[Reader-list] Fwd: 39th day of Indefinite fast in Sikkim_the indigene Buddhists rise up in protest to protect their sacred land

[Dr. Vibha Arora]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dr. Vibha Arora <vibhaaurora at gmail.com>
Date: Jul 29, 2007 9:45 AM
Subject: 39th day of Indefinite fast in Sikkim_the indigene Buddhists
rise up in protest to protect their sacred land
To: h-asia <H-ASIA at h-net.msu.edu>, H-Buddhism <h-buddhism at jj.em-net.ne.jp>


Saturday, July 28, 2007 Sikkim Govt lets ACT deadline pass
Gangtok, July 27: Members of Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT)
continued their hunger strike as the government ultimatum ended at
mid-day today.
In a letter to the ACT president yesterday, Sikkim chief secretary N.
Chingapa had asked the protesters to withdraw their fast within 24
hours or face "action as per law".
It was an intense day at B.L. House on Sonam Gyatso Marg — the site
for the relay fast — where three monks and six others including three
women continued their hunger strike. The site of the fast was
surrounded by politicians cutting across party lines, journalists,
intelligence personnel and ACT supporters, waiting for the "action" to
take place. Two ACT members, Dawa T. Lepcha and Tenzing Lepcha,
continued their fast for the 38th day today at Sir Thutob Namgyal
Memorial Hospital.
Two minutes downhill from B.L. House, at Sadar police station, a
platoon of Sikkim Armed Police stood prepared in combat fatigues and
protection gear. Top district police officials had also assembled at
the police station. However, the orders never came. No action was
taken till late in the evening. ACT members submitted a memorandum to
Sikkim Governor V. Rama Rao in the afternoon, seeking his
intervention. Following Chingapa's ultimatum, Opposition leaders came
together at Himalchuli here and passed a resolution for the formation
of a joint action committee to "save democracy in Sikkim". In
Kalimpong, GNLF branch president Dawa Pakhrin today appealed to the
Sikkim government to ensure that the sanctity of Dzongu, which is
considered holy by the Lepchas, is preserved.

Posted by The Sikkim Times
*****


http://uk.current. com/pods/ soul/PD06746 watch this website
This pod is about a sacred land struggle in Sikkim, India between
indigenous Buddhists and Nepali Hindus in the wakes of
post-colonialism, spiritual tourism and a negligent Indian government.
- --
Vibha Arora, DPhil (Oxon)
http://web.iitd.ac.in/~aurora/

Assistant Professor in Sociology
Dept of Humanities and Social Sciences
The Indian Institute of Technology,
Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016
INDIA
aurora at hss.iitd.ac.in; vibhaaurora at yahoo.com