We were hearing only the other week from BBC correspondent Jim Muir about the dangers of "a patchwork country, an ethnic and confessional cocktail".
How right he is.
"Ever since the rebel attacks started on Friday, thousands of migrants have flocked to railway stations, desperate to catch the first train out of Assam. "It is true that the trains going out of Assam towards northern India are loaded with these people. Many are not even waiting to buy tickets," an official of the north-eastern frontier railway said.
Tinsukia, with its hosiery and brick factories, has the thickest concentration of Hindi-speaking settlers anywhere in Assam. The villages around this town have borne the brunt of the rebel attacks since Friday, in which more than 70 people, almost all Hindi-speaking settlers, have died so far. Authorities blame the attacks on Ulfa rebels, who began their fight for Assam's independence in 1979. "
You can't help wondering why this hideous racist violence isn't all over the Guardian and the BBC. I guess that as in the Congo, there's just not a good enough case for blaming the evil imperialists.
Not all Assamese are against the Hindis.
"If the Hindi-speaking migrants leave, the shortage of labour will be filled by the illegal migrants from Bangladesh. We cannot allow that to happen," says Sammujal Bhattacharya, chief adviser to the powerful All-Assam Students Union (AASU) that ran a campaign against illegal migrants in the 1980s.
Melt down
8 hours ago
1 comment:
Hello! I know you have a particular interest in immigration issues. I would therefore like to alert you to the fact that there is a veritable storm brewing on British military sites about the disgraceful decision by a FCO bureaucrat not to grant Gurkha and WWII veteran Tul Bahadur Pun VC entry to the UK on the grounds that he supposedly failed to show "strong ties" to the UK. Yes, really.
He is one of only 12 Victoria Cross holders alive, was invited to the coronation of the Queen and had tea with the Queen Mother.
Here is a BBC link to the story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6709561.stm
This is one of the key military sites pushing for a reversal of this decision, the British Army Rumour Service: http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=66783/postdays=0/postorder=asc/start=1230.html
In the past few days, thousands have already signed this petition: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/gurkhas-rights/
You can also e-mail support@vchero.co.uk to voice your opinion of the quality of this particular immigration decision; the solicitors of Tul Bahadur Pun VC will ensure that it will be provided to the immigration judge dealing with the appeal.
It would be particularly helpful if you could spread the word and the action.
Many thanks!
CWPZM
Post a Comment