[Assam] Fwd: Re: Los Angeles Times on Northeast India
Manoj Das
dasmk2k at gmail.com
Mon Jun 2 21:17:14 PDT 2008
C-da
Well, Govt. of India has been holding talks with Bangladeshi counterparts
through direct channel.. Bangladesh could never forgive India for the
Farakka barrage.
International diplomacy requires more than just dialog. India is not a good
brother in its neighborhood; disliked by everyone..we may blame conveniently
on foreign hand..:)
mkd
On Mon, Jun 2, 2008 at 6:40 PM, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
> M:
>
>
>
> > > Number one is Bangladesh, which is
> >constantly frustrating India's efforts to get transit through the male
> river
>
>
>
>
> *** What do we know about what INDIA has been doing to get B'deshi
> co-operation to get river access to Assam and the region ?
>
> Has Indian govt. told us what it has been doing all these decades,
> and how B' or why B'desh has been FRUSTRATING it?
>
>
> As you can imagine, these efforts always involve give and take. Just
> demands and/or intimidation does not bring results. Have Indian
> officialdom ever brought the people into confidence and shared their
> negotiating stances and the B'deshi responses ?
>
> I am sure the people of Assam would want to know that. Wouldn't you?
>
> c-da
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> At 9:41 AM +0530 6/2/08, Manoj Das wrote:
> >I was thinking this all along!
> >
> >When I shared this news with a Japanese thinker from ADB, he was stunned..
> >There are many players in this. Number one is Bangladesh, which is
> >constantly frustrating India's efforts to get transit through the male
> >river. Secondly a grand politics of undermining Assam's destined position
> as
> >the land bridge between giant Asian land and economic masses.
> >
> >mkd
> >
> >
> >On Mon, Jun 2, 2008 at 9:33 AM, Dilip&Dil Deka <dilipdeka at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Forwarding.
> >>
> >> Dilip&Dil Deka <dilipdeka at yahoo.com> wrote: Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2008
> >> 20:58:13 -0700 (PDT)
> >> From: Dilip&Dil Deka <dilipdeka at yahoo.com>
> >> Subject: Re: [Assam] Los Angeles Times on Northeast India
> >> To: baruah at bard.edu, cmahanta at charter.net
> >>
> >> Dear Sanjib,
> >> You said, "But are they producing or is it only assembling products.
> I
> >> don't know the answer. "
> >> Even Assembling products is better than not doing anything. Mexico is
> >> making a lot of money assembling products for USA. Assembling products
> >> eventually leads to local production if the local entrepreneurs mean to
> take
> >> part in the process.
> >> Car battery industry is a good example. As I understand, back in
> seventies
> >> batteries were assembled in Assam. I heard that most of the parts are
> now
> >> made in Assam. Is it true?
> >> Dilipda
> >>
> >> baruah at bard.edu wrote:
> >> Dear Dilipda and Mahanta,
> >>
> >> Good hearing from you. I am skeptical, as Mahanta has noted. But not
> >> because a lot new is not taking place -- but because things that are
> >> crucial for a breakthrough are not happenning. There is a much more
> >> affluent India, and many in Delhi are genuinely committed to doing
> >> more. So if earlier we talked about 100 crores, now the language is of
> >> 1000 crores. But is money enough? Domestic policy and foreign policy
> >> cannot be separated when it comes to Northeast India. Our relations
> >> with China may be improving in many ways, but not when it comes to
> >> Arunchal Pradesh. Only last summer China has begun referring to AP as
> >> China's Southern Tibet. So long as the Burmese military regime is
> >> there, huge amount of foreign funds are not going to move in to build
> >> infrastructure in Burma. Indian money or Chinese money can do a little
> >> bit of this and that, but not the funds that could be mobilized for
> >> Northeast india to benefit from India's Look East policy. No matter
> >> how much we shout about Bangladesh's animosity, the burden of normal
> >> relations is on the bigger neighbour as in all such cases of a country
> >> that is far more resourceful than the aggreived smaller neighbor. We
> >> may be landocked by India, said a Bangladeshi foreign minister, but
> >> Northeast india is landlocked by us. So the military man's vision of
> >> the Look East policy -- linking up with the Burmese or the Bangaldeshi
> >> army to get support for their anti-insurgency operations--is a very
> >> poor substitute to the huge leap of resources -- material as well as
> >> intellectual -- that is needed for the task. At the same time I am
> >> willing to say that we do not know the implications of some of the
> >> huge amount of money that is being spent. There are about 15 daily
> >> flights from Delhi to Guwahati -- more than any other comparable city.
> > > There is much more energetic road-building (and the massive
> >> disappearance of trees and of the familiar surroundings around the
> >> trunk road) etc etc. I know the planes carry many businessmen taking
> >> advantage of the tax benefits of investing in the region. But are they
> >> producing or is it only assembling products. I don't know the answer.
> >> But we surely need a new language to talk about the region --
> >> certainty "neglect" is not what is happenning any more.
> >>
> >> Hope all is well.
> >>
> >> With warm regards,
> >>
> >> Sanjib
> >>
> >>
> >> Quoting Chan Mahanta :
> >>
> >> > Thanks for sharing the article Baruah.
> >> >
> >> > But I share your skepticism. We have heard these for decades on end
> >> > now. The politicians attempt to take credit for imaginary
> >> > achievements and establishment spokespersons paint rosy scenarios, in
> >> > the air. But what has the reality been?
> >> >
> >> > m
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > At 8:33 PM -0400 5/30/08, baruah at bard.edu wrote:
> >> >>
> http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-india29-2008may29,0,6712115.story
> >> >>
> >> >> From the Los Angeles Times
> >> >> Northeast India is poised to tap economic potential
> >> >> The eight-state area plans multiple projects to increase its trade
> >> >> with Southeast Asia.
> >> >> By Shankhadeep Choudhury
> >> >> Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
> >> >>
> >> >> May 29, 2008
> >> >>
> >> >> NEW DELHI - India's remote northeast region has been both blessed
> and
> >> >> cursed by its geography. The region is rich in natural resources but
> >> >> is landlocked and surrounded by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and
> Bhutan,
> >> >> leaving it impoverished.
> >> >>
> >> >> The eight-state region may finally get a chance to start living up
> to
> >> >> its economic potential with several projects to enhance connections
> >> >> with Southeast Asia and to increase outlets for such commodities as
> >> >> organic foods, orchids, tea, coal and oil.
> >> >>
> >> >> Now, the only way to move major quantities of goods between
> northeast
> >> >> India and Southeast Asia is through Bangladesh.
> >> >>
> >> >> But authorities in Myanmar and India are nearing final approval of a
> >> >> $100-million river project giving northeast India direct access to
> the
> >> >> Indian Ocean through Myanmar, said Abhijit Barooah, chairman of the
> >> >> northeastern chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry,
> India's
> >> >> premier business association.
> >> >>
> >> >> The project envisages facilitating movement of cargo from India's
> >> >> Mizoram state to Myanmar's port at Sittwe, via the Kaladan River.
> >> >>
> >> >> In addition, talks have begun between companies in northeast India
> and
> >> >> Thailand after a trade-promotion conference in Bangkok in October,
> >> >> said Lemli Loyi, assistant general manager at the state-run North
> >> >> Eastern Development Finance Corp. Loyi expressed hope that the talks
> >> >> would result in increased business and possible joint ventures.
> >> >>
> >> >> India first enunciated a "look east" policy, an economic and
> strategic
> >> >> orientation toward Southeast Asia, in 1992. It had its genesis at
> the
> >> >> end of the Cold War, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Having
> >> >> lost the Soviet economic and political support on which it had
> relied,
> >> >> the Indian government embarked on a program of free-market
> >> >> restructuring at home and sought new markets and economic partners
> >> >> abroad.
> >> >>
> >> >> Officials envisaged that the eight northeast states -- Assam,
> >> >> Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and
> >> >> Mizoram -- would emerge as a trading hub for two dynamic regions
> >> >> connected by a network of highways, railways, pipelines and
> >> >> transmission lines. The region is home to about 40 million people.
> >> >>
> >> >> But progress has been slow. The region's isolation dates to the
> 1800s.
> >> >>
> >> >> "Nineteenth-century British colonial decisions to draw lines between
> >> >> the hills and the plains, to put barriers on trade between Bhutan
> and
> >> >> Assam, and to treat Burma as a buffer against French Indochina and
> >> >> China severed the region from its traditional trade routes -- the
> >> >> southern trails of the Silk Road," said Sanjib Baruah, a professor
> of
> >> >> political science at Bard College in New York and an expert on
> > > >> northeast India.
> >> >>
> >> >> The British built railways and roads mostly to take tea, coal, oil
> and
> >> >> other resources out of Assam and into the rest of India and also to
> >> >> Europe.
> >> >>
> >> >> The problems increased with the partitioning of India and Pakistan
> in
> >> >> 1947. Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan in the 1970s.
> >> >>
> >> >> Barooah said trade would be boosted by an expected move by the
> Indian
> >> >> and Myanmar governments to expand the list of mostly agricultural
> >> >> commodities allowed to be traded by land between northeast India and
> >> >> Myanmar, from 27 to 42 items.
> >> >>
> >> >> "The northeast is the closest land mass connecting the dynamic
> >> >> economies of south and Southeast Asia," said Pradyut Bordoloi,
> Assam's
> >> >> minister for power and industries. "Besides deep-rooted cultural
> >> >> linkages, we can reap multidimensional benefits in this era of
> >> >> regional economic cooperation."
> >> >>
> >> >> Bordoloi is closely associated with a campaign to reopen the World
> War
> >> >> II-era Stillwell Road, connecting Assam's town of Ledo to southwest
> >> >> China.
> >> >>
> >> >> "If reopened, this would be the shortest surface route to Yunnan
> >> >> province of China and other Southeast Asian countries hooking onto
> the
> >> >> trans-Asian highways," he said.
> >> >>
> >> >> The road served as the supply line into China during Japan's wartime
> >> >> occupation, but it was shut after India's independence from Britain
> in
> >> >> 1947.
> >> >>
> >> >> Bordoloi said his campaign to reopen the road, initiated after he
> >> >> became a state legislator in 1998, scored a victory when India
> >> >> upgraded the road to a full-fledged national highway, developing it
> up
> >> >> to the Indo-Myanmar border.
> >> >>
> >> >> Officials say infrastructure development, power, bamboo-based
> >> >> industries, orchids and organic foods are prospective areas of
> >> >> cooperation with Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand.
> >> >>
> >> >> But significant hurdles remain, including concerns that booming
> trade
> >> >> relations may fuel rises in insurgency, narco-terrorism and AIDS,
> all
> >> >> of which plague the northeast. Security in the region is tight, with
> >> >> the army out in force to combat armed groups battling for greater
> >> >> autonomy or independence from India.
> >> >>
> >> >> "The official restrictions that prevail in northeast India -- in
> terms
> >> >> of travel, land and labor markets -- are hardly conducive to
> intensive
> >> >> cross-border economic relations," said Baruah, the political science
> >> >> professor.
> >> >>
> >> >> "Both the reality of insurgencies in the region and the security
> >> >> anxiety of the government of India . . . are major obstacles to
> >> >> dynamic cross-border economic ties," he added, calling current
> efforts
> >> >> hardly more than "a bare beginning."
> >> >>
> >> >> Also, Baruah said, it was difficult to imagine a big increase in
> trade
> >> >> given the political situation in military-led Myanmar.
> >> >>
> >> >> India's relations with China, a country it has long regarded with
> >> >> distrust since a 1962 border war, would also have to become much
> more
> >> >> relaxed, Baruah said.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> _______________________________________________
> >> >> assam mailing list
> >> >> assam at assamnet.org
> >> >> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > assam mailing list
> >> > assam at assamnet.org
> >> > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> assam mailing list
> >> assam at assamnet.org
> >> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> >Manoj Kumar Das
> >C 172 GF, Sarvodaya Enclave
> >New Delhi 17 India
> >0091 9312650558 (HP) 9910972654
> >_______________________________________________
> >assam mailing list
> >assam at assamnet.org
> >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> assam mailing list
> assam at assamnet.org
> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>
--
Manoj Kumar Das
C 172 GF, Sarvodaya Enclave
New Delhi 17 India
0091 9312650558 (HP) 9910972654
More information about the Assam
mailing list