based investment facilitator has been helping investors 'jump-the-queue.' RCI has been approved by the Quebec government in Canada. The investor can deposit $400,000 in government bonds, securities or in some social programs and businesses. If an investor does not have all that money, RCI can arrange a loan provided the immigrant pays non-refundable Canadian $120,000. The agency obtains all clearances from the federal and provincial governments concerned on behalf of the investors. An investor can buy land and do his/her own farming. About 3000 people have already taken advantage of the investor category and migrated to Canada.

DRIVING LICENSES TO OCIs IN GURGAON

The district administration in Gurgaon has announced that it would issue Indian driving licenses to Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), treating them on par with non-resident Indians (NRIs). Children of OCIs can also be enrolled in any educational institution here, just like NRI children are. OCIs are essentially foreign nationals and have been denied this privilege so far. This announcement makes Gurgaon as one of the select cities which give same benefits to OCIs and NRIs.

Gurgaon has many multinational companies (MNCs) which employ NRIs, foreign nationals as well as OCI card holders; their stay could be either for business purpose, or because of the project period of the company for which they work.

Under the OCI scheme, persons of Indian origin who were once citizens of India are eligible to become OCIs. When in India, they are not required to report to the police or other foreign office for any length of their stay in India, nor do they require employment visa to work in the private sector. However, they are not allowed to hold government jobs. They also cannot acquire agriculture and plantation land.

BRUTAL AND CALLOUS MURDER OF A LIQUOR SHOP OWNER IN NEW ZEALAND

The Indian community in New Zealand was shocked at brutal and callous murder of a Liquor shop owner Mr. Navtej Singh in Manurewa, Auckland recently.

Navtej Singh, after being shot, started bleeding profusely and desperately called for help as reported by the media. However, the police took longer time to reach the premises where the victim was lying, delayed the entry of paramedics. The delay cost the victim his life, making Singh's young wife prematurely widow.

In the last few years, a number of people of the same fraternity have been killed and a large number of people have been gruesomely attacked, some suffering severe and lifelong injuries. Despite the numerous complaints by the community leaders, no official inquiry has been carried out against the police for their lack of prompt response and negligence in discharging their duties prudently.

BRITISH GOVT. SCRAPS BONDS FOR FAMILY VISITORS AND ALLOWS PROFESSIONALS TO RETURN

The British government had a controversial proposal to introduce financial bonds for people visiting their relatives in Britain. The South Asian community led by the Indian community campaigned strongly against the proposal forcing the Government to withdraw the proposal. British citizens or permanent residents in Britain will have to become 'licensed sponsors' before their relatives can be allowed to visit. Sponsors will be obligated to ensure that their visitors leave before the expiration of the visa. A sponsor, who fails in his duties, can face a ban on bringing anyone else into the UK.

The British government has now scrapped a controversial proposal to introduce financial bonds for people visiting their relatives. The widespread criticism led British Immigration Minister Liam Byrne to take the unprecedented step of broadening the three-month process of consultation on the proposal to include ordinary people in India.

The government said visitors will now be allowed to stay for a maximum of six months. While there will be no financial bonds for family visitors, those who broke the rules will face civil penalties. Under a new system, British citizens or those who are permanent residents in Britain will have to become licensed sponsors before their relatives can be allowed to visit.

"Sponsors will have a duty to ensure that their visitors comply with the terms of their visa and that they leave before the visa ends... If sponsors fail in their duties, they face a ban on bringing anyone else into the UK, or in more extreme cases, fines of up to 5,000 pounds or imprisonment," the government said.

The government has also introduced a new low-cost three-month group visa for tourists that is likely to be tested in India before worldwide implementation.

In another development with a major policy change, Britain has decided to allow thousands of Indian professionals, who left the country after the November 2006 immigration rules changes, to return. Over 5,000 highly skilled migrants, most of them Indians, had left Britain following the changes that were challenged in the High Court. On April 8 this year, the court ruled that the November 2006 changes could not be applied retrospectively.

Amit Kapadia, executive director of the HSMP Forum that successfully led the legal challenge, said: "We are happy to have fulfilled our commitment in ensuring those affected by the November 2006 illegal changes are able to return back to UK with due honour... Even the time they spent in their home country after the changes would be counted towards the settlement criteria on their return to UK."

He said the forum will closely monitor the implementation of the court's judgment and would work with officials to ensure that all affected professionals were treated with respect and dignity in restoring their status as highly skilled migrants in the UK.

WELFARE FUND TO ASSIST BLUE COLLAR WORKERS

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) is assessing the feasibility of setting up a welfare fund to assist blue collar workers and other Indian expatriates who are low paid laborers, destitutes or could be in jail for overstaying in countries in the Meddle East.

In the Gulf region, there are four million Indian workers who annually remit as much as $5 billion back to India. MOIA has various proposals to fund the scheme, such as higher fee for a no-objection stamp on emigration clearance required (ECR) passports. Emigration clearance is required for most of the countries in the Middle East. There is a dire need for funds for welfare activities such as the repatriation and medical treatment.

INDIANS HIGH ON DEMAND IN SAUDI MEDICAL AND IT SECTORS

There is tremendous scope for Indian professionals, especially in the medical and IT sectors of Saudi Arabia, which hopes to meet its requirements by bringing workforce, an official has said.

"We are looking towards India to meet our requirements for nurses, technicians, pharmacists, physicians and specialists, especially for our neonatal, intensive care, oncology, physiotherapy and other departments," Sami Mohammed Badawood, director general of health in Jeddah, said.

He was addressing the annual meeting of Indo-Saudi Medical Forum in Jeddah, which also marked a farewell reception for Indian Consul General Ausaf Sayeed.

As many as 600 Saudis were enrolled for medical education in India last year and this figure could go up to 6,000 in the coming years, Sayeed was quoted as saying in a Saudi newspaper.

He also called for equalization of Indian degrees in this part of the world reminding that India's booming economy, which currently offered lucrative job offer, might prevent its people from moving out of the country if they were not treated at par with others in terms of salaries and positions overseas.

US GOVT SUES COMPANY FOR NOT HIRING SIKH FOR HIS LOOKS

A Texas company has been sued for religious discrimination by the United States government after it did not hire a Sikh who refused to shave his beard and take off his turban. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is seeking punitive damages for Sukhdev Singh Brar, a certified security officer in the Dallas area, apart from back pay and compensation for pain and suffering caused to him. Brar applied for a job at the Champion National Security Firm in Richardson in October 2005.

"When I finished applying, she (a company representative) called me for an interview, and told me, 'I'm going to hire you, but you have to shave and take off your turban,'" he was quoted as saying by CBS.

Brar says he told the representative what she was saying was against federal law and his religion. "I cannot cut my hair. I cannot take off my turban," he said.

"She told me, 'This is our company policy and we cannot change our company policy.'"

The government wants the court to order the company to change its hiring practices.

"Essentially, they're asking, demanding someone give up their deeply held religious beliefs for a job. In that regard, I think it's very egregious," said Bill Backhaus, EEOC.

Before the EEOC filed the lawsuit against Champion National Security, it tried to resolve the case. But the government said the company wouldn't budge.

Since the 9/11 terror attacks, the government says there have been more than 1,000 cases involving people from the Mid-East or South Asia, the CBS reported.

GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION

GOPIO President - Inder Singh, California, USA, Tel: 818-708-3885, E-mail: gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net

GOPIO Executive Vice President - Lord Daljit Rana, UK, Tel: +44 28-9807-8787, Email: dsrana@andrashouse.co.uk

GOPIO Secretary General - Ashook Ramsaran, New York City, Tel: 718/939-8194, E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com

NEW LIFE MEMBER

To become a Life member of GOPIO, visit http://www.gopio.net/membership_form.htm, print and fill up the form and send it with a check to: GOPIO, P.O. Box 1413, Stamford, CT 06904, USA.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Chief Editor: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO (Stamford, CT, USA)

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GOPIO NEWS for INDIAN DIASPORA - June, 20008

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:06:00 +0000

Issue: VII-2

June 10, 2008

GOPIO NEWS
June 10, 2008
A Publication of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)

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GOPIO CHAPTERS INAUGURATED IN AUSTRALIA

GOPIO officially launched its chapters in Australia in Sydney and Melbourne last month in the presence of GOPIO International President Inder Singh who made a trip to Australia. GOPIO Sydney and Melbourne chapters were initiated after the visit of GOPIO International Chairman, Dr Thomas Abraham in February 2008 to all major Australian cities.

GOPIO Sydney Chapter Inaugurated on May 11th

At the Sydney Chapter inauguration, Indian Consul General Sujan Chinoy was the chief guest. Ms. Tanya Gadiel MP from Parramatta constituency & Parliamentary Secretary represented the Premier of NSW Hon Morris Iemma. Various community leaders were present at the launch including Mr. Raj Natarajan, President United India Associations (UIA) and Mr. Vish Vishvanathan, President of Federation of Australian Indian Associations (FAIA).

Mr Gambhir Watts, National Coordinator GOPIO opened the formal part of the function by welcoming all guests. The prominent speakers were Hon. Sujan Chinoy, Consul General of India, Hon. Tanya Gadiel MP State Member for Parramatta & Parliamentary Secretary representing the Premier of NSW Hon Morris Iemma, Mr Inder Singh, President, GOPIO International, Dr Rohitas Batta, President GOPIO Sydney Chapter, Dr Jagvinder Singh Virk, Chairman, GOPIO Australia Business Council and Lalli Sethu Ram, Senior Rotarian. Mr Noel Lal, Regional Coordinator GOPIO proposed vote of thanks.

Among other prominent guests included: Dr Monider Singh, President Punjabi Council of Australia; Dr Vijay Kumar, Vice President, UIA; Dr Narsimha Reddy, President Technocrats' Association of Australia; Dr. Balu, President Sydney Tamil Manaram and leaders of the various cultural, business and religious organisations.

Sponsors included: Government of India Tourist Office, Australia, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia, Nash Patel Good Guys, Castle Hill, Airsonic, GEMCO/TIC (Ajay Trehan), United Real Estate, Aus Home Loans, ACME Home Loans, Technocrats Association.

Media representatives included: Ms Meenu & Rajesh from Indus Age, Mr Rajwant Singh from Punjab Express, Mr Surinder Singh from Masala Newslines.

The dinner was organised in Parravilla Function Centre, Parramatta. After registration the invitees had networking and enjoyed the light music from Mr Vijay Jogia, and scintillating Indian dances presented by Shalini Patel's Ghunghru dance school. The master of ceremonies Ms Sunita Sethi hosted and coordinated the entire proceedings.

GOPIO International has established various councils:

§         Business Council
§         Cultural Council
§         Academic Council
§         Philanthropic Council
§         Human Rights Council
§         Health Services Council
§         Women's Council
§         Media Council
§         Youth Council
§         Tracing Our Roots
§         GOPIO - GOI Liaison Committees

GOPIO Business Council had supported the first two Global Entrepreneurs Conferences, the first organized by Singapore India Chamber of commerce in 1996 and the second organized by FICCI in New Delhi in 1998. GOPIO itself hosted the Third global Indian Entrepreneurs Conference in New York in co-operation with a dozen of Indian Chambers of Commerce from around the word in 2002 (http://gopio.net/2002_conference.htm).

The committee of the Sydney Chapter under the stewardship of Dr. Rohitas Batta (Chairman), Harmohan Singh Walia (Vice Chairman), Satish Rai (Secretary) and Mahavir Arya (Treasurer) will coordinate activities of common interest to NRIs/PIOs in Sydney.

Photo above: GOPIO-Sydney Inauguration on May 11th - GOPIO officers (International President Inder Singh, GOPIO Oceanic Regional Coordinator Noel Lal, GOPIO Australia Coordinator Gambhir Watts, GOPIO-Sydney President Dr. Rihiras Batta and GOPIO-Australia Business and Entrepreneuers Council Dr. J.S. Virk), digntaries (Indian Consul General Sujan Chinoy was the chief guest. Ms. Tanya Gadiel MP from Parramatta) and otehr community leaders and activists.

For more information on GOPIO Sydney Chapter, contact its president Dr. Rohitas Batta 0411478103, battark@hotmail.com

GOPIO Australia Business and Entrepreneurs' Council

Dr J.S. Virk took leadership initiative and started GOPIO Australia Business Council. Its committee is under the stewardship of Dr J S Virk (Chairman), Mr Paras Ram Punj (Co-Chairman), Mr Harjinder Singh (Vice Chairman) will work within objectives GOPIO International Business Council and provide a platform for Australian PIO businessmen and businesswomen to communicate and to develop networking, conduct business forums and create business opportunities for PIOs entrepreneurs

GOPIO Business Council is planning to organize a Global NRI/PIO Business Summit later this year in Australia and invite NRI/PIO businessmen and entrepreneurs from all over the world to join for this meeting. Contact: Dr Jagvinder Singh Virk, Mob. 0431 452 407, Email: dr_jsvirk@yahoo.com.au

GOPIO Melbourne Chapter

Mr Inder Singh earlier on 9 May 2008 officially launched the GOPIO Melbourne chapter at Windsor's Hotel in presence of the Indian Consul General Anita Nayar and other dignitaries. Mr. Karan Narula and his team were responsible for establishing the Melbourne Chapter. Contact: Karan Narula at karann@mercantilepacific.com.

GOPIO Chapter in the Offing in Brisbane

On May 16th, Mr Parasram Punj hosted an initiation party of PIOs and dignitaries towards setting up a chapter in Brisbane. The same day earlier, President Inder Singh, Dr. Virk and GOPIO Brisbane initiators called on Mayor Paul Pisasale of City of Ipswich who extended invitation to GOPIO members to invest in the city.

Photo above: GOPIO officers with Mayor Payl Pisasale of City of Ipswich. From L. to R.: Dr Jagvinder Singh Virk (Chairman, GOPIO Australia Business Counicl), Paras Ram Punj (Co-chairman GOPIO-Australia Business Council), Mayor Pisasale, GOPIO International President Inder Singh, Umesh Chandra of GOPIO Brisbane

GOPIO plans to expand chapters in other cities in Australia. Contact: Gambhir Watts, National Coordinator, GOPIO Australia. (Email: gambhir@bmgw.com. Mob. 0413 880 881)

For details of GOPIO activities in the Oceanic Region (Australia, New Zealand and Fiji) contact: GOPIO's Pacific Regional Coordinator is Mr. Noel Lal who can be reached at +61-0413990184, E-mail: spe@spengineering.com.au

AACR FIFTH ANNUAL ROUNDTABLE CONFERENCE A GREAT SUCCESS

The Association of Americans for Civic Responsibility (AACR) kicked off its Fifth Annual Conference on Wednesday April 23, 2008 with most relevant topic of the time "Voter participation - The Ultimate Civic Responsibility". The event was held in collaboration with The Maxwell School of Syracuse University at its Paul Greenberg House at Woodley Park, Washington DC for "By Invitation Only" participants. The Conference had three leading topics: 1. Institutional Roles and Responsibilities in Encouraging Voting, 2. Increasing Voter Participation - Lessons from Around the World, and 3 Instilling the Notion of Participatory Democracy in America's Newest Voters - young voters and new Americans. The conference drew representatives from Democratic and Republican National Committees, academia, government, and corporations and civic leaders.

Chad Tragakis of Hill & Knowlton moderated the First Panel that included Peter Levin, Director of Center for Information Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, Stephanie Reeves, Director of Political Advocacy, American Speech-language-Hearing Association, Jack Markey, US State Department and Sara Raak, representing US Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Tragakis affirmed the institutional responsibility to ensure maximum public participation in exercising the civic responsibility of voting.

The Second Session was moderated by Dr. Michael Schneider, Director of Maxwell-Washington International Relations program. Panelists included Christian Hennemeyer, Director of International Foundation for Election Systems and Francis Skrobiszewski, Director of U.S Polish Trade Council. It was one of the rare occasions where the insightful discussions happened on US involvement in election systems around the world and informative reflection on unique features that evolved in the election process in new democracies in the Eastern Europe.

The luncheon speaker Frank Mickiewicz, Vice Chairman, Hill & Knowlton and former Press Secretary to Late Senator Robert Kennedy espoused the need for more informed electorate. He expressed concern on too much dependence by the young and new voters on the bloggers and opinionated news outlets. "The danger of shunning the traditional news media can cause the misguided news analysis and failure to get to the bottom of the truth. Voter's awareness of the issues that are dear to them may be clouded by the biased analysis from the modern news sources", he said. This session was moderated by Mr. William Beaman, Editor-in-Chief, Campaigns & Elections POLITICS.

During the lunch, the founder and the current President of AACR, Dr. Joy Cherian recognized the contribution of Dr. Michael Schneider, Mr. Chad Tragakis, and Ms. Pavlina Majorosova

Joseph Melookaran, former Commissioner of President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and AACR Advisory Board Member, moderated the third and final session. The participants included Dr. Piyush Agrawal, National Coordinator of GOPIO (Global Organization of People of Indian Origin) Parag Mehta, Director of Training, Democratic National Committee, Rich Beason, Political Director of Republican National Committee, Laureen Laglagaron, Policy Analyst, The National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Cesar Moreno, Executive Director, National Hispanic Leadership Institute, Alicia Menendez, Political Director of Training, Rock the Vote and well recognized media figure Jane Hall, Associate Professor at the American University. The discussion centered on the increasing voter participation by immigrant voters and young voters. All panelists recognized the positive effect of the current election cycle in the enhanced excitement and need for more outreach using innovative mediums. The panelists agreed that the traditional influence of news media is weakening and new mediums like blogging, text messaging and celebrity centered events are getting more traction.

Dr. Piyush Agrawal highlighted the roles played by the Indian American organizations in bringing the Indian Americans to the mainstream political process. "The law-abiding Asian Indians who are committed to playing by the book have carried this torch of civic responsibility in voting in the democratic society like ours in an honorable and productive manner" Dr. Agrawal said. He listed accomplishments from the first Indian American Congressman Dilip Singh Saund to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Satveer Chaudhury (MN), Kumar Barve (MD), Upendra Chivukula (NJ), Swati Dandekar (IA), Nikki Haley (SC), Raj Goyle (KS), and Jay Goyal (OH) in between as the testimony of the steadily progressing political participation. The panel opined that:

Concluding this most lively discussion Joseph Melookaran acknowledged that the rate of increase in the voter participation from immigrant voters does not match up with the fast increase in their respective population. Actual voting percentages in Asian and Latino communities are lagging behind the majority community and African Americans. 'Last election cycle over one million more Latino voters could have voted and over half million Asian Americans could have voted" he said.

MOIA ANNOUNCES KNOW INDIA PROGRAM

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has announced their next series of Know India Programme. The following is the schedule proposed for the next three Know India Programme (KIPs) to be organized by this Ministry:

1.          Tentative Programme

9th KIP, August - September 08 in partership with Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, Dearline to apply - 30th June 2008
10th KIP, December 08 - January 09 in partnership with Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, 30th Sept. 2008
11th KIP, March 2009 in partnership with Punjab and Orissa, 31st December 2008

2.         Duration of each of these programmes would be 3 weeks. Exact dates would be conveyed on receipt of confirmation from respective State Governments.

3.         The participants are provided local hospitality e.g. boarding/lodging in State guest houses or budget hotels, per diem allowance of Rs. 100/- for out-of-pocket expenses, internal travel. They may be granted gratis visa by our Missions/Posts. After their participation in the Programme, one way economy class international airfare from their respective country to India is reimbursable to them by our Missions/Posts.

4.         The content of the programme may include the following:
         (a)           Visit and stay at a University/College/Institute.
            (b)        Activities related to youth to be organized by NYKS.
            (c)        Visit to Industries.
            (d)        Visit to a village
            (e)        Exposure to Indian media and Film Industry.
            (f)         Presentations on the country, the constitution, political process etc.
            (g)        Interaction with NGOs and/or organizations dealing with women affairs.
            (h)        Calls on high dignitaries, which may include President, Ministers of OIA, Youth Affairs and Sports, Women and Child Development.
            (i)         Visit to places of historical importance/Monuments.
            (j)         Cultural events.

5.         Broad guidelines to be followed while making nominations for KIPs are as under:

      (i)   The Programme is open to youth of Indian Origin (excluding NRIs) in the age group of 18-26 years as on             the first day of the month in which the programme is expected to start. We expect a fair mix of males and females.
      (ii)   The total number of participants in any of the Programme may not exceed 40.
(iii)  The candidates should either be studying in the under-graduate level or should have completed under-graduation or equivalent.
      (iv) They should be able to converse in English. [They should have studied English as a subject at the High School level or should have English as a medium of instruction for under-graduate course]
      (v)  They should have distinguished themselves in a particular field and should have abiding interest in India.
      (vi) They should not have participated in any previous Know India Programme or Internship Programme for Diaspora Youth.

6.         Selected applicants are required to abide by the regulations of the Know India Programme as conveyed to them by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs or an agency nominated by it for the conduct of the Programme. They are required to offer their full cooperation in its smooth conduct, and they are not expected to leave the Programme mid-way.

7.         In case a participant is found guilty of any misconduct or indiscipline during the course of the Programme, he or she would not be allowed any further participation in the Programme. Such participants would not be eligible for reimbursement of the one way international airfare from their country of residence to India. The one way international airfare from his/her country of residence to India would also not be reimbursable to a participant, if he/she leaves the Programme mid-way.

8.         Complete application for the programme is to be submitted in the prescribed application form to the Indian Diplomatic Mission/Consular Post that covers the area of residence of the applicant along with photographs. Incomplete and unsigned applications, or forms not accompanied with photographs would be summarily rejected.

9.         Details of the Programme would also be posted on the website http://knowindiaprogram.com/ or contact the Education Wing of Indian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate.

Since nominations are likely to be received from several countries and slots for the Program are limited, it may not be possible to accommodate all the nominations. Therefore, Consulate will not make any commitment to the applicants at this stage until they are finally selected by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, New Delhi.

For further information, applicants may visit the website http://knowindiaprogramme.com or write to Director (DS-1)/Under Secretary (DS-II), MOIA, directly at e-mails: dirss@moia.nic.in/ usds2@moia.

Candidates interested in participating in the Know India Program may download the application form from the above website and fill it in and submit it to the nearest Indian Consulate for processing.

VAISAKHI CELEBRATED AT NSW PARLIAMENT IN AUSTRALIA

Vaisakhi is an important day in Sikh Calendar being Birthday of Sikh Community. Tenth Master Guru Gobind Singh established order of Khalsa (the pure) in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab India, by baptizing Panj Piara (the beloved ones) over 200 years after the origin of Sikh Faith by First Master Guru Nanak in 1469. Men were given the name as Singh (the lion) and women as Kaur (the princess).

Vaisakhi is also a great cultural festival celebrated in Northern India- when wheat crop is ready for harvest. Farmers dress up in bright colorful dresses and dance with the beat of drum. Sikhs celebrate this day by special prayers in Sikh Centres and organize cultural and sports festivals to mark the occasion.

Punjabi Council of Australia celebrated Vaisaki at the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament on May 8th afternoon at the historic Jubilee Hall of the Parliament and were entertained by melodious Sitaar- Vaadan & Tabla by Bhai Rashpal Singh & Pandit Ram Chander Suman. The program officially began at about 4.50PM with traditional Shabad Singing followed by National Anthem Australia and India by North Shore Sikh Youth Choir, Turramurra.

Punjabi Council of Australia Coordinator Dr Moninder Singh welcomed the dignitaries numbering over 200 including Hon. John Aquillina Leader of the House NSW Parliament, many Hon. State MPs, Dr Stepan Kerkyasharian Chairperson Community Relations Commission, Mr Sujan Chinoy CG Indian Consulate Sydney, Mr Inder Singh, President GOPIO USA, Mr SK Sharma IG Punjab Police & President Punjab Golf Association India, Mr Raj Natarajan President UIA, Mr Gambhir Watts President Bharti Vidya Bhawan, Mr Ejaz Khan President Pakistani Association, Mr Gajinder Kumar Director India Tourism Sydney. Mr Narsimhan SP, Director Lotus Forex, Ms Gemma Kingsford-Smith Rep Western Union, Representatives from Sikh Centres Parklea, Austral, Revesby, Penrith, Turramurra, all Cultural Associations, Sports Clubs, Media Representatives Mr SP Singh Masala Newsline, Navneet Anand Fiji Times, Amarjeet Khela Ajit Daily, Rajwant Singh Punjab Express, Sham Kumar and Harjeet Singh from Punjabi Radio, and Sponsors Mr Avtar Singh from Billu's Eatry & Mr Ramesh Sharma from Taj Indian Restaurant Harris Park and Mr KS Bajwa from Austech Institute.
Punjabi Council of Australia also honored distinguished personalities from the community with Pride of Punjabi's Awards for their services to the community. The recipients are as follows:

Mr. Sandeep Kumar from Melbourne who is a well known Kabaddi player and will be the first person of Indian Origin to represent Australia at Olympics as part of Australian Wrestling Team was presented Gama Pehlwan Memorial Sports Award by Leader of the House Hon John Aquiliana MP. Earlier also Sandeep had took part at Baku World Championship in 2007 as member of Australian team. Besides Sandeep, Kabaddi Team of Dashmesh Sports Club Sydney (also known as Parklea team) who has won Annual Sikh Games championship four times in a row was presented Special Achievement Award by Hon Minister Barbara Perry MP who was representing the Premier Morris Iemma at the function.

Mr Naseeb Singh Grewal from Woolgoolga who is a Member of 22nd Annual Sikh Games Woolgoolga (Coffs Harbour) Organising Committee 2009, a known banana grower, Director Woolgoolga Neighbourhood Centre, member Sikh Temple Woolgoolga and a well known community worker was presented Bhagat Puran Singh Community Service Award by Hon Andrew Fraser MP Member for Coffs Harbour. Mr Grewal is near 80 and his father and grand father also lived in Australia which testifies that history of Sikh migrants in Australia is as old as white settlers.

Well known media personality Mrs Harjeet Kaur Randhawa who has made exceptional contribution as Punjabi presenter at SBS Radio continuously for 15 years was awarded Surinder Kaur Memorial Cultural Award by Hon Wayne Merton MP who was Representing Leader of Opposition Hon Barry O'Farrell.

Mr Ajit Singh Rahi from Griffith who is a well known Punjabi Writer who has written several Poetry books, Novels and Story books was presented Surinder Singh Narula Memorial Literature Award by Hon Adrian Piccoli MP Member for Murrumbidgee. His latest Book Satluj Gavvah Hai about the life of great revolutionary Bhagat Singh was also released by Mr Sujan Chinoy CG Indian Consulate Sydney and other dignitaries.
The celebration also included Bhangra by students of Kamaljit Walia. At the end Certificates of Appreciation participants and sponsors were presented by Hon Minister Paul Lynch MP. Mandhir Singh Sandha was Master of Ceremonies and Prabhjot Sandhu proposed vote of thanks.

GOPIO INTERNATIONAL AND CHAPTER NEWS

GOPIO UPPER NEW YORK CHAPTER INAUGURATED ON MAY 10, 2008

The newly established GOPIO of Upper New York Chapter was formally inaugurated at a prominent and well attended dinner event held on the evening of Saturday, May 10th, 2008 at the Elegant Rose Hall in the Bronx, New York. The inauguration occasion was also used by GOPIO of Upper New York Chapter as a commemoration of 170th Anniversary of Indian Arrival Day in Guyana.

GOPIO of Upper New York chapter officers were introduced: Satruhan Sukdeo, President; Netram Rambudhan, Vice President; Rodney Gocool, Secretary; Premnauth Singh, Treasurer; Lloyd Lochan, Director; and Ramesh Budhram, Director. GOPIO of Upper New York chapter president Satruhan Sukdeo chaired the proceedings.

"Remembering Our Forefathers" was an expression of honored tribute and gratitude to those who made the first journey as indentured laborers from India to British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1838 aboard the Hesperus and Whitby. Ashook Ramsaran, Secretary General of GOPIO International, congratulated the chapter executives and membership on the inauguration of the chapter, conveyed greetings from GOPIO International Secretariat and "warmly welcomed the GOPIO of Upper New York chapter into the GOPIO family", pledged the support and guidance of GOPIO International and extended wishes for much success to the chapter's effort at outreach and community activities.

Prominent Guyanese born historian Dr. Basdeo Mangru, author of several books on indentureship and its role in Guyana's history, was the keynote speaker. He spoke about Rev. C. F. Andrews who generated "the indentureship report" which described the harsh conditions endured by the indentured laborers and the situation of Indian workers on the sugar plantations of Guyana. In his presentation, Dr. Mangru discussed housing, education, Indian marriages and other social problems faced by the Indian Community at that time. Dr. Mangru plans to publish a book based on the "the indentureship report" by Rev. Andrews.

After flowers were presented to all mothers in honor of Mother's Day the following day, Swami Sri Nithya Bhaktananda Swamy of the Nithyananda Center of Richmond Hill offered a prayer and discussed aspects of Indian culture and spirituality.

The planned community based activities that were announced are very promising and indicate the determination of GOPIO of Upper New York Chapter in addressing issues of interest and concern of the Indian community in that area. These include seminars on health issues and investments. GOPIO of Upper New York Chapter Is also organizing a golf outing on June 11, 2008 at the Dunwoodie Golf Course, Wasylenke Lane, Yonkers, New York (Tel: 914-231-3490). The theme will be "Remembering Sewsankar 'Papwa' Seegolum" and proceeds will be used for funding GOPIO of Upper New York Chapter community activities.

For more information on GOPIO of Upper New York Chapter, contact: Satruhan Sukdeo at E-mail: satsukdeo@aol.com

GOPIO CONDEMNS THE BOMBINGS IN JAIPUR

In a press statement issued on May 13, 2008, GOPIO condemned the bombings that took place on May 13 in Jaipur. The statement read as follows:

The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) expresses strong and unequivocal condemnation of the bomb blasts on May 13 in Jaipur that killed at least 60 innocent people and left many more injured. GOPIO considers this brutal and despicable act as unforgivable and unjustified criminal action directed to create fear among those who live peacefully and those who visit Jaipur.

"This is indeed a heinous act against humanity. GOPIO condemns this brutal and savage attack perpetrated against innocent citizens. We share the pain and anguish of our brethren and sisters in India, and extend our condolences to the families of the victims and offer prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured," said Inder Singh, President of GOPIO International.

GOPIO President of India K. N. Gupta states that, "we express the highest level of condemnation for this criminal act and implore the Government of India to take all necessary and expeditious steps to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent this brutality against innocent people in the future."

"We all grieve that such an inhumane and uncivilized crime has been perpetrated against innocent people in the land of our birth and forbears, a land where freedom has in itself been savagely wounded by the criminals", said Dr Thomas Abraham, Chairman of GOPIO International.

GOPIO expresses deep and abiding concern for the victims of this national tragedy, their families, friends and associates. It is indeed a time of deep sorrow for India, a very nervous time for the people of Jaipur and citizens of India in general. "We are very confident that the people of India will survive this disaster and will retain courage, sense of dignity, pride, their values and their freedom. There is no doubt that a resilient nation as India, will overcome this brutal and senseless attack," said Ashook Ramsaran, Secretary General of GOPIO.

GOPIO T&T CELEBRATES INDIAN ARRIVAL DAY WITH SEMINAR AND AWARDS CEREMONY

GOPIO Trinidad & Tobago, a Chapter of GOPIO International, commemorated the 163rd Anniversary of the arrival of Indentured Indian Immigrants to Trinidad & Tobago with the Indian Arrival Day Seminar and Awards Ceremony on Saturday May 10th, from 3 to 7pm, at Divali Nagar, Chaguanas. The Seminar and Awards Ceremony were free admission and open to all with refreshments served. Four hours of LIVE COVERAGE on RADIO SHAKTI 97.5fm, from 3 to 7pm and was broadcast four hours of INTERNET STREAMING AUDIO on http://www.hotlikepepperradio.com/cms

The program was opened by India's High Commissioner to Trinidad & Tobago, Shri Jagjit Singh Sapra, followed by the welcome remarks of Deosaran Bisnath, President of GOPIO Trinidad & Tobago Chapter. Speakers include: Ms. Hulsie Bhaggan (Alcoholism, the Disease of Addiction); Professor Ronald Marshall (Alcoholism in a Multi-Ethnic Setting); Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh (Alcoholism - medium for the Message); Dr. Raymond Ramcharitar (Indians & Democracy); Mr. Geoffrey Da Silva (Guyana - Diaspora Trade & Business); Mr Yash Pal Motwani, Second Secretary of India's High Commission to Trinidad (India - Diaspora Trade & Business); Mr Vinod Mooneram, Hon Consul of Mauritius (Mauritius -- Diaspora Trade & Business); Suriname Ambsaador Fidella Graande-Galon (Suriname -- Diaspora Trade & Business); Ms Kavita Vidya Ganness (Poetry: Children of India).

Recognition awards were presented to: Mr. Kamaluddin Mohammed; Mr. Ajeet Praimsingh; Professor Kenneth Ramchand; and Pandit Hari Prasad (posthumous).

GOPIO INITIATES TWO NEW CHAPTERS IN NEW ZEALAND

During the recent visit by GOPIO International president Inder Singh to Australia and New Zealand, GOPIO New Zealand Coordinator Jeet Suchdev organized a community leaders' meeting which was addressed by GOPIO President who encouraged them to become part of GOPIO family.

Harish Bajaj, another community leader organized luncheon reception for the visiting GOPIO officials. The luncheon meeting was attended by over sixty prominent people including Australian Member of Parliament and Chairperson of India Trade Group Richard Worth, Minister of Ethnic Affairs Chris Carter, District Judge Ajit Singh, GOPIO Pacific Regional Coordinator Noel Lal, GOPIO's North American Region Vice President Dr. Piyush Agrawal and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, a National Party candidate for the forthcoming election who is also the Deputy Chief Executive of India Trade Group. Many members attending the luncheon meeting expressed desire to open GOPIO chapters in Auckland and other parts of New Zealand.

GOPIO has initiated GOPIO Waikato under the leadership of Suman Kapoor and GOPIO Botany Downs, Auckland under the leadership of Rakesh Gupta.

NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

DUTCH NAMED KNIGHT IN THE NETHERLANDS

Recently Mrs. Henna Mathura-Dewkinandan '(aged 57) was awarded with the knighthood of the Order of Orange-Nassau. She received this order for her extensive volunteer work. For more than twenty years Mrs. Mathura has been active in the afterschool support of Hindustani parents to help them with their social problems. She is the president of the Sarita foundation for 14 years and organizes various activities. Her main goal is to promote diversity in higher positions and to create more opportunities of day care centers so that women have a better chance to develop themselves. For the elderly people she has been active as the secretary of the Hindu Elderly People's Association.

In the 90's, Henna Mathura was famous for presenting a bilingual radio programme in which she treated topics such as domestic violence and parasuicide with the objective to move these issues out of the taboo sphere.

Currently Mrs Mathura is active at the Melania foundation, an international project for and by women in developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America. Apart from all her voluntary work, Henna is employed as a teacher and education project leader at the ROC Mondriaan.

SAMEER MISHRA WINS 2008 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE CONTEST

Thirteen-year-old boy of Indian-origin, Sameer Mishra, won the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee contest, beating 288 children in the 8 to 15 age group. The 81st spelling bee competition was aired on the ABC television station on Friday May 30th. The magic word was "Guerdon", which means victory. The eight grader asked the judge for the definition of the word, and then confidently spelled it out correctly to the thunderous applause from the audience.

It was a shining moment for Mishra, whose fourth time for the championship was the charm. He carted off not only the engraved trophy, but also $30,00 in cash and $2,500 worth of US savings bonds from Merriam-Webster with a complete reference library. He was trained by his elder sister Shruti, who herself is a spelling enthusiast. Mishra, from West Lafayette, Indiana, had his parents and sister stood proudly behind him as he was awarded the coveted trophy Friday night.

The second place went another Indian-American 12-year-old Sidharth Chand, a seventh grade student. A total of four Indian-Americans were were among the last 12 who qualified for the final. Kavya Shivashankar, the favorite to win, was tied in the fourth place with four others. Janhnavi Iyer was in the 8th place. Mishra is a computer and video games enthusiast. He aspires to be a neurosurgeon when he grows up. In 2005, he competed and was placed in the 98th position. In 2006, he was at 14th place and last year he came in at the number 16th. The youngest to qualify to participate in the champions was 8-year-old Indian-American Sriram Hathwar.
(Reported By Bina Mahabir)

11-YEAR-OLD WINS 2008 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE CONTEST

Eleven-year-old Akshay Rajagopal won the 2008 National Geographic Bee contest over a total of ten contestants who came from across the country. Students from fifth to eighth grades, age ranging from 10 to 14 years, competed in the contest. The Bee contest was held in Washington D.C. and was organized by the National Geographic Society. Nearly five million students take part in the National Geographic Bee contest each year.

Akshay, a sixth grader, took home $25,000 in college scholarship and a life time membership of the National Geographic. He attends Lux Middle School in Lincoln, Nebraska. The final question which cinched Akshay's victory was: The urban area of Cochabamba has been in the news in recent years due to protests over the privatization of the municipality water supply and regional autonomy issues. Cochabamba is the third largest conurbation in what country? Answer: Bolivia.

Akshay, who likes Science and Math and whose hobby includes collecting coins, is considering a career in cartographer, but he has enough time to think about that. For now, he enjoys studying the globe.

He said, "I get to learn about the world and how it works, which is cool." This was the 20th year for this contest which is moderated by "Jeopardy" host, Alex Trebek.
(Reported By Bina Mahabir)

FIVE INDIAN AMERICAN STUDENTS SELECTED AS PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS

Five Indian Americans are among 139 outstanding high school seniors selected as the 2008 prestigious Presidential Scholars for demonstrating academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership and contribution to school and community. They will be honored in Washington DC from June 23 to 27.

Announcing the awards, US Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said the scholars represent the great gift "we have in our nation's youth. Their academic achievement and their spirit of leadership and service will ensure their success in the 21st century knowledge economy.

The 139 Presidential Scholars include one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico , and from US families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts. A 29-member Commission on Presidential Scholars appointed by President George W Bush selected the scholars based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.

This years Indian American scholars are as follows: Ravi N. Shankar, Trinity Preparatory School, Winter Park, Florida; Pranoti Hiremath, Ishna A. Sharma, Roswell High School, Roswell, New Mexico; Mythili K. Iyer, Lawrenceville High School, Kendal Park, New Jersey ; Ruchir F. Shah, Barrington High School. Barrington, Rhode Island and Anisha Gulabani, Eastlake High School, Sammamish, Washington.

The Washington DC program to honor the 2008 Presidential Scholar is hosted by the Presidential Scholars Association.

VENTURE STRATEGIST JOHN KAPOOR DONATES MILLIONS TO UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO

Venture strategist and scientist John N. Kapoor-founder, chairman and CEO of E.J. Financial Enterprises, Inc.-has given $5 million to University Buffalo and recently he increased that sum to $10.8 million.

Kapoor's generosity will help strengthen the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences' research core, provide resources to create a state-of-the-art instrumentation center and fortify the pharmaceutical-science faculty. The gift is considered a leadership gift in UB's $250 million campaign-the university's first national-international campaign, the first university-wide campaign and the first to be alumni-driven, with campaign volunteer leaders from all over the country. It is the largest gift ever given to the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Born in 1943 in India, Kapoor received his undergraduate degree in pharmacy from Bombay University and dreamed of coming to the United States for graduate work. Financial support from UB enabled him to earn his doctorate from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1972.

Kapoor began his corporate career on Grand Island as general manager for Lyphomed, a unit of Stone Container Corp. He was named president of the division in 1980, and in 1981 he bought the company for $2.7 million-becoming chairman, president and CEO, and renaming the firm Lyphomed Inc. During his years managing Lyphomed, Kapoor increased sales to $172 million from $4 million. He sold Lyphomed and used $40 million of the profits to form E.J. Financial Enterprises Inc., which invests in health-care startups.

E.J. Financial Enterprises is invested in at least two dozen companies whose products range from opthalmics to experimental gene therapies for cancer and AIDS. Among these are Option Care Inc., the nation's largest publicly traded franchiser of home health-care and drug-therapy services; Structural Bioinformatics Inc., which uses gene-sequence data for drug discovery and design process, and Tech India Ventures Inc., in India, a pharmaceutical marketing and distribution company.

Kapoor also is a partner in the Texas Biomedical Development Partners (TBDP), formed to provide funding and commercialization resources for selected biomedical technologies within the University of Texas System.

In 1987, he established the John Kapoor Graduate Fellowship in Medicinal Chemistry Fund in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and received the UB Distinguished Alumnus Award. He was awarded a SUNY honorary doctorate in science during UB's commencement last May.

TWELVE INDIAN AMERICAN STUDENTS WIN GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIPS

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation has awarded 321 scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year to undergraduate sophomores and juniors from the US. The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,035 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. One hundred eighty-nine of the Scholars are men, 132 are women, and virtually all intend to obtain a Ph.D. as their degree objective. Thirty-three Scholars are mathematics majors, 227 are science and related majors, 52 are majoring in engineering, and 9 are computer science majors. Many of the Scholars have dual majors in a variety of mathematics, science, engineering, and computer disciplines.

The one and two year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

Goldwater scholarships have been a stepping stone to the most prestigious fellowships in the country. Golddwater scholars have gone on to claim Rhodes scholarships, Marshall awards and National Institute of Health fellowships.

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on November 14, 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

In its twenty-year history, the Foundation has awarded 5,523 scholarships worth approximately fifty-four million dollars. The Trustees plan to award about three hundred scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year.

This year's Indian American recipients are: Vikram Agarwal, University of Texas at Austin; Rajeev Anchan, Creighton University; Prabir Singh Grewal, Cornell University; Neil Bharat Patel, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD; Vinay Ramsesh, University of North Texas; Ritika Samant, University of Delaware; Aakash Kaushik Shah, Ursinus College; Shrenik Nitin Shah, Harvard University; Aarti Sharma, University of Illinois at Chicago; Arunan Skandarajah, Vanderbilt University; Swarup Sai Swaminathan, Columbia University and Pratik Talati, University of Alabama-Birmingham.

INTEL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AWARD GOES TO INDIAN AMERICAN STUDENT SANA RAOOF

The Intel Foundation today announced top winners of the world's largest pre-college science fair, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair presented by Agilent Technologies. Natalie Saranga Omattage of Cleveland, Miss., Sana Raoof of Muttontown, New York and Yi-Han Su of Chinese Taipei were selected from more than 1,550 young scientists from 51 countries, regions and territories for their commitment to innovation and science.

Raoof's research provided new insight into how a better understanding of mathematical knot theory could help resolve classic biochemical problems. Specifically, her work focused on the Alexander-Conway polynomial invariant for chord diagrams to help prove how to classify molecules on a structural basis.

In addition to the three $50,000 Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award winners, more than 500 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair participants received Scholarships and prizes for their groundbreaking work. Intel awards included 18 "Best of Category" winners who each received a $5,000 Intel scholarship and a new laptop featuring the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor.

IBM RECOGNIZES FOUR INDIAN AMERICAN PROFESSORS WITH FACULTY AWARDS

The following Indian American professors have received the coveted IBM faculty awards.

Dr. Amar Gupta, Thomas R Brown Chair in Management and Technology at the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management. Prof. Gupta is receiving this award for the second year in a row.
Dr. Supriyo Datta, Thomas Duncan Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University;
Dr. Ravishankar K Iyer, director of the Coordinated Science Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he is a George and Ann Fisher Distinguished Professor of Engineering;
Dr. Charanjit Bhatia, Temasek Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore

NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs AND PIOs AROUND THE WORLD

AIR INDIA OFFERS $549 ROUND TRIP TICKET FROM NEW YORK TO INDIA

For North American residents, Air India has offered a Special Economy Class fares of $549 to $808 from New York's JFK International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport for selected dates (excludes June 13 to July 13) from June 1st to October 31st. Departure taxes airport security and other fees, and fuel surcharges (ranging from approx. $411 to 511) not included. Sale ends June 20th. Call Air India at 800-223-7776 or visit www.airindia.in

AUSTRALIAN INDIAN DR. BANDYOPADHYA HELPS TO FORGE UNSW AND INDIA NANOTECHNOLOGY COOPERATION

UNSW's Faculty of Science will team with Indian counterparts in two major research projects in the field of nanotechnology, following a funding announcement by the Federal Government.

The projects are part of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund's $7 million collaborative science initiative, announced by Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr.

The Australia-India Strategic Research Fund is Australia's largest bilateral research fund, providing $20 million over five years for collaborative research projects.
The Fund aims to facilitate and support science and technology research cooperation between the two countries.

A team led by Dr Sri Bandyopadhyay from the School of Material Sciences and Engineering, will receive $1.55 million to research a wide range of cutting edge applications for nanomaterials converted into nancomposites in the fields of electronics, coatings, fuel cells and clean energy.

He will work alongside Professor Martin Green from the Centre of Excellence in Advanced Silicon Photovoltaics and Photonics, the School of Materials Science and Engineering's Professor Aibing Yu and colleagues from the University of Queensland, ANU and Flinders University.

The project is one of only two to receive "top-down" funding. India considers UNSW a world leader in nanotechnology and its applications in solar cell and clean energy.

A second project led by Nagarajan Valanoor, also from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, will receive more than $320,000 to look at hybrid magnetoelectric nanostructures and how to optimise their performance.

The announcement follows a visit to UNSW in January of a high-level Indian delegation led by the Science and Technology Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal.

Earlier, a team led by Dr Sri Bandyopadhyay from the School of Material Sciences and Engineering, of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia will receive $1.55 million, from the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund, to research a wide range of cutting edge applications for nanomaterials converted into nancomposites in the fields of electronics, coatings, fuel cells and clean energy.

AISRF is Australia's largest bilateral research fund, providing $20 million over five years for collaborative research projects.

Contact: Prof. Dr Sri Bandyopadhyay, E-mail: singingprofessor@hotmail.com

GULF MALAYALEES' RIGHTS VIOLATED

Kerala's Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran has said that many Malayalis working in Gulf countries were victims of serious human rights violation by their employers. Releasing the Amnesty International's annual report here on Wednesday, the Revenue Minister said he had personally seen the inhuman conditions in which many Malayali emigrant workers lived in various Gulf countries while on a visit as part of a quasi-official delegation from Kerala. They had to work in blistering hot sun and spend the nights in small and overcrowded rooms only to return to work early every morning, he said.

The situation was worse in the jails where 80 per cent of the inmates were persons who had landed there for no fault of theirs. On a personal interaction with inmates in some jails, facilitated by the country governments, he had found that many of them had been duped by persons promising them jobs and other benefits. He had also seen groups of persons in all these countries ready to offer all possible assistance to their unfortunate fellow men and women.

The work of organisations such as Amnesty International had great relevance because the world over the state itself was proving to be a violator of human rights. Such rights violations were both organised and dispersed and called for greater awareness among the people about their rights and ways to resist violations.

Although there was no mention of any specific instance of human rights violation from Kerala in the 2008 Amnesty International report, the State was not immune from the problem.

Kerala had lofty political cultural tradition, mechanisms to fight rights violations and sufficient laws, but there have been several instances of human rights violations in the State as well. Of particular importance was the violation of the rights of children and women. This trend can be reversed only by mobilising public opinion. Non-governmental organisations have a major role to play here, Mr. Rajendran said.

Amnesty International Kerala coordinator P. J. Josy chaired the meeting. K. C. Sunny, Head, Department of Law, Kerala University, received the report. P. Jayasree welcomed the gathering.

SURINAME CONFERENCE ON DEVELOPMENT OF EAST INDIANS IN CARIBBEAN

A conference on "The Development of the East Indians in the Caribbean", organized by Leo Club Campus and supported by OHM, was held at the IGSR Building (Staatsoliegebouw), University of Suriname on Saturday, 24 May 2008. The conference commemorated the 135th anniversary of the first arrivals of Indians as indentured laborers from India to Suriname.

The conference was opened by H. E. Hon. S. Sardjoe, the Acting President of Suriname. The Key Note Speech on Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean was delivered by Prof. Brindsley Samaroo of Trinidad. Other speakers included: Prof Tota Mangar of University of Guyana (Historical Perspective and Guyana: Social & Economic Development); Hon. Maurits S. Hassankhan (Suriname Historical Perspective); Dr Sham Binda (Suriname Social & Economical Development); Prof. Brindsley Samaroo (Trinidad Historical Perspective); Dr. Suredj Mangroo (Trinidad Social & Economical Development). Closing remarks were made by Suriname's Minister of Education.

GOPIO's Regional Caribbean Vice President Amb Krishna Nandoe Nandoe spoke of the participation of others from the Caribbean region saying "Their contribution today to this seminar is a demonstration of friendship, good will understanding and South - South cooperation". He concluded with the hope "that this seminar will contribute in strengthening the fundamentals of a just society, a society that places integrity, fraternity and social justice at the heart of its existence".
(Reported By Krishna Nandoe)

ISSUE OF PROFESSIONAL LICENSING FOR NRIs AND PIOs IN INDIA

Letter from: Dr. Rita Sikka, New Delhi, India

I am writing to GOPIO in hopes of drawing awareness to the trials and tribulations of Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), who have moved back to India to make it their permanent home. I am a trained and qualified dentist, registered and licensed to practice in Canada. I hold a Canadian passport as well as an Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) registration card. I moved to New Delhi, India to make it my permanent home, following my marriage to an Indian Citizen in June 2005.

I have been fighting a long drawn and exhaustive battle, in and out of court, to obtain my registration and license to practice dentistry in India since September 2005. It started with my initial approach to the Dental Council of India for recognition of my degree. Following a detailed review of my documents and credentials as well as details of the degree program offered at the University of British Columbia (including admission, academic, clinical, and evaluation requirements), the DCI put forth a recommendation to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MH&FW), in favor of recognition of my degree as equivalent to a BDS degree from any University in India. However, the MH&FW declined the recommendation stating that registration as a dentist may only be granted to an Indian Citizen as per the Dentist Act 1948, and since I am only an Overseas Citizen of India, I do not qualify. In response to this decision by the MH&FW, I sent repeated correspondence to them to clarify the fact that the definition of an Indian Citizen has evolved greatly since 1948; that following the 2003 Amendment to the Citizenship Act, the definition of an Indian Citizen now includes the wider pool of Overseas Citizens of India, as well; that in view of new Acts of Parliament coming into effect, old and outdated Acts become obsolete and should be rendered ineffective. A prime example is the recent judgment passed by the Supreme Court in reference to the Rent Agreement Act .The court ruled that in view of changing times and present circumstances, the original Rent Agreement Act from the 50's is no longer relevant or applicable and, therefore, should be considered invalid.

However, despite my repeated efforts, I did not receive any response from the MH&FW. Feeling sidetracked, I decided to file a writ petition in the Delhi High Court to fight for what I thought was my right as an OCI. That petition has been dragging out in court for the last two years. The three ministries involved viz. MH&FW, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) have neither denied me my registration, nor are they willing to grant it to me. The MOIA states that it needs clearance from MHA and MH&FW; MH&FW states that it has no objection to OCI doctors working here but will only grant registration after it has amended the Dental Act 1948; MHA states that OCI professionals working in India can be a security threat or can commit a criminal offence and escape any legal consequences. The three Ministries have been requesting repeated extensions in court under the pretext that Governmental policies and proceedings require time.

The facts in this matter are as follows:

1)       The OCI Scheme came into effect in the year 2003 following an amendment to the Citizenship Act 1955 (viz. Citizenship Amendment Act 2003). As per Section 7B(1) of this Act "Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, an overseas citizen of India shall be entitled to such rights as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf." This Act also empowers the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) to notify the benefits to be enjoyed by Overseas Citizens of India (the MOIA does not require approval from any other ministry, as it so claims)
2)       The MOIA has been spending huge amount of money in organizing the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas every year since 2003 in order to increase awareness of the Indian Diaspora to the benefits of the OCI scheme and to draw their investments into India. Our respected President, Prime Minister and Minister of MOIA have been making repeated claims and promises of parity between NRIs and OCIs, and unobstructed right to employment for OCIs in the private sector. We (OCIs) are not required to register with FRRO or to obtain a separate work visa for employment in India.
3)       The security concerns raised by the MHA are also unsubstantiated as there are thousands of foreigners residing and working in India. They drive with international driving licenses and operate commercial vehicles and aircrafts. Any one of them could easily get into an accident causing injury to an Indian citizen, and potentially flee the country. In the absence of any extradition treaty with their respective countries of citizenship, the Indian Government cannot try them in a court of law. However, this concern has not caused the MHA to ban foreigners from entering India, or gaining employment here.
4)       A meeting of Committee of Secretaries was held on January 13th, 2007, to address the various issues raised by the various Ministries in relation to the notification of benefits to OCIs, particularly OCI professionals viz. doctors, lawyers, architects, chartered accountants, etc. After detailed discussions, the Committee arrived at the following decisions:

i)                     MH&FW would issue necessary notification allowing OCI dentists/nurses to register under the Indian Dental Act and the Indian Nursing Act, and the right to practice in India thereafter.
ii)                   MOIA would consult D/o Legal Affairs and formulate a procedure by which the obligations of the OCIs can be legally enforced by the Government taking into account the issues raised by MHA/DIB (Department of Intelligence Bureau).
iii)                  MOIA would prepare a note for the Cabinet wherein a proposal for giving all the rights exercised by the NRIs to the OCIs will be made with a provision that the exceptions would be notified by the MOIA separately based on national interest, security, strategic considerations in consultation with the MHA and other concerned Departments.
5)       It is now 2008, five years after the OCI Scheme was implemented and over a year after the Committee of Secretaries gave their decision favoring OCI doctors working in India. The Central Government, under section 7B(1), has yet to notify rights/benefits to be granted to OCIs.

At my last Court hearing on April 8th, the Judge claimed with vindication that "Rita Sikka is not an Overseas, Citizens of India, but is actually an "Overseas Citizens, of Indian origin". As such, he said: "She is a Canadian citizen. She should pack up her bags, go back to Canada and try to earn a living there. If she does not get employment there, she can live off of welfare that the Canadian Government provides for its citizens." When Honorable Judges, who have been entrusted with upholding the law of the country, start to voice such biased and discriminatory, not to mention derogatory and humiliating, opinions in a public court of law, then what can one expect from the people and Government of that Country. In the past three years of dealing with various Government Departments and Red Tape Bureaucracy in trying to get my registration, I have had many disappointing moments. However, hearing a Judge of an Indian High Court speak of OCIs in such a manner was the most heart shattering experience of them all. I felt as if my heart has sunk down to the floor.

I request my brothers and sisters, OCIs like myself, to raise a voice in demand for Rights and Benefits that are duly ours. There are several OCI doctors who are in the same boat as me, and thousands of OCI doctors who are waiting to come back to their homeland in hopes of reestablishing themselves and their families here. I request them all to be aggressive and play a proactive role in trying to push for Notification of Policies, Rights, and Benefits for OCIs, which in turn will determine the success of our futures in India. Pressure on the Indian Government from Overseas Organizations like yours, who have been established to uphold the professional rights of NRIs/OCIs, should have a much greater impact than a single OCI doctor (like myself) fighting the entire system from within the country.

(Note from the editor: NRIs and PIOs in similar situation are requested to contact GOPIO President Inder Singh at gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net. GOPIO News also welcomes response from NRIs/PIOs on similar issues. Please send it in to gopio@optonline.net).

GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION

GOPIO Individual Life membership is open to all who believe in the mission of GOPIO. The one- time fee is $5,000 for Platinum Life Membership, $2,500 for Gold Life Membership and $1,500 Silver Life Membership and half the amount for each category for those from developing countries and India.

) and get details of chapter initiation (visit http://www.gopio.net/chapter_initiative.htm). Process involves sending a letter of intent to start a chapter by a committee of five people or more. For more information, contact:

GOPIO President - Inder Singh, Tarzana, California, USA, Tel: 818-708-3885, E-mail: gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net

GOPIO Executive Vice President - Lord Daljit Rana, UK, Tel: +44 28-9807-8787, Email: dsrana@andrashouse.co.uk

GOPIO Secretary General - Ashook Ramsaran, Fresh Meadows, New York City, Tel: 718/939-8194, E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com

NEW LIFE MEMBER

GOPIO welcomes its new GOLD Life member, Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President, Ritnand Balved Education Foundation (RBEF) and Founder and Chairman of Amity University, Noida, near New Delhi.

To become a Life member of GOPIO, visit http://www.gopio.net/membership_form.htm, print and fill up the form and send it with a check to: GOPIO, P.O. Box 1413, Stamford, CT 06904, USA.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Chief Editor: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO (Stamford, CT, USA)

Editors: Ashook Ramsaran, GOPIO General Secretary (New York, USA); and Munish Gupta, GOPIO Media Chair (Los Angeles, Calif)

Webmasters: Prashant Gupta (Gurgaon, Haryana, India) and Abu Thomas (New Rochelle, NY, USA)

Contributors of this issue:Inder Singh (USA), Dr. Piyush Agrawal (USA), Deosaran Bisnath (Trinidad & Tobago), Gambhir Watts (Australia) andSangeeta Ahuja (USA)

GOPIO NEWS welcomes NRI/PIO related stories from all over the world. Be a volunteer correspondent or reporter. Contact Dr. Thomas Abraham, Tel: 203-329-8010, E-mail: gopio@optonline.net

Visit GOPIO's Official site at www.gopio.net or www.gopio.com

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noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:47:00 +0000

Google News Alert for: hindraf

Karpal Appeals To PM For Hindraf Leaders' Release
Bernama - Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
... Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar to revoke the detention order on the five Hindraf leaders detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA). ...
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Suhakam: Uthaya wasn't denied treatment
Malaysia Kini - Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader P Uthayakumar has not been denied proper medical treatment, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has ...
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Google Alert - Malaysia Indian Minority

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Google News Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

iFast, Deutsche Bank tie up for MF distribution
NDTV.com - New Delhi,India
Deutsche Bank's Asset Management division, through Deutsche Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Singapore, would pick up a minority stake in the venture, ...
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Google Blogs Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

Formal complaint letter to UN
By naga~(naga~)
RE: SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AFFECTING THE ETHNIC INDIAN MINORITY COMMUNITY IN MALAYSIA. 50 YEARS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND THE ETHNIC COMMUNITY REMAINS A PERMANENTLY COLONIZED COMMUNITY. APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON ...
A Malaysian Indian's view - http://sactyr.blogspot.com/

Google Web Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

Malaysian Indian Minorities' Human Rights: Google Alert - Malaysia ...
Malaysian Indian Minority Is Experiencing Oppressi. ... Google Blogs Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority. GOPIO WRITES TO THE NEW MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT ...

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Google Alert - hindraf

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:44:00 +0000

Google News Alert for: hindraf

Hindraf seeks UN help to address Indian issues
Malaysia Kini - Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
The request was made by Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy in a letter written to the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights which is based in ...
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Google Alert - Malaysia Indian Minority

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:08:00 +0000

Google News Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

American Electric Technologies Powers Leading Indian Drilling ...
Primenewswire (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA
Aban Offshore also operates rigs in China, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Bangladesh and West Africa. "We are extremely pleased that AETI was awarded these ...
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Malaysia shuts down Tamil newspaper
The Associated Press -
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Malaysian government has shut down a newspaper catering to ethnic minority Indians — a move the daily's news editor ...
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Google Blogs Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

The reply upon the article "UMNO akan tetap relevan"
By acabeire
u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHowever Malaysia is a country built of the principles of democracy, liberty and justice. Democracy, especially, stipulates that the majority shall have the power to impose its will on the minority. ...
Religion, Politics, & Medicine - http://someideas.wordpress.com

Fundamentalism Comes Under Public Health Scrutiny
By Lilu(Lilu)
Das said Hindu fundamentalists are spreading fear that higher birth rates in the minority Muslim community threaten Hindus and that women's fertility must be strictly controlled as a matter of cultural survival. ...
For Women - http://best-women.blogspot.com/

For Everyone to Read and to Remember (found on Internet)
By Israel Kremen(Israel Kremen)
As long as the Muslim population remains around 1% of any given country they will be regarded as a peace-loving minority and not as a threat to anyone. In fact, they may be featured in articles and films, stereotyped for their colorful ...
Culture Site - http://culturesite.livejournal.com/

You have my support
By Juney-ling(Juney-ling)
Even documentaries portray growing countries ie India and China as careless, greedy, earth-burning giants that couldn't care less for the environment. They go on to depict many European and Western countries as those that "cared for the ...
LingLi - http://meiling-li-juney.blogspot.com/

Google Web Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

mi1: Malaysian Minority Indian MINNAL FM RADIO - Abused ...
Malaysian Minority Indian MINNAL FM RADIO - Abused & Discriminated by Barisan Nasional government. RADIO TAMIL MINNAL FM DI-DISKRIMINASIKAN OLEH KERAJAAN ...

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Google Alert - hindraf

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Google News Alert for: hindraf

Letter to PM: Release Hindraf 5
Malaysia Kini - Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
The institute expressed concern that the detention of the Hindraf 5 – on grounds that they had undermined national security and public order - "may be ...
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Google Alert - Malaysia Indian Minority

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:11:00 +0000

Google News Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

Which Indians?
Malaysia Star - Malaysia
As Malaysia's Indian society moves away from traditionalist mores that still hold sway in parts of India, we can expect a further blurring of communal lines ...
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Battle to 'save great British curry'
BBC News - UK
"Normally, I would get people in from China or Malaysia. "But the rules make that very difficult, and people from this country don't want to do that kind of ...
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Beware of the bulls
InfoChange - Pune,Maharashtra,India
Foreigners as much as a minority of wealthy Indians and NRIs themselves are acquiring property around the country at a breathless pace, making investment in ...
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Google Blogs Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

Radio Minnal FM
By aarvidi
... was some news about the DJ's of Minnal, just after Hindraf, and I did make some comments. The link is here. Who are the Minnal DJ's with THR now? http://malaysianindian1.blogspot.com/2008/04/malaysian-minority-indian-minnal-fm.html.
Aarvidi's Weblog - http://aarvidi.wordpress.com

Google Web Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

Doi-Moi: Malaysian Indian minority problems
Subject:Ground Reality of Malaysian Indian minority problems. Incarceration of the Five Hindraf leaders under the draconian Law Internal Security Act. ...

LocationLohan.com > Malaysian Indian sues UK govt for USD$4 trillion
Dec 4, 2007 ... The suit is demanding one million pounds as compensation for every minority Indian in Malaysia for the "pain, suffering, humiliation, ...

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Google Alert - Malaysia Indian Minority

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:38:00 +0000

Google News Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

CPJ appeals for Malaysian newspaper renewal
CPJ Press Freedom Online - New York,NY,USA
We call on you to reconsider your decision, to allow the newspaper to continue to serve the Indian minority community in Malaysia, and to review the ...
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100-year-old Hindu temple in Malaysia razed
Hindustan Times - India
Help was sought from the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), the premier political party representing the Indian community in Malaysia, and the Johor state ...
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11 Indians hurt in Malaysia mishap
Hindustan Times - India
... minority Indians for its critical coverage of social and political issues. Press Trust of India Two persons were killed and 11 Indian nationals injured, ...
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Google Blogs Alert for: Malaysia Indian Minority

GOPIO WRITES TO THE NEW MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT
By Mr A.N. Onymous(Mr A.N. Onymous)
However, MIC as a partner of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), has not been able to get fair share for the minority Indian community as their role as coalition partner either has been rendered ineffective or considered irrelevant." ...
Malaysian Indian Minorities'... - http://malaysianminorities.blogspot.com/

100-year-old Hindu temple in Malaysia razed - Hindustan Times
By kushal
Hindustan Times - 18 hours ago The Malaysian Govt shuts down a newspaper catering to ethnic minority Indians for its critical coverage of social and political issues. Malaysia to renew visas of temple priests from India Hindu ...
Indian Officer - http://www.indianofficer.com/forums

Kepala bapak kau Reformasi, Pak Lah!
By fathi aris omar(fathi aris omar)
No reason was given though it is clear that it is a political decision as the daily has been critical of the leadership of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). The paper also gave wide ranging coverage to the rally organised by the ...
patah balek - http://patahbalek.blogspot.com/

MEMORENDUM TO THE ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT,MEMORENDUM TO HAND OVER ...
By merhrom
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM), All Burma Democratic Force (ABDF) and Democratic Federation of Burma (DFB) Malaysia, the following signatories are extremely concerned about the plight or the ...
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human... - http://merhrom.wordpress.com

RACIAL HARMONY THREATENED: SYED HAMID - Malaysiakini
By jatt(jatt)
Ethnic Indians, a minority in the Malay Muslim-dominated country, disagreed with the decision. Government's revenge? In the capital's Indian-dominated Brickfields neighbourhood, many were critical of the government's sudden action. ...
Malaysian Gate Blog - Daily News Update - http://malaysiangate.blogspot.com/

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GANDHI'S BUST UNVEILED IN ROME

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:32:00 +0000

GANDHI'S BUST UNVEILED IN ROME

Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of non-violence, has become an icon in Italy and found a prized place next to epic poet Virgil, overlooking the picturesque Bay of Naples.

A majestic bronze bust of Gandhi, the creation of Indian sculptor Gautam Pal, was unveiled by India's ambassador to Italy Rajiv Dogra and Mayor of Naples Rosa Iervolino Russo.

The bust was installed in Parco Virgiliano, named after Virgil, the poet who sang "of armies and of men" in his epic Aenid, which is located in the heart of Naples.

The installation of Gandhi's statue on the top of Posillipo hill consecrated to national icon Virgil underlines the popularity of Gandhi and his enduring message of non-violence and passive resistance in Italy that has seen a flowering of educational institutions named after him.

"Gandhiji's ideas and message are universal. Mahatma's actions and his teachings are an antidote to the brutality of violence. It's heartening to see that the life of Mahatma Gandhi is followed with admiration in Italy," said Dogra, who also penned a novel "Almost an Ambassador", which is based on his long innings as an Indian diplomat in different parts of the world.

"It is symbolic of close relations between two ancient civilizations like Italy and India that two of the greatest figures of history - Virgil and Mahatma Gandhi - should come to be associated together in this manner in a glorious site overlooking the bay of Naples," he said.

Russo, the first woman mayor of Naples, was jubilant to see Gandhi's statue in Parco Virgiliano, a favourite with young Italians and tourists.

"Mahatma Gandhi's message remains relevant universally today. The words and actions of Gandhi continue to provide inspiration and comfort to all people," she said in front of an eclectic audience that included parliamentarians, business magnates, scholars, journalists and influential figures of the art world.

Gandhi has become a cult of sorts in Italy with more and more Italians discovering new truth in his writings. A slew of poetry competitions, functions and discussions have been held over the last two years, said an official of the Indian embassy in Rome.

The bust of Gandhi was commissioned and gifted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

MINISTER VOWS TO TACKLE INDIANS' PROBLEMS

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:30:00 +0000

MINISTER VOWS TO TACKLE INDIANS' PROBLEMS
According to press report, the new Malaysian Minister Dr. S. Subramanian has vowed to use his Human Resource Development (HRD) portfolio to tackle the problems of the country's 2.5 million Indian community. Minister Subramanian said that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's decision to allot the HRD ministry to him was aimed at helping the Malaysian Indians, many of who have been protesting in recent weeks. The Indian community has alleged bias in the Malay-dominated country and complained about unemployment as well as lack of skills training opportunities for youths.

Badawi, Subramanian said, had explained that the HRD portfolio was given to the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) party as the ministry could resolve many problems affecting the Indian community, the Sun newspaper said. "I feel that this is a good opportunity and I am confident that these issues can be resolved," he said. MIC has represented the Indian interests in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) since independence in 1957. Subramanian, who is also the MIC secretary general, admitted to being elected under "very difficult circumstances".

Subramanian said: "The recruitment of Indians to the government sector has already been raised with the government and the prime minister has stated that the government as a whole will increase the intake of non-Malays in the civil service workforce to reflect the racial composition of the country. I see it happening already."

GOPIO WRITES TO THE NEW MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:29:00 +0000

GOPIO WRITES TO THE NEW MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT

In the letter to Minister Subramanian, GOPIO President Inder Singh said, "although your own party did not achieve the margin of seats you may have expected in the recent election, your elevation to the highly respectable and responsible ministry provides you a unique opportunity to woo back 2.5 million Malaysians of Indian Origin, the majority of whom have lost faith in the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) party."

"As you very well know, Malaysians of Indian Origin and their ancestors have been contributing to the economic growth and prosperity of Malaysia. But they are deprived of fair and equal treatment in educational resources and job opportunities. As a result, a significant number of them work as plantation and/or urban underpaid laborers, and hence majority of them are poor and continue to face undue social and economic hardships."
"Your party, Malaysian Indian Congress, has been an integral part of your country's ruling coalition and at one time represented the interests and aspirations of Malaysians of Indian Origin. However, MIC as a partner of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), has not been able to get fair share for the minority Indian community as their role as coalition partner either has been rendered ineffective or considered irrelevant."

"The Malaysians of Indian Origin are your country's third largest ethnic group and the majority of them are considered to be at the bottom of the social and political ladder. A significant majority of Malaysian Indians continue to be economically marginalized and are generally seen as providers of cheap labor in plantations and construction sites. Thus they occupy the bottom rung of the Malaysian modern society, primarily due to lack of educational and economic opportunities."

"The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) urges you to use your human resource development (HRD) portfolio to provide needed equity, skills training and equal employment opportunities to the Malaysian Indian community."

FORMER MINISTER VELLU SEEKS HIGHER QUOTA FOR MALYSIAN INDIANS

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:28:00 +0000

FORMER MINISTER VELLU SEEKS HIGHER QUOTA FOR MALYSIAN INDIANS

The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) that is part of the ruling front Barisan Nasional has sought an eight percent share for ethnic Indians in Malaysia's civil services, commensurate with the population. Voicing the demand, MIC chief and former minister S. Samy Vellu said the number of Indians hired as civil servants fluctuated between 3.5 percent and less than five percent every year.

"It is only fair if we have about eight percent representation in the civil service as that should be sufficient to look into the problems plaguing the Indian community," he told party colleagues at MIC meeting. He said a MIC delegation would soon meet Senator Amirsham A. Aziz, minister in the prime minister's department, to discuss employment and economic issues and opportunities affecting the community. These include the formation of an investment-based foundation such as Permodalan Nasional Bhd and a special fund to increase the equity ownership of the Indian community to three percent.

"Our community used to control 1.5 percent of equity and now it's down to only 1.2 percent," said Vellu, adding that the government had not provided enough opportunities for Indians to grow. He also criticised government-linked companies (GLCs) and agencies handling loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for not providing business opportunities to the Indian community, especially in the petroleum and automotive industries.

"We are very unhappy over the fact that Indian applicants who applied for SME loans are either rejected or ignored," said Vellu, who lost in his ninth bid at re-election last month. Vellu said these were among the things the government failed to address and had resulted in the Indian community rejecting the BN coalition in the recent general election.

"We could not answer the questions raised by the opposition parties during the elections and right now, our government is in a situation where it has to work very hard for the next four years to regain public confidence."

The National Education Blueprint 2006-2010 prepared by the education ministry in a report said that the government had spent 923 million ringgit ($419 million approx) for promotion of schools in Tamil language in 2007. That "billions were spent" on education for Tamils was "contrary to popular belief" about the government's contribution towards promotion of Tamil education, the newspaper said quoting the report.

Over two million of the 2.5 million ethnic Indians in Malaysia are Tamil Hindus, who settled during the British era.

GIVE 100 PER CENT TO WHERE YOU LIVE - DR. KALAM TO NRIs AND PIOs

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:26:00 +0000

GIVE 100 PER CENT TO WHERE YOU LIVE - DR. KALAM TO NRIs AND PIOs

"We should give 100 per cent to where we live and work, while we commit to give back our knowledge and experience to our motherland also," Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India and well known scientist told nearly a thousand Non Resident Indians (NRIs), who had gathered from across the United States to listen to him at the Hindu Temple Community Hall in Flushing, New York. The reception was organized by over 35 Indian American Organizations including GOPIO-New York, NFIA and FIA-New York, and students from more than 10 universities in the New York tri-state area, in a rare unity of purpose, indicative of Kalam's standing and wide appeal among people of all faiths, ideologies, and political affiliations.

Dr. Kalam was visiting the United States to share with NRIs his vision for India in the year 2020, and encouraged everyone to dream big, to achieve with integrity and to ignite the minds of youth of this world. Traveling along with Dr. Kalam was Mrs. Indira Rajan, Chair Person and Managing Director of Minerva Education Trust, Perumbavoor, Cochin. She is an educationist and promoter of Dr. Kalam's vision 2020 in her school systems in Kerala.

Dr. Kalam shared with the audience, mostly comprising of community leaders and students from ten Universities and 18 colleges, that since his presidential term got over last year, he has interacted with over one million people and youth to formulate his vision for India. His eloquent presentation was peppered with quotes from Plato to Tamil poet and visionary Thiruvalluvar.

Dr. Kalam listed key elements of his vision that include: a nation where the rural and urban divide is reduced to a thin line, where poverty has been eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in society feels alienated, where the governance is responsive and transparent, a nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, peaceful, and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path.

To transform India into a developed nation, Kalam said he has identified five areas of the country's core competence for integrated action: Agriculture and food processing, reliable and quality electric power, surface transport and infrastructure for all parts of the country, education and healthcare, information and communication technology and Self-reliance in critical technologies.

The major mission, he said, is development of infrastructure for bringing rural prosperity through Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA), through creation of connectivity, namely, physical, electronic, and Knowledge, leading to economic connectivity.

He said it is possible to achieve the vision for India, "only if we adopt and practice the value system in a society which is derived out of our civilization heritage". He also emphasized righteousness in the heart and the "confidence that we can (achieve)". Kalam added: "We constitute one sixth of the global population and the transformation that we do to one sixth of the world will benefit the other population also." During a Q&A session that followed, he eloquently answered questions from some 20 students from area colleges and universities, pertinent to them.

While introducing India's 11th president Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam to the audience, George Abraham, Co-Chairperson of the event and General Secretary of the Indian National Overseas Congress, said, while the role of the president of India has never been so demanding or challenging. In 2002, in the form of Dr. Kalam, India finally got a president who Completely changed the way people used to look at the first citizen of India. His dynamism gave the much needed face-lift to the 'president-of-India' brand that gave a new meaning to the highest office."

Describing Dr. Kalam as a spiritualized scientist, Abraham called him a KARMAYOGI. "He dreams of a 21st century India that has economic prosperity, National security and the rightful place in the world. He is a visionary leader, calling for a national movement to transform India into a developed country with speed and making it militarily and economically self-reliant," he added.

Mr. Lal Motwani, Chairman of the Organizing Committee who is currently the president of the New York chapter of the Global Organization of the People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) and vice president of National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA) in his welcome address said that PIOs/NRIs are sanctified by the August presence of Dr. Kalam. Welcoming THE GREAT SON Of INDIA, Motwani said, Indian history is replete with important and dramatic events, which have been profoundly affected by great men including Dr. Kalam. His strategic leadership and his partnership with other nuclear scientists has enabled India to become a major nuclear power to protect and preserve our motherland. As Chairman of TIFAC, he led a team of 500 experts and developed technology Vision 2020, to transform India into a developed Nation, Mr. Motwani added.

According to Dr. Kalam: "The most powerful resource on the earth, above the earth and under the earth is the ignited Young mind. It should be empowered with adequate knowledge and leadership qualities to make the developed India Dream a realty."

Also address the gathering were Indian Consul General Neelam Deo, FIA President Yash Paul Soi, Tamil Sangham of New York President Albert Chelladurai, Rajiv Gowda representing New York Indo-American Political Forum and Mohamed Imran, President, American Federation of Muslims from India.

During his current week-long tour of the country, Dr. Kalam inaugurated the US chapter of Lead India 2020, a movement run under his supervision to transform India as a developed nation, and addressed the Wharton India Economic Forum at Philadelphia and delivered a lecture at the University of Kentucky.

The President released the souvenir containing quoting from Vision 2020 and it was presented to him by Mr. Alex Vilanilam Koshy, Souvenir Committee Chair along with Mr. George Abraham, Co-Chairman and Lal K. Motwani, Chairman and B. Aravindakshan, Co-Chairman. All participating organizations presented a plaque stating thanks to Dr. Kalam's vision and care to India and it was presented to him by Lal K. Motwani, George Abraham and B. Aravindakshan.

Google Alert - hindraf

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:35:00 +0000

Google News Alert for: hindraf

September date for trial of Hindraf 66
New Straits Times - Persekutuan,Malaysia
SHAH ALAM: The Attorney-General's Chambers has yet to decide on the representation made by the 66 men charged with participating in an illegal assembly ...
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'Let him visit our ailing daughter': Malaysian leader's wife
Thaindian.com - Bangkok,Bangkok,Thailand
Kuala Lumpur, April 17 (IANS) The wife of a detained Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader has added to the plethora of pleas being made to the ...
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Court fixes Sept 16-26 for Hindraf 69 trial
New Straits Times - Persekutuan,Malaysia
The Sessions Court has set Sept 16-26 to try 69 people charged with participating in an unlawful rally organised by the Hindu Rights Actions Force in Batu ...
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'Samy, we Indians are not goats'
Malaysia Kini - Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
Perhaps Samy should have made his stand known publicly if he had agreed with the core issues of Hindraf but by taking a distant stand, he deserved to be ...
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Hindraf leader's mother meets PM Badawi
Times of India - India
KUALA LUMPUR: Detained Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader P Uthayakumar's mother met Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to plead for ...
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Detained Hindraf leader's mother meets Malaysian PM
Thaindian.com - Bangkok,Bangkok,Thailand
Kuala Lumpur, April 16 (IANS) Detained Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader P. Uthayakumar's mother met Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ...
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Sept 15 trial for Hindraf's 66
Malaysia Star - Malaysia
SHAH ALAM: Sixty-six Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) supporters charged with allegedly participating in an illegal assembly at Batu Caves on Nov 25 will ...
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Mum appeals to PM for Uthayakumar's transfer
New Straits Times - Persekutuan,Malaysia
... when she went to the Prime Minister's Department to hand over her letter. She also urged the prime minister to immediately release all five Hindraf leaders.
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Anwar 'ready' to form government
Hindu - Chennai,India
The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), the leader of a few recent campaigns by large sections of the ethnic Indian minority for "equal rights" on a par ...
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Detained ethnic Indian leader's mother seeks son's release
Expressindia.com - New Delhi,India
P Uttayakumar and four other Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) activists were detained in December last year under the country's controversial ISA for ...
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End ban on recruitment of priests from India: Vellu

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:25:00 +0000

End ban on recruitment of priests from India: Vellu
14 Apr, 2008, 2006 hrs IST, PTI

KUALA LUMPUR: An ethnic Indian leader in Malaysia has appealed to the government to lift a ban on the recruitment of "urgently needed" priests from India for Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras.

Samy Vellu, the President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), met Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar and urged him to end the ban on the recruitment of priests from India.

Vellu told the minister the temples and gurdwaras in Malaysia "urgently needed" about 500 and 300 priests respectively.

In a statement, Vellu said the government should take into consideration the sensitivities involved as priests were needed to conduct daily prayers.

The minister told Vellu that the matter had to be brought up at Cabinet level for the decision to be revoked, Star newspaper quoted Tamil Nesan as saying today.

Since losing his parliamentary seat of Sungei Siput in the March 8 general elections, Vellu, who has been the head of MIC for almost three decades has begun to take interest in the uplift of the minority ethnic Indian community with a new gusto.

Analysts said the ethnic Indian community was fed up with Vellu's inability to do much for them in 30 years. He has been urging the government to do more for the uplift of the community, which form 7.8 per cent of the country's population of 27 million.

Anwar ‘ready’ to form government

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:24:00 +0000

Anwar ‘ready’ to form government

P.S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has declared that he and his allies “are ready” to form an alternative government.

His disqualification for elective office ended at the stroke of midnight on Monday. After that, Mr. Anwar told journalists in Kuala Lumpur that the “timing” of his bid to topple Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s coalition government would be decided through “consensus” among the three opposition parties in the People’s Pact.

Mr. Anwar said he would strike only after being sure of “a comfortable majority” in the new House of Representatives, where Mr. Abdullah’s coalition has 140 seats, against 82 held by the People’s Pact.

The Prime Minister, under pressure from within his party to quit for having failed to retain his two-thirds parliamentary majority in the recent snap general election, said on Tuesday he was ready for “a smooth transition,” not a “sudden” transfer of power. It is in the context of his offer to hand over the reins to his deputy Najib Tun Razak that Mr. Anwar is now trying to topple the government, on the ground that a number of ruling MPs are looking outwards for a new Prime Minister.

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), the leader of a few recent campaigns by large sections of the ethnic Indian minority for “equal rights” on a par with the Malay-Muslim majority, is supporting the People’s Pact from outside.

And, with five Hindraf leaders still in detention without charges and any recourse to trial, the mother of one of them, P. Uthayakumar, on Tuesday submitted a petition addressed to the Prime Minister.

Pleading for the unconditional release of all five, she urged proper medical care for her son, now perceived to be seriously ill in detention.

She was escorted to the Prime Minister’s office by Hindraf leader Thanenthiran Ramankutty and activists

11 Indians hurt in Malaysia mishap

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:24:00 +0000

11 Indians hurt in Malaysia mishap

Two persons were killed and 11 Indian nationals injured, some of them seriously, when a scaffolding with several slabs of granite and construction materials plunged 15 metres to the ground in the Malaysian capital and hit the workers standing beneath.

The accident took place at the construction site of a swank condominium-cum-boutique hotel complex in downtown Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. One of the dead was a Malaysian national while the other was from Myanmar.

The Indians were all reported to be from Punjab who had come to Malaysia to work as construction site workers.

They were on the ground floor when the scaffolding crashed on them. Four of the injured were reported to be in a serious condition.

One of the injured workers, 22-year-old Rampal Singh whose arm got fractured was quoted by the New Straits Times as saying that he had managed to jump clear just before the slabs hit the ground.

"I am returning to India when I recover," he told the daily.

Another daily identified the injured as Balraj Singh, 21, Pratap Singh and Arjan Singh, 22, Aman Singh 23, Kala Singh and Gurbachan Singh 24, Subash Kumar 26, Gurnam Singh 30, Jamuna Prasad 33, Rampal Singh 37 and Kashmeer Singh 40.

Work has been suspended at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur project site by authorities. Human Resources minister Fong Chan Onn said he would not compromise on safety at construction sites.

The Kuala Lumpur Department of Occupational Safety and Health director Omar Piah said 17 people died at construction sites in the city and at the administrative capital of Putrajaya last year. The incidents happened at 10 construction sites, he was quoted by the media as saying.

One of the accidents that hit media headlines here last year was the death of a management consultant who was killed when a 720 kg concrete mould fell on his far from a 20th floor of a partly completed complex.

100-year-old Hindu temple in Malaysia razed

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:21:00 +0000

Kuala Lumpur, December 01, 2006
First Published: 00:00 IST(13/1/2007)
100-year-old Hindu temple in Malaysia razed

A 100-year-old Hindu temple in Malaysia has been demolished following a court order. The deities will move to a new site provided by the authorities.

Contractors appointed by the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) bulldozed the Sri Muthu Mariamman temple Thursday at Skudia in Johor in southern Malaysia after a court order Tuesday seeking vacation of the temple premises, reported the New Straits Times Friday.The temple was situated at the Uniroyal Linden Estate, a rubber plantation that was home to around 1,000 families.UTM, a public university with its main campus in Skudai, had first made claims on the plantation in 1992.

Prior to that, in 1975, Malaysia's education ministry had bought off the plantation land for UTM.Since 1992, there have been various attempts to save the temple. Help was sought from the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), the premier political party representing the Indian community in Malaysia, and the Johor state government.Ethnic Indians, mostly Hindus, comprise around eight percent of Malaysia's total population of around 24 million.

The New Straits Times report quoted temple president A. Subramaniam as saying that his family had been looking after the temple for three generations."Soon after the sale of the plantation land to UTM in 1975, most menfolk lost their jobs and subsequently in 1987 UTM asked us to move out of our quarters," he told the newspaper. "We were lucky to obtain low-cost houses through MIC."

Temple authorities are planning to move the deities to another location provided by the Johor state government.

A UTM lawyer told the dialy on condition of anonymity that the demolition process was carried out smoothly and there were no protests or demonstrations.Meanwhile, Malaysian Hindu Sangam president A. Vaithilingam has condemned the demolition."While it is true the education ministry acquired the land for UTM, the authorities should have been fully aware that the old temple existed there," he said in a statement

Malaysian government shuts down newspaper for ethnic Indians

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:55:00 +0000

Malaysian government shuts down newspaper for ethnic Indians

17 Apr 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government has shut down a newspaper catering to ethnic minority Indians, a move the daily's news editor slammed on Thursday as punishment for its critical coverage of social and political issues. The Tamil-language Makkal Osai , or People's Voice, received a letter from the Home Ministry on Wednesday saying its operating license would not be renewed, news editor BR Rajan said.

The letter gave no reason, Rajan said. No edition of Makkal Osai was published on Thursday. "It's very shocking. ... It's mostly because of the issues we covered. We go more on social issues ... That has caused some kind of anger to the ministry," he said. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the newspaper broke the ministry's guidelines but did not elaborate, according to an aide who declined to be named, citing protocol. Rajan said the daily had given "wide coverage" to opposition rallies and the Indian activists who marshaled some 20,000 ethnic Indians to protest last November against racial discrimination in this Muslim Malay-majority country.

The paper has had repeated run-ins with government authorities. Earlier this year, Makkal Osai received a "small reminder" to tone down its coverage of the Indian protest movement, Rajan said. Last year, the paper was told to suspend publication for a month after printing a picture on its front page of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette, deemed offensive in this multi-religious country where faith is a sensitive issue.

Rajan said Makkal Osai , which employs more than 100 people, would appeal to the ministry to reconsider its decision. "Being journalists, we did our job. We just reported what has happened," Rajan said, adding that the paper would be more careful if its operating license was renewed. The 27-year-old paper competes with another Tamil-language daily linked to the Malaysian Indian Congress, a party in the ruling National Front coalition. Ethnic Indians make up 8 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people.

Called Bengalis, Sikhs walk out of function- 14 Apr 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:59:00 +0000

Called Bengalis, Sikhs walk out of function- 14 Apr 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Malaysian Sikhs walked out from a function when Perak state's chief executive referred to them as Bengalis. Perak's Mentri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin made the gaffe on Sunday when he wished the Tamil community "Puthandu Vazth-uka" or Happy New Year followed by "Happy Vasakhi to the Bengali community". "For generations, Sikhs have bit their lips when mistakenly referred to as Bengalis. Many usually excuse the gaffe by ordinary folk who do not know any better," media reports from the Perak capital Ipoh said. Jamaluddin admitted in an SMS to the New Straits Times newspaper that he had made a mistake in referring to Sikhs as Bengalis. Monday is the first day of the Baisakh month as per the Hindu calendar. It is also the Tamil New Year. For Bengalis across the world too, it is New Year's Day or Poila Baisakh. Sikhs are Punjabis separated from Bengal by more than 1,500 km in India, the newspaper commented
In Malaysia, Sikhs have been mistakenly referred to as Bengalis for decades, it said, offering no explanation as to why this has been happening। Narinder Singh, 38, who came to shake hands with Jamaluddin and congratulate him on heading the state government after the election last month, left shortly after the comment। "Sikhs are the ones who celebrate Vasakhi, not Bengalis. Can't he get that fact right? I am terribly disappointed with him," he said. Harbhajan Singh, 32, said Malaysians, especially political leaders, should know the difference between Bengalis and Sikhs. Dheer Singh, chairperson of the United Perak Sikhs Organisation, a consultative umbrella body representing nine Sikh-based voluntary organisations in the state was also upset. "Today we can learn about anything and everything from the Internet. There are many websites on the Sikh religion and the Sikh people. I feel sad that even though Sikhs have been in this country for close to 150 years, Malaysians still think we are Bengalis." Dheer said while many Malaysians may trivialise such references, the fact remained that the two communities were totally different in terms of religion, culture, and language.

Would HINDRAF's Uthayakumar Die in Kamunting Prison?

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:33:00 +0000

Would HINDRAF's Uthayakumar Die in Kamunting Prison?By now all and sundry in Malaysia who bother to know what is happening on the political front in the country may already know that Mr Uthayakumar, the lawyer of HINDRAF fame has been denied medicine leading to his diabetic condition worsening to an alarming point, resulting in him being hospitalised outside the prison.

We should also know that he was released from the hospital back to the prison although he is still unwell. Reports are now surfacing that he had suffered a silent heart attack as well - an outcome that is common among diabetic patients.

Many are worried that Lawyer Uthayakumar may die due to this mistreatment. A lot of loud complaints are being made to save him. These seem to be ineffective.

The question is therefore would he die in prison? It will be the height of irony as Mr Uthayakumar had fought against death in custody of many Indians in the past. Is it his turn to die in custody now?

I doubt the UMNO fascists are that stupid. We don't want a HINDRAF martyr do we now?

Indians most employed group in Britain

noreply@blogger.com (Mr A.N. Onymous) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:24:00 +0000

Indians most employed group in Britain 9 Apr 2008,

LONDON: People of Indian origin, who constitute the largest group in Britain among the ethnic minorities, have the highest number of people employed among all social groups, a latest official publication said. "The proportion of working-age people living in workless households in the UK was highest for the Chinese ethnic group, at 25 per cent, and lowest for the Indian ethnic group, at 10 per cent, while 11 per cent of people in the White ethnic group lived in a workless household," the 2008 edition of Social Trends, a publication released by the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday said.

Social Trends provides an up to date and comprehensive description of society in 2007, drawing on statistics from a wide range of government departments and other organisations to show how society is changing, as well as some of the factors which may be driving these trends. According to it, Asians are the largest ethnic group in Britain constituting five per cent of the total population, while blacks make up three per cent of the population.

The study puts the number of Indian in Britain at 12,15,000 and also shows that the UK has become more ethnically diverse in the past few years as its population has grown from 56 million in 1986 to 60 million in 2006. But 90 per cent of the population is still white, compared to 93 per cent in 2001.