Thomasmangattuthazhe

Katheang Asong

2006-09-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

Katheang Asong
(Street Theatre Group)
Breaking the Barriers in Karbi Anglong
Street theatre as a form of communication in recent times has been used to propagate social messages and to create an awareness amongst the masses regarding critical issues. Street theatre breaks the formal barriers and approaches the people directly. This is a means of reaching people of all strata and creating an awareness of events around them, calling them to change what they believe are the social ailments.
The exchange is close, direct and intimate and, to be more effective, usually loud and larger than life. The script and direction is always significant. In order to draw crowds from all walks of life, the plays are humorous. Songs based on popular catchy tunes are included to add to its appeal. The choreography of the play varies from script to script. Street theatre is people-friendly. The dynamic and mobile nature of street theatre, makes it possible to go to people where theatre is not accessible to the majority like streets, markets, slums, villages, schools, office complexes, parks, residential areas. It is a free show for every one, be it a shopkeeper, an officer, a labourer, a housewife or a student. Therefore, it never has a limited and repeat audience. With participants sitting at the same level as the audience, it shuns hierarchy. The unpolished performance gives it power to reach people. The shows are not ticketed, as the aim is not to earn money but convey the message by reaching out to people. Rather, the audience is asked for contributions. With the potential to dramatise social, economic and political issues (hardly addressed by popular media) street theatre raises people's consciousness to an extent that the viewers may not do something but it hits their mind and they become aware.
The members of this street theatre group are mainly unemployed youth and students committed to bringing about social change. Their returns in terms of finances or fame are nil. The time that this form of theatre demands is considerable. All evenings and weekends are spent rehearsing or performing.
The preparation for the play is a joint effort. Each member has to agree completely on the theme for a production to go through. The script is usually written jointly as the play progresses. The group analyse the society as it exists, visualize its future, and then attempt to put the vision across
What Katheang Asong aims at is towards sensitising masses to social issues, enrolling them in the process of social change and promoting peace and harmony. It does not necessarily provide answers to the issues raised, but tries to analyse the problems. Using humor it gives satire on current problems and issues. The group has conducted more than 65 programmes in various places of Karbi Anglong in the year 2006.

The Judas syndrome: A response to Da Vinci Code

2006-04-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Judas syndrome: A response to Da Vinci Code
Before he chose his first disciples, Jesus went up the mountain to pray all night (Luke 6:12). He had many followers at the time. He talked to his Father in prayer about whom he should choose to be his twelve apostles-the twelve whom he would form intimately, the twelve whom he would send out to preach the good news in his name. He gave them power to cast out demons. He gave them power to cure the sick. They watched him work countless miracles. They themselves worked countless others in his name.Yet one of them tuned out to be a traitor. One who had followed the Lord-who had seen him walk on water and raise people from the dead and forgive sinners, one whose feet the Lord had washed-betrayed him. Jesus didn't choose Judas to betray him. But Judas was always free, and he used his freedom to allow Satan to enter into him, and by his betrayal Jesus was crucified and executed. But God foresaw this evil and used to accomplish the ultimate good: the redemption of the world.The point is, sometimes God's chosen ones betray him. That is a fact that we have to confront. If the early Christians had focused only on the scandal caused by Judas, the Church would have been finished before it even started to grow. Instead they recognized that you don't judge a movement by those who don't live it but by those who do. Rather than focusing on the betrayer, they focused on the other eleven on account of whose work, preaching, miracles, and love for Christ we are here today. It is on account of the other eleven-all of whom except John were martyred for Christ and for the gospel they proclaimed-that we ever heard the saving word of God, that we ever received the sacraments of eternal life.The secular media almost never focuses on the good "eleven," the ones whom Jesus has chosen who remain faithful, who live lives of quiet holiness.

Unfortunately, scandal is nothing new for the Church. There have been many times through the ages when things were much worse off than they are now. The history of the Church is like a cosine curve with many ups and downs. At the times when the Church hits its low points God raises up tremendous saints to bring the Church back to its real mission. It's almost as if in those times of darkness the light of Christ shines ever more brightly.
Francis de Sales came along after the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was not principally about theology-although theological differences came later-but about morals. Martin Luther, an Augustinian priest, lived during the reign of perhaps the most notorious pope in history, Alexander VI. He was a wicked man. He had nine children from six different concubines.
Luther, like everyone, must have wondered how God could allow a wicked man to be the visible head of his Church. All types of moral problems confronted Luther even in his own country of Germany. Luther was scandalized, as anyone who loved God should have been. He allowed the scandal to drive him from the Church.Eventually God raised up many saints to combat this erroneous solution and to bring people back to the Church Christ founded. Francis de Sales was one of them. At the risk of his life he went through Switzerland, where the Calvinists were popular, preaching the gospel with truth and love. Several times on his travels he was beaten and left for dead. What should our reaction be then? There is a story told of Francis of Assisi that sticks in my mind from one of the biographies I read as a seminarian. Once one of the brothers in the order of Friars Minor who was sensitive to scandal asked him, "Brother Francis, what would you do if you knew that a priest celebrating Mass had three concubines on the side?" Francis replied, "When it came time for Holy Communion, I would go to receive the sacred body of my Lord from the priest's anointed hands."Francis was getting at a tremendous truth of the faith and a tremendous gift of the Lord: God has made the sacraments "priest-proof." No matter how holy or wicked a priest is, provided he has the intention to do what the Church does, then Christ himself acts through the priest, just as he acted through Judas when Judas ministered as an apostle. So whether Pope John Paul II or a priest on death row for a felony consecrates the bread and wine, it is Christ himself who acts to gives us his own body and blood. Francis was saying he was not going to let the wickedness or immorality of the priest lead him (Francis) to commit spiritual suicide.Christ can work still and does work still even through the most sinful priest. And thank God! If we were dependent on the priest's personal holiness, we would be in trouble. Though they are chosen by God from among men, priests are tempted and fall into sin just like anyone else. But of course God knew that from the beginning. Eleven of the first twelve apostles scattered when Christ was arrested, but they came back. The Church will never failSome people are predicting that the Church is in for a rough time, and maybe it is. But the Church will survive because the Lord will make sure it survives. One of the greatest comeback lines in history was uttered two hundred years ago. As his armies were swallowing up the countries of Europe, French emperor Napoleon is reported to have said to Church officials, "I will destroy your Church"." When informed of the emperor's words, Ercole Cardinal Consalvi, one of the great statesmen of the papal court, replied, "He will never succeed. We have not managed to do it ourselves!" If bad popes, immoral priests, and countless sinners in the Church hadn't succeeded in destroying the Church from within, Cardinal Consalvi was saying, how did Napoleon think he was going to do it from without?The Cardinal was pointing to a crucial truth: Christ will never allow his Church to fail. He promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church (Matt. 16:18); that the barque of Peter, the Church sailing through time to its eternal port in heaven, will never capsize-not because those in the boat won't do everything sinfully possible to overturn it but because Christ, who is captain of the boat, will never allow it to happen. Jesus is with us, as he promised, until the end of time. He is still in the boat. Just as out of Judas's betrayal he achieved the greatest victory in the universe-our salvation through his passion, death and resurrection-so out of this new scandal he may bring, wants to bring, a new rebirth of holiness, a new Acts of the Apostles for the twenty-first century, with each of us-and that includes you-playing a starring role. Now is the time for real men and women of the Church to stand up. Now is the time for saints. How will you respond

Charity is a practice of our Lenten spiritual exercise

2006-03-24T19:14:00.000-08:00

Charity is a practice of our Lenten spiritual exercise

By giving up good things and denying them to ourselves we encourage an attitude of humility, free ourselves from dependence on them, cultivate the spiritual discipline of being willing to make personal sacrifices, and remind ourselves of the importance of spiritual goods over earthly goods. The giving up of a good thing to attain a spiritual goal is Charity. Charity is a practice of our Lenten exercise. Charity is being kind, generous and caring towards others, especially those in need. Give the money you saved to a person, a cause or an organization in need, or that helps others in need. Who would you like to help? Is there a cause that would make the world a better place? Consider the following…
• Is there a disease or a person with it you would like help: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Malaria, AIDS, TB, diabetes, etc.?
• Is there a painful human situation you would like to see overcome: drug, alcohol, suicide prevention (A very relevant issue for Kerala) etc.?
• Would you like to make a dent in the problem of housing, hunger or displaced people?
• Can you contribute to the work of the missions, the rebuilding of homes, schools destroyed by ethnic violence, floods, etc.?

The joy of Lent

2006-03-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

The joy of Lent
I realize that linking the words joy and Lent may be a bit startling. Some see Lent only as a somber season of struggle to subdue the power of the flesh. Indeed, admission and confession of sin and doing penance should be part of Lent. They are indispensable to authentic renovation in our personal lives, but they are not the whole story. In one of the Lenten Prefaces for Mass, the Church prays, "...each year you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery with mind and heart renewed."

I didn't understand the joy of Lent. But, today, I understand this prayer much better. Each year I rediscover how grateful I am for this season which calls me to deeper prayer, fasting and almsgiving. I am also grateful for the joy these Lenten practices bring by making me more open to Christ's presence in my life and in the lives of others.

Reconciliation -- making peace with God and neighbor -- is the fully rounded work of Lent. And reconciliation means joy. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, or more aptly, the Merciful Father, it is the son who has admitted his sins and sought pardon who prompts the celebration. The self-righteous brother does not attend, for in his jealousy he cannot open his heart to share the father's mercy. He can find no satisfaction in forgiveness and refuses to be part of reconciliation.

Temptation during Lent

2006-03-21T22:58:00.000-08:00

Temptation during Lent
Just as Jesus was tempted during his forty days of preparation for his mission, we as followers of Jesus should know that the tempter is still around. We may have lot of challenges and temptations. We will have to struggle to give up our natural desires some bad habits and self interest that prevent us from growing spiritually. Temptation may come even when we are praying, for example we may have a spirit of discouragement or feel too weak to go for the Lenten observances; we may want to be generous with our time and resources but we may be tempted to think that we do not have enough for ourselves and family. We may even refuse to seek for forgiveness from God for sins committed by not making use of the sacrament of penance and by our unwillingness to reconcile with other people around whom we might have hurt. Remember,during Lent, Jesus in the desert is our model, dying to ourselves so that the Father’s plan can be accomplished.

Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams

2006-03-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams
A Press Statement

on the Occasion of International Women’s Day
International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women often divided by boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.
International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. This year's theme, women: Builders of Communities and Dreams, honors the spirit of possibility and hope set in motion by generations of women in their creation of communities and their encouragement of dreams.
We are horrified at the levels of violence witnessed recently and the women and children are the primary victims. We have a moment of great peril, and great promise. We stand at a crossroads, where our region face the prospect of two widely different visions for our future: the potential for peace is greater than ever; the potential for violence and chaos is greater than ever. This was the objective of Jirsong Asong in organizing a series of programmes in view on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
At a moment such as this, it is absolutely vital that we decide which vision is the one we want to hold onto and work for. The first women’s Day celebration of the year was held at Diphu club on 6th March, 2006. A district level seminar of women empowerment participated by eminent women leaders of the district, beautiful presentations of health related issues, herbal plant exhibition which gathered more than 500 herbal plants from the district, multimedia presentation on women, health, peace and women related issues, and a spectacular cultural night by women were the highlights of the day. Similar programmes will be organized in the coming days at various parts of Karbi Anglong.
Peace comes through community involvement, the ethnic communities of the region with their traditional attire participating in the programmes made a powerful statement to the public: that peace is a possibility in the region.
Tom Mangattuthazhe

I am really happy after 3 years and 4 months.

2006-03-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

I am really happy after 3 years and 4 months.
"I'm really happy to be back with my family. That's all I wanted," said Christopher Kujur, who was flanked by his Father, mother and our prison ministry volunteers: Mr.Anil Toppo, Sailesh Kandulana.
Christopher Kujur was jailed together with his friend for a murder in the village of Lokihijan near Hidipi, Karbi Anglong Assam. He spent 3 years and 4 months at Diphu district jail and was released on bail today (8th March,2006).
Thanks to our prison ministry volunteers who did the wonderful networking with the families, villages and the offices. It was difficult to persuade the officials and also the family, says Anil but we are happy that we got him released. We will try to release more prisoners by networking with the family and the public, said Sailesh.
Why such a long time in prison without even bail, well! there are prisons like that too in our democratic socialist republic of India. When poverty and illiteracy mix there can be still worst things such as these.
The person was bailed out just for 6 thousands rupees. This amount was raised by the family through the efforts of our youth champions; of course several times they had to travel to the villages and to the offices and those days were not very happy either.
Christopher declined to discuss his years in prison, saying, "I spent many days and nights being bitter, and I'm just happy to be back with my family." His immediate plan was to visit his family, he said, adding, "I just want to be left alone so I can laugh and cry with may family the way we used to."
Foot Note to the above
This incident also is a lesson for our youth, and I am really proud to be associated with them too. The entire work was completed just within two months on their own. We take up some case on our visit to the prison and several under trails were released, say 82 of them during the last three months, to be more precise since December, 25th. Thanks to our religious houses in Diphu who are visiting the prison on weekly basis. The visit has reduced torture in the prison, this was testified by Christopher himself and this is indeed a boost for our volunteers.

How to promote a culture of Peace

2006-02-20T00:11:00.000-08:00

How to promote a culture of Peace
Peace as an organizing principle is a revolutionary idea that if applied at the regional, block, village and individual levels, would radically change the world we live in. Since our actions and structures grow out of our core beliefs, let us consider the assumptions of peace as a principle for society. Four essential and inter-related principles or assumptions upon which peace flourishes are: Community - the power of interconnectedness, Witness - the power of presence, Nonviolence - the power of love and lastly Cooperation - the power of sharing power
Community — the power of interconnectedness
Peace is grounded in a basic understanding about the nature of reality — that we are all one in a single family of life on this planet, interconnected and interdependent. A simple study of the natural world tells us that this is indeed so. This world view is something that traditional and tribal societies have long held. Shifting from a mindset of separation to one of unity has profound implications for how we live together. If one is hurt, we are all diminished. Hence for our immediate attention: (1) Replace all forms of force, oppression with partnerships, alliances, and coalitions. (2) Address poverty and its related ills differently, allotting the resources necessary to provide for the basic needs of all people everywhere rather than for the few self-judged to be more entitled. (3) Honor our children and our elders above all else, making their care and well being our top priority.
Witness, the power of presence
Peace does begin inside each and every one of us because we all carry the seed of peace within. As with other universal human ideals, like Justice, Freedom, Beauty, or Truth, Peace is one of those `capital-letter' words that speaks an yearning and a striving within every human beings that cuts across all boundaries of culture, ethnicity, and religion. While we might define and understand `peace' differently, we all hold it as one of our highest values. Hence for our immediate attention: (1) See that potential for peace in every person and in every situation, and take it for granted that we water that seed in each other with our thoughts, words, and actions. (2) Attach our individual and collective lives around the importance of finding and living serenity, tranquility and harmony. (3) Honor those who embody the living presence of peace over those who excel in violence, be they in entertainment, sports or politics. (4) Select as our leaders those who demonstrate the ability to live from and lead from that place of inner peace.
Nonviolence is the power of love
To do violence to another, we must first de-humanize them in some way. If we make the deep human connection from one heart to another, we would not be capable of causing suffering; rather, we would wish to alleviate pain, fear, and sorrow. Respect, appreciation of differences, compassion, empathy, and forgiveness are the result of keeping an open heart. We may be able to get temporary solutions to our conflicts and disputes without openheartedness, but we will never achieve the full reconciliation needed to break forever the recurring cycles of violence which characterize our worst conflicts. Hence for our immediate attention: (1) Eliminate the glamorization of violence from our culture, and eliminate the dependence on violence as a method of solving our problems. (2) Insure that nonviolent methods of conflict resolution are taught in our schools and practiced in all our family, workplace, community, and villages. (3) Poverty and discrimination are forms of violence too and so put our collective intelligence and resources towards solutions that work to eliminate these social ills. (4) Understand that violence begets violence, and so enact zerotolerance policies against violence at every level. (5) Put human rights first before profits or power. (6) Put love at the center of every decision and action.
Cooperation, the power of sharing power
True power is the ability to create and when we put that together with the fact that we are all interconnected and interdependent, we understand that we are all involved in creating the world we share. In every moment, with every individual decision and action, we are choosing what is collectively manifested. True cooperation means that we work together for the common good; dedicate our resources for the benefit of the whole; and realize we are crafting the future now — and that we need the wisdom and perspectives of all of us, not just a few, to make it work. Hence for our immediate attention: (1) Offer our superpower status in service to the community, in all humility. (2) Listen to learn from the needs, the interests, and the views of other cultures and peoples, without assuming we know best. (3) Shift our idea of power politics, from a reliance on power `over' another to one on power `with' others, and work collaboratively to create a world that works for everyone, not for the benefit of the few at the expense of the many. (4) Make decisions on the basis of what is most beneficial 7 generations into the future.
If these assumptions of peace are the organizing principles of our society, our lives would look and feel quite different in every respect, from the individual to the community level. These changes would necessitate a reprioritization of our budget; a restructuring of our educational, political, and economic systems; and a revamping of our popular culture. Into that heaven let us awake and let Karbi Anglong awake!

Heartless condition in relief camps tormenting inmates”

2006-02-11T23:02:00.000-08:00

To,
The Hills Times
Karbi Anglong
Diphu – 782460
Subject: Letter to the Editor
Dear Sir,
I would like to congratulate you for publishing the news item on Saturday, 11th February, 2006 about the plight of the people in the recent ethnic violence entitled “Heartless condition in relief camps tormenting inmates”
Specific highlights of the news item were the first hand information on the perspectives, experiences, understanding, and expectations of displaced people of our region. This information will enrich and reinforce the resource of available information on the voices of the voiceless as well as establish the extent of coverage and credibility of the paper. Another area covered was the human rights issues, experiences and perceptions of the poor and vulnerable. You have also covered the public accountability issues and has focused the self-perceptions of justice sector officials and the so called peoples representatives; above all an absence of accountability from both public and private.
From the national newspapers down to the regional papers, largely stories from these beats are the embodiment of the archaic, not to mention convenient, definition of news: news is conflict -- the more the conflict, the more the news. This is a set of guidelines that many newsrooms still adhere to this day. And it fits perfectly with the objectives of those implementing this policy of divide, fabricate and continue conflicts. This relationship helps to explain why several times the stories on so-called "ethnic conflicts" are pigeonholed as crime or insurgency stories - a classification that, by its very nature, tends to result in superficial coverage. The reportage becomes even more problematic because in the region, Delhi and Guwahati - the seats of the political and economic power and base of all national and regional newspapers and radio and television networks decides what is and what is not news for the rest of the country.
Karbi Anglong, from the point of view of those sitting in front of computers in air-conditioned newsrooms across Delhi and Guwahati is nothing but a conflict zone, the source of the country's bad news. And bad news sells. And violence sells newspapers and ups the ratings of television and other media networks. Who cares about the refugees in Karbi Anglong? Who cares about the deprived school children and starving people of our place?
Without doubt, the sides of the powerful and big the actions of the few are amply represented in the mainstream media's reportage of ethnic conflicts. Seldom heard are the voices of the other side - the victims'. This is especially true in our region, where most of the news comes from mainly the ruling or mainline opposition parties. The result of all this, of course, is that the mainstream media presents a skewed picture of our people.
Tom Mangattuthazhe
(Joint Secretary, DCPF)
12.02.2005

My Best Birthday Party

2006-02-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

My Best Birthday Party

I know from experience why life is worth living. Living life is one of the greatest opportunities you can experience, mainly because as you are growing up, you are watched by people who love you and are looking out for the best of you. Then when you get to the age where you feel you got the greatest look at life - you just want to go and see more of it. This has been my feeling today, celebrating my birthday with several people.

The celebrations were surprise for me, I was told by our youth team (we have seven youth in the team who are engaged in the work of the Diocesan Youth Commission) that I must go to a place and spend few hours there. The place was Diphu Baptist Church, a place where we have been looking after 34 metric students from the relief camps. They are there for the last two months and are preparing for the final school metric exam. Our youth team organized a small birthday celebration with them, of course without my knowledge and consent. They collected little contribution from themselves and organized a small cultural programme and a tea party. There were not many items, but this was the best birthday celebration I ever had. Our youth team have become one with these boys and girls who are traumatized and affected by violence. They visit them daily and do all kinds of works for them, encouraging them and helping them to study well.

What struck me most was the decision they had to celebrate my birthday with them, they could buy some cards or gifts for me; a traditional way of showing Birthday wishes and love but instead they decided to spend something with the unfortunate ones of their age, a wise decision and a sincere and noble example by our youth. I am really proud of them and may this breed grow more.

I would like to thank you for the time, love, prayers, concern and wishes you have shown to me, May God bless you all.

A Press Release from UCF

2006-02-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

A Press Release
From UCF

The United Christian Forum (UCF) of the Autonomous district of Karbi Anglong wishes to express its deep concern at the crisis in the district following the incidents at Bokojan. We express disapproval of all acts of violence and anti-social activities that may lead our region to communal clashes.

The Forum appeals to all sections of the people in the District to exercise restraint and to remain calm so that normalcy may be restored at the earliest. It calls on the District administration to provide adequate protections to the citizens and to all communities of the District to be examples of tolerance and to show brotherly love. We also request the government administration to take up urgent steps to arrest those involved in this inhuman acts and bring the cultpirt to justice.

We also appeal to all the organizations to restrain from calling Bandhs during these days of suffering and difficulties of our people.

Dated: Diphu Tom Mangattuthazhe
03.02.2006 (General Secretary, UCF)

Fresh Ethnic Tension in Karbi Anglong

2006-02-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

Fresh Ethnic Tension in Karbi Anglong
There is ethnic tension prevailing in karbi Anglong between two communities. This time it is between the Adivasis and the Karbis
The Adivasi community
The Adivasi community or the tea labour communities, constitute the oldest amongst Assam's immigrant groups that was recruited by the British Tea Planters from present day Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal between 1861 until the early 20th century, to work in tea plantations in Assam, spread over the districts of Western Assam, Morigaon, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Darrang in Middle Assam, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukhia in Eastern or Upper Assam, North Cachar and Karbi Anglong districts in Southern Assam and the Barak Valley. Belonging to the tribal groups such as Santhals, Mundas, Oraons, Kharias, Gonds, Khonds, Kisang and Nagesias, they settled down in Assam at the end of the contract period, and some left the tea plantations to settle in the surrounding agricultural lands before the expiration of the contract. The latter came to be known as the ex-Tea labour community which lives in villages neighbouring the tea estate and provide casual labour to it depending on seasonal demand.
The present day population of the tea labour community in the state is estimated to be 20 percent of the state's population, which comes to five million. Despite their numerical strength and long history in Assam stretching more than a century, they remain 'outsiders' without the tribal status, as has been accorded to them in their place of origin, and are deprived of benefits availed by the other backward castes.
The local factors pushing the Adivasis of Assam into poverty are manifold. Alcoholism is a major drain on income which forces women and children's mobility outside their village in search of work, resulting in high drop out rate among the school going children. The community has poor access to anti-poverty, social security and scholarship schemes.
The Karbis
The Karbis mentioned as the Mikirs in the Constitution Order, Govt. of India, constitute an important ethnic group in the hill areas of Assam. However, they never call themselves Mikir but call themselves Karbi and sometimes Arleng which literally means a man. Although at present, they are found to inhabit in the Karbi Anglong District, nevertheless, some Karbi inhabited pockets are found in the North Cachar Hills, Kamrup, Morigaon, Nagaon and Sonitpur Districts also. Besides the original Karbi Tribes, there are also a large number of other tribal communities residing in the district. Racially the Karbis belong to the Mongoloid group and linguistically they belong to the Tibeto-Burman group. The original home of the various people speaking Tibeto-Burman languages was in western China near the Yang-Tee-Kiang and the Howang-ho rivers and from these places they went down the courses of the Brahmaputra, the Chindwin and the Irrawaddy and entered India and Burma. The Kabis, alongwith others entered Assam from Central Asia in one of the waves of migration.The folk-lores of the Karbis, however, indicate that during the long past, once they used to live on the banks of the rivers the Kalang and the Kapili and the entire Kaziranga area, the famous National Park situated in Assam, was within their habitation. During the reigns of the Kachari kings, they were driven to the hills and some of them entered into Jaintia hills, the erstwhile Jaintia kingdom and lived under the Jaintia suzerainty.While a section of the Karbis remained in the Jaintia kingdom, others moved towards north-east by crossing the river Barapani, a tributory of the Kapili and entered into the Rongkhang Ranges. There they established their capital at a place called SOCHENG. The Karbis who migrated to the Ahom kingdom had to face the Burmese invasion. The Burmese who invaded Assam perpetrated inhumane oppression on the people. The Karbis took refuge in the deep jungles and high hills leaving their hearth and home in the submountane regions. In order to save themselves from the greedy eyes of the Burmese invaders, the young Karbi girls started to use a black line from the forehead to the chin which is known a "DUK" with a view to making them ugly looking. While some of the Karbis migrated to lower Assam, some had crossed the Brahmaputra and settled in the north bank.
Karbi Anglong District
Since its formation the district has been witness to a peaceful coexistence between the different ethnic communities that inhabit it. Even when the different parts of the state and the region faced ethnic conflicts and violence, the district remained largely unaffected.
Since the start of the new millennium, the district has seen the development of ethnic tensions like the Karbi-Kuki, Karbi-Khasi, Karbi-Dimasa, Karbi-Bodo, Karbi-Adivasi, Karbi-Bihari and Hmar-Dimasa conflicts. Of these ethnic tensions, the Hmar-Dimasa, Karbi-Kuki, Karbi-Khasi and Karbi Dimasa tensions led to violence at the community level and resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives of people from the conflicting communities. The loss of lives and large scale destruction of property brought about an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion between the communities.

Conflict Between the Karbis and Adivasis
All Adivasi Students Association of Assam(AASAA) had announced a string of agitation programmes to protest the government’s apathy to Adivasi community.

The students’ body also decided to continue its ban on Congress leaders from campaigning in their villages and extended the same to all political parties.

On January 27th Mr.Mithiram Hembom of Ranchi village of Bokajan subdivision was kidnapped and later his body was found at Bokojan on 2nd February. Various organizations in the district accused certain militant group for the incidents and to complicate the matter further, the accused have renounced their role in the affair. There are conflicting media reports from Guwahati and Dimapur regarding the motives and the persons responsible for killing.

AASAA organized a huge rally of nearly ten thousand people of Adivasi community on 30th January.

AASAA called for a Karbi Anglong Bandh on 4th February to protest against the incidents and it paralyzed the district for 24 hours.

Peace Initiatives
We are constantly in touch with the community leaders at Diphu, Bokajan, Dokmoka and other parts of the district and State.

The emergency meeting called by the Peace team of Jirsong Asong on 4th February decided to appeal to the public and to the associations to maintain peace.

A person to person and association to association campaign is already taking place.

UCF,UCYF,DCPF,ICYM,CYPM ,YCS/YSM and other organizations have already issued a number of press statements for peace and communal unity. The members of these organizations are on the field applying their wisdom and skills in peace building.

We are appealing to our people to differentiate ethnic tension and acts of violence by vested interested people.

A peace meeting involving the community leaders will be held on 7th February at Dokmoka.

A youth meeting for peace will be held at Diphu on 11th February at Diphu.

Another peace venture is being planned at Hidipi involving the youth leaders of Bokajan on 11th and 12th of this month

A similar peace meeting will be held at Manja on 12th of this month to ease the tension and to bring confidence among the common people.

On 21st February a rally will be held at Sarihajan in which community leaders from different platforms will address the gathering.

It is to be mentioned that the ethnic conflict in the region has left thousands of people homeless and still thousands are in the camps. The wounds of such incidents are fresh and now we are faced with another anxious situation. May I request you all to extend your prayerful support for our endeavors for peace.

A pilgrimage to the Mountains with Moses

2006-02-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

A pilgrimage to the Mountains with Moses
Moses was the greatest educator and social reformer the people of Israel ever had. He organized a motley crowd of slave labourers into a close knit society and nation. He also gave them a law to guide them in every area of their lives. He remains even today their undisputed teacher, social reformer and above all a man of God. In what way can we learn from Moses? May be a look at some important events in the life of Moses will be helpful to us.
We see that mountains played an important part in Moses’ life. Some of his peak experiences took place on mountain tops. Some others like Abraham, Elijah, Jesus, Peter and John also had peak experiences on mountains. Climbing a mountain is a special experience for those who usually do not live on mountains. Everything looks different when you look down from the top of the mountain. You see in a new perspective, the houses, the fields, the roads and everything else. We can have something similar in our spiritual life also. We can make a journey into our inner life. It would be something like climbing a mountain. That will make us see everything in our life in a new perspective.
Through this article my endeavor is to take you to some of the peaks climbed by Moses the Man of God in the bible. So if you're willing we'll climb together. If you climb then I can promise two things that can happen to you.
Firstly you will be able to see much further. You will catch a view perhaps of some of those things which travellers in the land of the Inner Life have talked about in your hearing but you have never quite understood. Now at least you will see them for yourself.
But more importantly your climb will help you to look at the ordinary mundane world, the world you live in, the world of friends, relatives, families, work and play; from quite a different point of view. A view which will enable you to see all those ordinary things as part of a much greater, more glorious whole.
Let us return to Moses. The Bible tells us of three mountains that he climbed and how each time he climbed, he made a discovery that affected his life.
The first mountain he climbed was Horeb. (Exodus 3, 1-12)
At that time he was a young man, very unhappy and disappointed. He had seen all the persecution suffered by his people. He felt he could help. But his own people disowned him and asked him to mind his own business. Now he was a refugee. He found shelter with Jethro and became his son in law. As he grazed the sheep of his father-in-law, his soul must have been restless. The potential to be a leader which was lying dormant within his soul was struggling to realize itself. Having nobody to lead except the sheep of his father in law, he takes them up to Mount Horeb. There, on the Mountain, he has a peak experience. Moses got his vocation when he climbed the mountain.
When I make an inner journey, I am also climbing a mountain. Such inner journeys are peak experiences where I can rediscover my vocation. I have committed my self to the Lord and promised him to be a good Catholic. But, have I done anything other than follow the rut and do some routine actions all my life? Moses SAW the burning Bush and WENT to have a look at it. Then the Lord spoke to him and he RESPONDED. The divine fire hid itself in a little bush.
Our Lord conceals himself in a very ordinary congregation. Our life may look like a bush in the wilderness, a collection of dry old sticks with a few sharp prickles. If we love ourselves and our family, then we will able to SEE the Lord, who has hidden himself in it. Then we will feel compelled to GO to him. He will speak to us and give us a new a mission. It will be a second vocation for us. A call within a call, as Mother Teresa would call it. She received this call after a retreat in Darjeeling, another mountain. Every inner journey of ours is a peak experience and will give us the perceptive power to grasp the core issues of our pastoral situation.

Yahweh calls Moses to Mount Sinai.(Exodus 19: 16- 25)
God called a halt to the progress towards the Promised Land when He told Moses to come up alone into the Mountain. Perhaps Moses thought that this was to tell him about the next stages of his journey, or to give him some great further revelation of God's glory as he had seen it in the burning bush.
Well it was both these things; but it was something else as well: something which Moses had not bargained for. He was to be kept busy for the next six weeks or more writing down God's Law to deliver to the people. Imagine Moses's disappointment. He thought that the people had got beyond the need for law. They were now living under the direct inspiration of God. Everything seemed to be going so well - as far as he could see from the midst of it. Why should they need commandments now when they had got on so well without them?
The answer of course was that they hadn't. That was just wishful thinking. Those very same people whom he had been leading, under the direction of his own brother Aaron had fashioned a golden calf and started worshipping it as the god who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. If the truth were known they'd probably been doing it before Moses' back was turned, ever since they had left Egypt. The fact was that Moses, having been in the midst of the people just hadn't noticed it.
There is a curious blindness mixed with innocence when it comes to leaders actually knowing what is going on amongst those they are responsible for. Because people like Moses wanted to believe that they were doing a good job and that everyone was behaving himself, and because no doubt the people were careful about not practising their immoralities and idolatries under his nose, he really had come to believe that they weren't happening.
But it was only he was able to look down from his vantage point up Mount Sinai that he was able fully to realize the true horror, and that it was probably something which had been going on for quite a while. He saw in a blinding flash the need for commandments and rules however golden the summer of faith may be.
For the Christian experience is precisely the same. For many people who have embraced Jesus Christ as saviour and Lord there follows an immediate experience of joy and fulfilment; everything seems to come naturally, the practice of the faith is a positive pleasure. But not for long! Sooner or later there we find ourselves barking in a whole stony wilderness of Thou Shalts and Thou Shalt Nots. Some of them seem to be irrelevant, some old-fashioned, most merely tedious. And we wonder what has happened to that golden sense of purposefulness which we had so recently enjoyed. Why all these rules of a sudden? Part of the answer lies in the world we live in. We can see the world worshipping its golden calves: success, sex, fulfilment, speed, money to name but a few. We think that this is what other people do, not realising that evil isn't sterile. One can be contaminated by it just by getting too close to it. Little by little we pick up the contamination until sooner or later we too start doing things which we know in our heart of hearts to be wrong.
Here comes the need for confessions. The sacrament of Confession is not just for Big Sins or Big Sinners. It is for the ordinary Christian who has encountered the living God on the slopes of Mount Sinai, who has seen the demands which God's law makes upon people, and who, looking down into the valley of everyday life from which they have ascended this mountain of the law, realises that their everyday life falls short of the demands which God makes of us, partly by our own fault, partly by sheer contamination with the wickedness that is in the world.
The glorious path which Moses had trodden ever since his first encounter with God on Horeb had suddenly given way to the stony path of the Law; he felt down by the guilt of his associates and their treachery towards the God who had saved them; he felt his own responsibility for not observing more closely what was going wrong or dealing with it if he was aware of it.
So it was a sadder and wiser Moses who came down from the mountain, and somehow the rest of the journey thorough the wilderness never quite seemed to recapture the time of contentment. He now realized that many of the people who he had led out from their captivity didn't really believe in the Promised Land at all; or if they believed in it they neither knew nor cared whether they were getting any nearer to it. They lived solely for the present and for what was immediately satisfying.
As he looked back on his life Moses must have felt a scorching sense of disappointment.
Such a feeling often comes to Christian people as they look back on their lives and see how far their achievements have fallen short of their hopes. Despite God's providence which seems to them to be unmistakable, so few other people have come to believe in it. Moses could look back on the miraculous escape, the food and drink from heaven, the providential protection and guidance that God had given; from his chosen people God receive noting but disbelief, grousing, backbiting and faithlessness.
All of us have to face disappointments in our lives so it seems fitting to spend some time thinking about that. There are small disappointments and big ones. Sooner or later a big disappointment comes to most people.
There is of course one way of avoiding disappointment altogether - to have no hopes in the first place. But to have no hopes, to be utterly hopeless is very hell itself compared with having real hopes unfulfilled.
What hurts far more are the perfectly reasonable ambitions which people have for themselves and their children whose fulfilment is for some reason frustrated. A happy marriage gone sour, a good job ending in redundancy; a successful business killed by the recession. All of these provoke the question Why?
Rather than endlessly ask why these things we can learn something about coping with disappointments by looking at Moses.
It had been a reasonable hope for him that he would be the person who led god's people into the Promised Land. As the years passed by, however, it became more and more obvious to him that he was going to be disappointed. Although the promised Land was never very far away from them as the crow flies, Moses knew god sufficiently well to realize that it was no use trying to rush into it before the time was ripe. It was a good land, that he knew; but it was going to be impossible to capture it without God's assistance. The inhabitants were too well prepared for that.
So there was nothing for it but to wait. By now Moses was an old man. As the weeks of waiting turned into months and into years, it became ever clearer to him that he would not be alive at the time for taking possession of the Promised Land, or if alive, capable of exerting any leadership, let alone enjoying it.
Perhaps Moses asked Why? But I don't think so. The answer was to clear to need asking. Lack of faith, lack of discipline, lack of imagination had all taken their toll in the wilderness. Not all of it was his fault. But fault or not, there the matter rested.
Whether Moses felt bitter and let-down we shall never know. But we do know that towards the end of his days Moses felt the urge to climb yet one more mountain. He climbed and he climbed and as he climbed he wondered what God wished to show him this time. Another burning bush? A new law? Another vision of God himself face to face?
As he neared the top Moses scrambled up the last rocky defile to the top of the peak.
He found himself edging his way between two narrow rocks which temporarily excluded the whole view.
At the end of the path he found himself edging has way between two narrow rocks. And there at the end of the path he saw for the first time the reason for his journey.
For there, thousands of feet below him lay a sheer drop. And on every side beneath it lay the Promised land.
Turning around he could see the camp of Israel in the other valley from which he had ascended. That camp of Israel was not one hundredth part of the size of the Promised Land.
Then, more gradually came to him the realisation that this was the end of the road for him, both literally and figuratively. There was no way down from this mountaintop to the Promised Land save by returning the way he had come.
So it was certainly not going to be he who led the people to take possession of it. But this was his final assurance that the land was a real one, not just a dream, a land thousands of times bigger and better than he had ever dared to hope.

The third mountain that Moses climbed is Mount Nebo. Deut. 34, 1-8
Moses had given everything he had to bring his people out of Egypt. He faced the wrath of the Pharaoh and his army. He did the impossible by taking the people across the Red Sea. He led them through the desert for forty years. He successfully fought off the enemies who tried to block his way. He led this huge crowd of unruly slaves with great difficulty and brought them within sight of the Promised Land. Almost as if to tease him, Yahweh takes him up to Mount Nebo and shows him the Promised Land and tells him that he cannot enter it. Moses accepts the will of Yahweh. Was Moses disappointed and frustrated? From the easy relationship that he had with Yahweh, he must have accepted Yahweh’s plan with grace. This was the last mountain that Moses climbed and it was certainly his last peak experience.
This experience of Moses makes me ask myself, “How often in the course of my life am I made to climb Mount Nebo?” Most of us have our own moments of disappointments and frustrations. In spite of giving everything we have, and after much sincere and hard work, we are often let down. We do not see the fruit of our labour. At these moments of frustration we are on the top of Mount Nebo. We are not the only ones who were there. We will find on Mount Nebo the footprints of almost all the small and great people. If Moses the great leader of Israelites had to climb Mount Nebo why should we hesitate to do so? The Cross on Mount Golgotha was the Mount Nebo of Jesus. Every person who desires to follow the Lord has to learn to climb Mount Nebo frequently in life and accept that fact as gracefully as Moses did.
If I want to be a good Christian then I have to make in inner journey to the top of Mountains everyday. I have to meet my Master face to face and be in constant communion with him. It is from him that I will get the blue print for my action plan. Everyday I must make the arduous journey up the mountain to meet the Master and get his orders.

God gives us no excuses but grace

2006-02-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

God gives us no excuses but grace

The other day I was counseling someone who had been battling with a particular area of sin for years. At one point in the conversation this person said, in some real anguish, "But surely God must know that I cannot change this!" In that brief sentence he revealed both the root of his problem and its ultimate solution.

This man wanted God to be merciful to him, but it was clear in that conversation that he thought God's mercy would have to come in the form of an exception: Yes, it is wrong to do this, but God will just have to excuse me for it, make an exception in my case, because I cannot change.

At least he was not choosing the more radical solution, a solution all too popular today, which goes something like this: No mater how hard I try, I cannot seem to conquer this area of sin. And a lot of other people are just like me. We are good-hearted, try to be decent, make efforts not to (fill in the blank with your own favorite unconquerable sin), but cannot master this problem. Therefore, it must not really be wrong. Or at least, it isn't wrong for me.

No, this man was not taking that fatal turn in the road, but he was just the same surrendering to sin. His surrender did not involve a complete redefinition of sin, but it did give up a part of his life to the power of sin. He realized that he did not have the strength to defeat this sin, so, in the place of obedience to God, he would offer his excuses ("I am too weak.!")

Haven't we all found ourselves in this same position at least once in our life? Haven't we all encountered the strength of sin in such a way that we finally cry out, "Surely God must know that I cannot change this?" Anyone who has sincerely decided to follow the Lord and live a life of righteousness has encountered the overpowering mastery of sin, and in that encounter discovered as well his or her own weakness.

Well then, isn't that a pretty good excuse? "The problem is not with me, everyone else has failed too. Let's face it, even thought we do our best, and on the whole live a pretty decent life, we are just going to have areas where we have to accept that we can't avoid sin. In the place of complete obedience God will have to accept some sin, for which we have a pretty good excuse".

When I was a child, lives of saints were pretty popular among Catholic kids (and Catholics in general). Those people were amazing. I admired them greatly, but the flickers of holy zeal to be just like them were quickly snuffed out by my almost daily failures to live a holy life. I admired them, but I could not be like them, because I just wasn't like them. Somehow, they managed to get born, or raised, or something, without the weakness I had. God does not accept excuses; he give grace. But if we resist the temptation to abandon the struggle, if we refuse to make excuses for our sin and instead repent each time and ask God for grace, then God in his mercy will make us holy.

The holiness we seek does not consist of human perfection or strength of will. It is a gift of God, a share of his own nature,, a union with him that only he can produce. It is as far above and beyond our best efforts to obey and live righteously as the heavens are above the earth. Nothing that we can do and no effort that we can make is sufficient to produce true holiness. Only God can do that.

Let Love be Love

2006-02-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Let Love be Love
Love. It's such a general word, one that's hard to really get a handle on, and yet it is a word we toss around quite a lot. We confess that love is foundational to our belief about God. But what does love really consist of? What is the sort of love our faith calls us to? We know that we are commanded to love. The greatest commandment, according to Jesus, is all about love. He says we are to love God and love our neighbor, and that we are to go even further and even love our enemies. But if we are honest about it all we know how very difficult these teachings are and how inadequately we live them out. We know what a struggle it is sometimes just to love our intimates, let alone our enemies.

Love means having to say you're sorry a lot. It requires a continual attitude of repentance, having the humility to recognize when we've wronged someone and having the courage to admit it and ask for forgiveness.
It is not something that happens automatically, because it is very hard sometimes, and even painful, to admit that we've done someone wrong. And yet it is one of those things that can unleash amazing transformation, not only in our interpersonal relationships, but in our public forums as well.

Authentic love is about being willing to acknowledge the wounds. Until we can be truthful about the wounds, those we have suffered and those we have inflicted, then we can only have superficial or even destructive relationships. Genuine and life-giving relationships are those that have found a way to face the brokenness and the hurt and moved through them to find a deeper, more sacred bond.

Are you a faithful servant

2006-02-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

Are you a faithful servant
Ponder the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25. Three servants were given talents (money) to manage while the master went on a journey. Two of the servants doubled their master’s money, while the third dug a hole in the ground and buried his talent. The master, upon his return, praised the two diligent servants but called the third "wicked and lazy." We are to exploit the gifts that God has given us for His glory.

Out of love for Our Lord, we need to be good and faithful servants. In a practical sense, this is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling opportunities offered to us by the Lord. He even promises to give us the wherewithal to accomplish it. Phillipians 4:13 reminds us, "I have strength for everything through him who empowers me." So God gives us the opportunity to serve Him by endowing us with tangible, palpable gifts and then empowering us through the Holy Spirit to use them for His glory. What a great deal.

This is such a wonderful, universal principle. No matter what your walk in life, no matter who you are or where you are, God wants you. My roles in life are many and varied, and include being a Christian, priest, Jesus youth, member of the Diocese etc.

This is the critical issue: we need to transform our everyday actions into supernatural gifts to God out of love for Him. Even if we have poor skills in a particular area, we can still do our best. For example, I can’t sing to save my life. Yet at Mass each week, I’ll give it the old college try. The Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to help various Catholic apostolates with these skills.

I know so many people who make a tremendous difference not only in what they do, but how they do it. This is another opportunity to grow in love for Our Lord. I think of how people deal with children these days. Do you notice how people tend to treat kids as liabilities rather than assets? People who have a tremendous amount of patience with children are wonderful witnesses to our society. Our children have so much potential, and can be taught to glorify God with their gifts each step of the way.

Let’s recognize that we all have equal standing before God. Rocket scientists don’t get into heaven any quicker than the rest of us. No matter what our social, economic or hereditary standing, we all have equal intrinsic value. God simply wants us to do the best we can with what we have been given. If you’re elderly and retired, your prayer life might be the gift you are to exercise at this time. If you’re a young mother, perhaps it’s loving your children and meeting their physical and emotional needs. Our gifts and the needs we are presented with are dynamic. The purpose is consistent — do it for the glory of God.

Remember, the goal is not to be afraid of approaching the Lord on our day of judgment. We all want to hear the phrase, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come, share your Master’s joy." By properly using our talents, whatever they may be, we can not only look forward to a life of fulfillment but an eternity of joy.

A first aid kit

2006-02-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

A first aid kit

A first aid kit is a very important thing to have around. We should all have a first aid kit in our home, in our work place, and in our car. What are some of the things you might expect to find in a first aid kit? Usually, there are some cotton balls to use to clean a wound. There should be a spray or ointment to kill germs so the wound won’t get infected. There may be another spray or ointment that is good for burns. And, of course, there should be bandages to put on the injury to keep it clean.

The Bible is a lot like a first aid kit. It has the answer to all of the hurts that we have in our life.
If we get into a scrape, the Bible has the answer.
If someone makes a cutting remark and it really hurts us, the Bible has the answer.
If we have a burning question and just don’t know what to do, the Bible has the answer. It is important to have God’s first aid kit and to know how to use it.
The Bible says, “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Knowing how to use God’s first aid kit will save your life! Have any doubt on this, open the kit and you will be convinced.

Priests, give them their due!

2006-02-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

Priests, give them their due!

During the past few years, there has been much public criticism of priests in several parts of the world. Their faults and weaknesses have been laid bare for the world to see. I believe that, overwhelmed by our weaknesses, we are in danger of missing the essential beauty of our Church. And we are in danger of missing the faith, courage and generosity, which continue to animate the hearts of so many of our priests. It is time, I believe, to say a word of encouragement to them.

We are undergoing a time of gut-wrenching transition, and this transition threatens to skew our perspectives. Some even wonder about encouraging future vocations. A few who hesitate are our priests themselves. Many of the laity struggle with competing images in their heads: the idealized priest of only a few years ago vs. today’s portrayal of the flawed, broken cleric. It might appear that the days of affirming our priests are over.

While it is certainly true that our priests have unique and grace-filled vocations, the sometimes subtle, or not-so-subtle, expectation is that we want them to be better. We want them to be shining examples of a life of virtue. We want to put our hope in them. It is as if we are saying, "Look at these men, these priests. They are our hope." What is left unspoken and lies underneath are the statements "We do not want them to be like ourselves" and "We do not want them to be sinners like us."

Occasionally, there are times when our hopes are fulfilled. As in secular life, we sometimes see examples of shining virtue. I recall one man, a priest, who was such an example. The classic Christian phrases apply: selfless giver, tireless worker, gentle priest. If he had any faults, I never saw them. Rather, I saw a man who touched the hearts of many. He was a friend to all, and it seemed as if the entire region knew him by name. They thought of him as their pastor. He is a good man, in every sense of the word, and an exemplary priest.

During one of my visits to the parish together with a man who has come on a social service project monitoring mission, I was touched by the remarks made by him. He said, what motivates this priest to stay in this jungle. (This priest is staying in a new mission, three years back the HSM sisters also started a convent here). There is no electricity, no phone, the house is made of bamboo and hay and how to live here without all these minimum facilities. Is it because he is from a poor family that he decided to be here, is it because there is so much of over population and unemployment that he has decided to become a priest and live here. When I told him about the family background he was surprised and could not believe me. And I told him that the motivation for this priest is Christ and his message.

During the past 7 years, during my stay in Bishop’s House I have come to love our priests, as I have come to love our Church, even more. While aware of their weaknesses, I marvel at the faith that sustains them and the goodness that gives them the will to reach out to others in need, despite their own limitations. The mission of the Church continues through them.

A prayer for priests
(Translated from Spanish-language)
Poor priests, Lord, help them.
Sick priests, Lord, heal them.
Older priests, Lord, give them happiness and hope.
Sad and afflicted priests, Lord, console them.
Anguished priests, Lord, give them Your peace.
Priests who are in crisis, Lord, show them Your way.
Calumniated and persecuted priests, Lord, defend their cause.
Lukewarm priests, Lord, inflame them with the fire of Your grace.
Depressed priests, Lord, give them new spirit.
Those inspired to the priesthood, Lord, give them perseverance.
To all Your priests, Lord, give them fidelity to You and Your Church.
In a special way, I pray for those who through whom I have received Your grace: the priest who baptized me; those who have absolved my sins, reconciling me with You and Your Church; those in whose Masses I have participated and who have given me Your body and blood; those who have taught me Your Word and those who have helped me to follow You; for those who have been guides to me, and for the one who will accompany me in the last moments of my life.
Oh Jesus, by the merits of Your holy infancy, make them priests according to Your heart. Amen

Give strength and Hope

2006-02-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

Give strength and Hope

We are fellow travelers on an uncertain road, but we must lend one another strength and hope. There are very few things in this world that I know to be true. One of them is that violence ALWAYS begets violence. Another true thing is that we ALWAYS have choices.

During the last violent days of our region 90% of the victims were civilians, innocent people... children, women, men, the elderly. These were people living their daily lives, working, playing, raising families, studying; the people we met and stayed with as we walked across Karbi Anglong. And as were people, like my friend, on his way to his paddy field, or the sleeping children in villages when their houses were set on fire, or the young girls going out to fetch water who ran to the jungle to save their lives. People have suffered because the violence is self-sustaining. Violence and its justifications have become a high art, a mechanism based on greed and fear that has created a far more dangerous world than we knew years ago.

Terrible things happen to us over which we have no control. Tsunamis, earthquakes, famines, floods, hurricanes and diseases all occur and we cannot stop them. All governments have created wars which kill and destroy the lives of innocent people. No government is guiltless. As individuals we cannot stop wars either.

Feelings of anger and profound sadness, which like the sun, arise and over which we have no control. But we still do have a choice about what we do with those feelings. Anger and sadness can both destroy life. Rather than being angry after several ethnic violent incidents during the past few years, I was in danger of being lost in hopelessness and despair because of the sadness I felt. We can lash out against those people and forces we think are to blame for our pain or we can be consummed by our pain. Either way the suffering continues.

I have chosen to speak to the world about the unthinkable horrors of violence. The people of our place must understand what violence actually do to people. We must never forget what happened here in our midst. We should also know the continued blaming for the wrongs we have done to one another will never lead us out of the terrible round of death and destruction that, in fact, threatens to destroy us. So, we each have a responsibility and a choice not only to choose to remember what has happened in the past and to understand the causes, but also, and more importantly, to choose to go beyond retribution and to seek a non-violent path in the future.

We must remember that what harms one of us, harms all of us. We must begin to act as members of the community of humankind rather than like members of different communities and associations with different agendas. We must ask first who pays for and who suffers from whatever decision we make.

We must choose leaders who will think about who will be harmed by the decisions they make, not only about who will benefit. We must not be silent when we see harm being done. We must not doubt our ability to open the hearts and minds of people to the fact that we can choose peaceful solutions in all our problems and challenges. And above all WE, each of us, in every moment, must choose peace and not violence.

Lest we forget our people in the relief camps

2006-02-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

Lest we forget our people in the relief camps
A Press Statement from DCPF
The most tragic aspect of the situation in Karbi Anglong today is a growing ruthless approach to human suffering. There are thousands of men, women, children who are in our relief camps and even those who have returned to their villages have a bleak future. These persons are the most vulnerable populations in our region. Rehabilitation of these communities should be an immediate priority.
The response to refugees is often spotty, they enjoy no dedicated resource stream, no patronage among associations or parties and no formal system of legal rights even. However, our regional communities should apply the concept of “responsibility to protect” the displaced people and the refugees. This suggests that a government can claim sovereignty only if it protects human life and human rights. We have the right and responsibility to intervene in these situations without delay. Let me give an example, the children who are affected have not gone to the school, most of the schools in our region have opened but thousands of children still stay in the camps. Hence, beyond the moral and humanitarian imperatives, the community has a strategic interest in intervening in cases of mass internal displacement. Assisting these sections in our society and working on permanent solutions for them is a preventive step to promote regional stability.
The question now before us is how to translate that commitment into action. One way to do this is to apply the guiding principles on internal displacement. They all have the rights of other citizens and also should enjoy socio-economic rights, such as the right to education, housing, and health care.etc.
Equally important, there needs to be more political pressure insisting that senior policymakers address the root causes of displacement. Finally, even if we improve the architecture of response, there is still the question of whether there is sincerity of will to act. A monitoring cell for the displaced people and refugees could be set up by the government departments, NGOs, private citizens, student and religious groups and other institutions to serve as a reference point for better rehabilitation.
Tom Mangattuthazhe
(Joint Secretary, DCPF)

The Diphu Diocesan Youth Peace Awards

2006-01-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

The Diphu Diocesan Youth Peace Awards
The Diphu Diocesan Youth Peace Awards honor worthy young people who embody the “Six Pillars of Character” — trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. The Awards program is conceived to recognize those whose lives and achievements demonstrate an enduring commitment to any or all of the following qualities associated with good character:
· Uncompromising integrity and courage demonstrated by a willingness to do the right thing despite social pressures or personal risk.
· Generosity of spirit and a willingness for self-sacrifice in devotion to helping others.
· Community service in working for the common good.
· Perseverance and inner strength enabling the young person to overcome physical, financial or other difficulties.
We have presented three awards to our youth, they were presented during our Diocesan youth convention held recently.
The percipients of the award are:
Mr.Borsali Teron: For his outstanding work during the ethnic conflicts in the region especially in peace building and relief works even to the extent of risking his life for the cause of peace.
Mr.John Phangcho: A trained peace activist who has led several youth to relief and rehabilitation works during the ethnic conflicts in the region.
Mr.Augustine Teron: A media activist who has addressed peace and related issues through the powerful use of local media.
All these three displayed extraordinary courage, disciple and above all total dedication, they are jewels of our youth and symbolize the heroes of our time who stood against the tide of violence, MAY THIS BREED GROW MORE.

Understanding God’s will in our life

2006-01-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

Understanding God’s will in our life
What is God's will for our life? Many desire to do God's will, but struggle because they don't know what God's will is. At times when you don't find a clear direction it can be very confusing and frustrating. God gave Moses the burning bush, he showed his will to Gideon with the fleece, and he spoke to Saul with thunder and lightening. When he does this for us, it's easy to understand God's guidance. But he seldom does it this way. To truly find God's will for our life we often must step into prayer with ardent faith. This can be scary, but we need to realize God is there beside us and he will not allow us to stray as long as we trust in him. Proverbs 3:6 promises us, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Psalm 37:23 tells us, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord...." And Isaiah 30:21 informs us, "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." God's word plainly is saying that God will help us find his direction, but how does he do it?
Prayer is not so easy. We ask, we seek, we wait, we hope, and we yearn to hear from God. Yet, many times, what we ask for does not come to pass and our prayers seem to be spoken into the void. Sometimes our short sightedness causes us to pray outside the will of God, and that is the problem. We can learn this from the life of Jesus. When Jesus was praying in Luke 22:42, in the Garden of Gesthemene, He asked the Father, "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.” Jesus did not want to go through the ordeal of the crucifixion and He asked the Father for a way out. His prayer was not answered the way Jesus requested. Nevertheless, He submitted His will to the will of the Father, and that is the key to our life, in living our life according to His will.

God’s will in our life

2006-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

God’s will in our life
God's chosen are those who are willing to live the way of Our Lord, answer the call of "Follow Me", and see the cross as the ultimate symbol of victory, rather than the worldly sign of suffering and defeat.

Many times God's greatest lessons come from unexpected places. However, God will not take us farther or faster than He sees fit. Sometimes, especially during the early stages of our growing determination, He will have us take a mis-step. He may try our determination in order to strengthen our dependence on Him and so we do not fall into the trap of thinking we are doing something in our own strength. He may do this at different times along the way so we do not become complacent or self-satisfied.

God allows crises in order to draw us close to Him. God, the Creator of All and from whose hand all is delivered, creates those situations where we have no choice. These situations are called necessity. Out of necessity He gives us the chance to make a virtue, the greatest virtue of all: the humble and sincere acceptance of His holy will. All we need to do can be expressed by a silently spoken, THY WILL BE DONE.

THE COST OF ETHNIC CONFLICT IN KARBI ANGLONG

2006-01-25T05:41:00.000-08:00

THE COST OF ETHNIC CONFLICT IN KARBI ANGLONG
1. Social Consequences
The social consequences of the clashes were enormous and cannot be easily quantified, especially the psycho-social ones. Most of the victims of these clashes were left homeless, landless, destitute, injured, dead, abused, to mention but a few of the atrocities resulting from the menace. The immediate and real consequence of the clashes was felt most at personal and family level. There was loss of security in the clash-prone areas as the civilians took the law into their own hands, targeting perceived enemies. As a result of insecurity, there was indiscriminate loss of human life. Many people sustained physical injuries and others were traumatized.
Interruption of schooling/education
As a result of the clashes, thousands of school going children were displaced. Some dropped out due to the financial and socio-economic constraints attributed to the menace.
Both the students and teachers belonging to the `enemy' ethnic groups were forced to leaved the district transfer to other schools while others abandoned schooling and teaching respectively.
Battlefields were once the domain of militant/insurgent groups whose almost universal code of conduct was to protect civilians, especially women and children. Yet the exact opposite has become common. As a result, civilians make up more than 90 percent of casualties. Tragically, many of these are children. Children face a further threat from emotional and mental damage. Most of these Children suffer psychological trauma as a result of horrifying experiences.
Even those youngsters who did not witness violence or lose family members, suffer the disruption of their normal lives as schools close, friends disperse, and their homes come under fire. In the short-term, children may stop speaking and become emotionally withdrawn. Some are permanently changed. The results can be loss of trust, aggressive behavior and tendency toward revenge, which, in time, may manifest in another cycle of violence
The clashes prevented some of the graduates from continuing with higher education and training because of financial constraints. Apart from the pupils losing their text and exercise books and uniforms, they often went hungry and often fell sick because of food insecurity and poor living conditions in the makeshift camps and schools.
Sickness
The grossly inadequate water supply and sanitation facilities, coupled with overcrowding, made these camps ideal conditions for major outbreaks of communicable diseases such as jaundice, typhoid, upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, chicken pox and other related diseases.
There is no official estimate of the number of internally displaced persons. Most information is found in local newspapers, while objective research in terms of assessing the magnitude of conflict-induced displacement in the region is yet to be executed by governmental or non-governmental agencies.
A large number of the displaced have been received by relatives or stay in relief camps. Information concerning the living conditions of the internally displaced is extremely scarce. The displaced population also faces acute poverty as their livelihoods were largely destroyed during the conflicts. Many of the displaced live in public buildings and makeshift shelters, with little health care and no access to formal education.
2. Economic consequences of the clashes
The total economic impact of the clashes in the affected areas is literally unquantified and not easy to assess. There was gigantic waste of human and economic resources
In a state of insecurity agricultural activities were disrupted. In most cases, rice, maize, ginger and other crops were either destroyed or abandoned because of the widespread violence caused by the clashes. In most of these areas work on agricultural land stopped for a long time as farm workers stayed away for fear of being attacked by the `clashing enemies'.
There are other subsequent economic problems related to the clashes such as food insecurity, destruction of property, loss of livestock.
As a result of the clashes, thousands of families lost a lot of personal and household possessions as their houses, granaries, farms, shops and other premises went down in flames.

Peace is Possible in Karbi Anglong

2006-01-25T05:33:00.000-08:00

Peace is Possible in Karbi Anglong
To everyone we affirm that peace is possible. It needs to be implored from God as his gift, but it also needs to be built day by day with his help, through works of justice and love.
To be sure, the problems which make the path to peace difficult and often discouraging are many and complex, but peace is a need deeply rooted in the heart of every man and woman. The will to seek peace must not therefore be allowed to weaken. This seeking must be based on the awareness that humanity, however much marred by hatred, and violence, is a single family. This plan needs to be recognized and carried out through the search for harmonious relationships between individuals and peoples, in a culture where openness, the promotion of the human person, and respect for the world of nature are shared by all.
In Karbi Anglong we have been sorely tried by an endless and horrifying sequence of conflicts and "ethnic cleansings" which have caused unspeakable suffering: thousands of victims, families are destroyed, an ocean of refugees, misery, hunger, disease, underdevelopment, and the loss of immense resources. At the root of so much suffering there lies a logic of supremacy fueled by the desire to dominate and exploit others, or totalitarian utopias, or crazed nationalisms.
The future bequeaths to us above all else a warning: violence is often the cause of further conflicts and violence because they fuel deep hatreds, create situations of injustice, and trample upon people's dignity and rights.
Violence does not resolve the problems for which they are fought and therefore, in addition to causing horrendous damage, they prove ultimately futile. Violence is a defeat for humanity. Only in peace and through peace can respect for human dignity and its inalienable rights be guaranteed. We cannot of course foresee the future. But we can set forth one certain principle: there will be peace only to the extent that humanity as a whole rediscovers its fundamental calling to be one family, a family in which the dignity and rights of individuals-whatever their status, race, or religion-are accepted as prior and superior to any kind of difference or distinction.

A call to be Good Samaritans

2006-01-25T05:31:00.000-08:00

A call to be Good Samaritans
Tolstoy, the famous Russian writer, was approached by a man in need asking for help. Like many writers of books in those days, he failed to find anything in his pockets. Turning to the man in need he said: Brother, if I had anything with which I could relieve you of your need, I would have given it to you. With a big smile the man in need turned to Tolstoy and said: You have given me more than I expected. You called me brother.
If you join hands with many others to keep that smile on the faces of those children and their folks in our relief camps, we will continue to endeavor to protect the hope in the minds and hearts of our brothers, while praying and endeavoring to hasten the coming of that morn when God in His mercy will dawn upon us with peace and justice and people no more learn the art of war.
The Good Samaritan story is well known to all of us. It came as a response to the questioning of that expert on Jewish law on the issue of inheriting eternal life.
Jesus could have shortened the debate by telling him: You may inherit your parents look their business, wealth etc but eternal life is a gift from God to all who believe in God’s Son. However this was not the case. Christ wanted us to remember that the human family may be formed of three parties with three different goals and agendas.
1st The Robber whose motto in life is: what is yours is mine2nd The Priest and the Levites: what is mine is mine3rd The Samaritan: what is mine is yours
To become like the Samaritan, three things are required: Courage to identify, humility in giving a hand, and a gracious and generous heart.
We are told of a person finding his way back home from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he is not only robbed of all of his belongings; he is seriously injured and left to die on the side-walk. We are not informed of the identity of either of them, nor are they given names. It could be anyone!!!
Some in this world have no other business but to rob and injure, to humiliate and kill. Their motto is: What is yours is mine. They rob you of your belongings, of your identity, of your human-rights, of your home and resources, and to do this destroy what is yours, injure and kill and leave you homeless, half-dead on the side-road of the lives of many. Such is the situation in which we find ourselves in these days robbed of all, including the hope for life with freedom and dignity.
Now I am sure no one among us wishes to be counted among the robbers whose business is to go on taking what is not theirs.
The second party is, in my opinion, no better, whose motto is: What is mine is mine. Such a party that cares less for the pains of others; does not have the readiness to identify; has no time for others. They go on doing their business and are so selfish to the point of losing sight of the world around them.
This is true of a good majority in our region. Otherwise, how can we explain the tragic situation we are in: the hungry, the refugees, the homeless, the sick, and the oppressed.
To be among those who say: What is yours is mine, is bad enough. To continue to say: What is mine is mine is a catastrophe!
In our situation, we have witnessed several people: our leaders who came on cosmetic visits. We saw them rushing from one camp to another. But no time for the Living Stones who were left half dead in the camps. The excuse was: We have no time. The situation is complicated and too hot to handle. After all we are on a vacation, why be bothered. I hope and pray that less and less people be counted as members of this party. The world will be a safer and happier place if and when we learn to share and to bear.
And this brings us to the third party represented by the Samaritan whose motto was: What is mine is yours.
That is what Jesus was and is. He even did more than all of us can do. He gave His life for us so that we may have life-eternal.
The Samaritan, we are told, did not check on the identity of the man left half-dead. He cared less whether his fortune will be the same. He had both the will and the courage, and what is more he had the humility to bow down and lift up the injured and later cover the expense.
What a different world we will have, here and there, and anywhere, should many become members of this party. The three requirements: courage, humility and gracious generosity may change the course of human history in Karbi Anglong.
What is yours is mine will take us nowhere except make us more egocentric and selfish.What is mine is yours is the call to us Christians if we mean business with Christ and His mission in the world.
May God enable us to be the good Samaritans.

LORD WE NEED PEACE IN OUR REGION

2006-01-25T05:28:00.000-08:00

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1: 78-79

LORD WE NEED PEACE IN OUR REGION

Lord Jesus,
we are gathered here in your presence, in the midst of a world troubled by great anxieties,
in the midst of a world warped by violence and injustice which generate despair and hate, bitterness and revenge.

Oh Prince of Peace, we come to You with a spirit of humble prayer faced with the sufferings and hopes of the dear people of Karbi Anglong and N.C.Hills, so that the love of charity may bring forth the fruit of peace, and guarantee and consolidate harmony between peoples.

Lord Jesus, crucified God, today we ask you to light up our hearts and invigorate our faith, because we urgently need to create with greater strength so that we may proclaim, without giving up, that peace is possible, always and everywhere above all we need to be fully convinced ourselves in order to help the understanding that all human beings are our brothers and sisters¡ even if they behave like enemies, and that we will never be happy if we are against each other, because there is no peace without justice and no justice without love and forgiveness. Never should the future of our region be based on violence or on its logic.

Oh Jesus, who is present in the poor and needy, we must keep watch over peace with the eyes of the Good Samaritan so that consciences do not give in to the temptation of power nor to the ambition of predominance, nor succumb to deception and violence, which disrupt coexistence between the children of God. Convert our hearts and imbue them with the fire of Your Love. Inspire our charity so that we may be the builders of Your Peace! Amen

Seek Peace and Pursue It

"Anyone who wants to have a happy life and to enjoy prosperity…must never yield to evil but must practice good; he must seek peace and pursue it." (1 Peter 3:10, 11)

1) The Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments urges us to seek peace and pursue it. Therefore, we pray continuously and strive persistently for peace.
2) We raise the voice of conscience against all evil, oppression, and domination; we call upon all the communities in Karbi Anglong to make a concerted effort to put an end to violence.
3) We call for peace for all people, near and far. We wish to live in peace with all our communities and our desire is for a life of freedom, dignity, and equality.
4) As long as parties, associations, persons continue practices of rumours and hatred it will reap only fear, anxiety, and the lack of security. The power of weapons will not bring lasting peace.
5) We strongly censure the distortion of the image of our people, portraying them as enemies of peace. We strive to establish lasting peace based on justice and righteousness.
6) As we continue to live in steadfastness, we will hold on to our genuine principles. We will continue to bring up our new generations on the values of love, faith and compassion, encouraging them to realize the importance of striving for justice and righteousness.
7) Our dependence is always on God, the source of our strength, and in whom we place our trust. We turn our face to God with whom we labor to achieve justice and peace in our land.
8) We will continue to act and pray, and to appeal to all our friends everywhere to support us, to continue to act tirelessly, until peace prevails and security is realized.

Declaration of UCF Joint Commitment to Peace
Gathered here in Diphu Baptist Church, we have reflected together on peace, a gift of God and a common good of all mankind. Although we belong to different Christian traditions, we affirm that building peace requires loving one's neighbour in obedience to the Golden Rule: Do to others what you would have them do to you. With this conviction, we will work tirelessly in the great enterprise of building peace.
1. We commit ourselves to proclaiming our firm conviction that violence is incompatible with the authentic Spirit of religion, and, as we reject every recourse to violence, we commit ourselves to doing everything possible to eliminate the root causes of it.
2. We commit ourselves to educating people to mutual respect and esteem, in order to help bring about a peaceful and fraternal coexistence between people of different ethnic groups, cultures, and religions.
3. We commit ourselves to fostering the culture of dialogue, so that there will be an increase of understanding and mutual trust between individuals and among peoples, for these are the premises of authentic peace.
4. We commit ourselves to defending the right of everyone to live a decent life in accordance with their own cultural identity, and to form freely a family of their own.
5. We commit ourselves to frank and patient dialogue, refusing to consider our differences as an insurmountable barrier, but recognizing instead that to encounter the diversity of others can become an opportunity for greater reciprocal understanding.
6. We commit ourselves to forgiving one another for past and present errors and prejudices, and to supporting one another in a common effort both to overcome selfishness and arrogance, hatred and violence, and to learn from the past that peace without justice is no true peace.
7. We commit ourselves to taking the side of the poor and the helpless, to speaking out for those who have no voice and to working effectively to change these situations, out of the conviction that no one can be happy alone.
8. We commit ourselves to taking up the cry of those who refuse to be resigned to violence and evil, and we desire to make every effort possible to offer the men and women of our time real hope for justice and peace.
9. We commit ourselves to encouraging all efforts to promote friendship between peoples, for we are convinced that, in the absence of solidarity and understanding between peoples, technological progress exposes the word to a growing risk of destruction and death.
10. We commit ourselves to urging the leaders of our governments to make every effort to create and consolidate, on the national and regional levels, a world of solidarity and peace based on justice.
We, as persons of different Christian traditions, will tirelessly proclaim that peace and justice are inseparable, and that peace in justice is the only path which humanity can take towards a future of hope. In a world with ever more shrinking distances, and better relations, we are convinced that security, freedom, and peace will never be guaranteed by force but by mutual trust.
May God bless these our resolutions and grant justice and peace to our region.

Declaration of DCPF

2006-01-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

Declaration of DCPF

We have a simple message to the world from this movement for Peace.
We want to live and love and build a just and peaceful society.
We want for our children, as we want for ourselves, our lives at home, at work, and at play to be lives of joy and Peace.
We recognize that to build such a society demands dedication, hard work, and courage.
We recognize that there are many problems in our society which are a source of conflict and violence.
We recognize that every bullet fired and every exploding bomb make that work more difficult.
We reject the use of the bomb and the bullet and all the techniques of violence.
We dedicate ourselves to working with our neighbours, near and far, day in and day out, to build that peaceful society in which the tragedies we have known are a bad memory and a continuing warning.

Following the above declaration, DCPF has been initiating a series of discussion at various levels of the society. Different levels of society affected
by the peace process are the following.

1. National and Regional organisations

Political institutions eg national & regional governments
official political parties and unofficial paramilitary organisations.
Churches

2. Economic organisations

Private sector enterprises and representatives
Public sector services and utilities including health and higher education
Unions

3. Communities

Local councils
Schools
Cultural organisations
Community organisations
Local communities and neighbourhoods

4. Personal lives

Families and friends
Individuals

Each of these levels offers an avenue for the peace process - together they represent many paths to peace. Growing points already exist at all these levels.

Despite continuing problems in the peace talks and in some local areas I discovered far more positive people, situations and processes than I expected, even at the peak of anger and hatred.

These are some of the "growing points" or seeds of peace I have found so far. They are based on personal discussions and observations. These situations are untypical of many stereotypes about life in Karbi Anglong. They probably represent only a small proportion of people, but their actions as catalysts or facilitators in the peace process are highly significant - pioneers of hope:

Individuals: Individuals with courage to break taboos and offer help or make friendships with neighbours across recent divides. Some of these had survived multiple traumas and bereavements and reached a point where they seemed immune to political or physical threat. Their cheerfulness, calmness and courage seem to be respected by both sides in their communities.

Families getting on with life, actively involved in community and cultural activities, supporting injured or traumatised relatives and friends.

Communities: Communities exercising great restraint and retaining dignity when faced with threats that would not enter into dialogue.

Initiatives conducted with dignity and minimum provocation, except for lack of dialogue with residents in some areas.

Residents’ group leaders controlling protests with tact and authority to control potential disruption by distressed or subversive individuals.

Local leaders working in new, inclusive partnerships.

Community support organizations: Local religious leaders and groups working for peace and reconciliation, and running ecumenical projects, especially for young people. The terrific response of health and community workers and volunteers.

Economic organizations: Businessmen who see the mutual importance of the peace process and economic growth. Unions maintaining a social justice agenda over political and religious differences.

These people and initiatives seem to represent many potential growth points in community relations and the peace process. But they are rarely acknowledged in the media or in political debates.

Who is our threat?

2006-01-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

Who is our threat?
By
Tom Mangattuthazhe
(Joint Secretary, DCPF)
All this is our responsibility. Every child wasting away under his mother's powerless gaze. Every innocent citizen blown up by or crushed by revenge. We people in every stratum of society live in and are part of an ecosystem of terror. We know the lies propagated by the media, law enforcement and even our own governments. We know that the concepts of equality and fairness are actually only commodities distributed by the institutions of capital.
Karbi Anglong today is caught in a paroxysm of violent upheaval. In order to contain and lessen the chaotic spiral of carnage and bloodshed, we must make a commitment to peace. I'm not sure that there should be one set of expectations, however. All of us have a different view of the world, but I would like to put forward the following universal ideas as the rules of fair treatment that I personally would like to live by:
First, I cannot be free while my neighbor is wearing chains.
Second, I cannot know happiness while others are forced to live in despair.
Third, I cannot know health if diseases and famine thrive outside my door.
And last, but not least, I cannot expect to know peace if violence rides forward under my flag and with my consent.
I believe the institution of these simple statements would halt the rampant onslaught of the innocent people in whose numbers many of us are counted. Murdered and enslaved people and children, no matter what their color or gender or faith, suffer because of our failings.
How do we know that someone is our enemy? This is the first question we must answer. Who poses a threat to us? Who hates us to the degree that they are ready to do us harm? Who has contempt for our security and peace of mind? For many people, the answer is quick and easy. It's the secret group or radical who whips up the masses into a frenzy of hatred for one another.
I would push this definition even further, however. Not only are those who plot against us the enemy, but any assassin, any murderer is our enemy. We represent civilization and sophistication, while they stand for chaos. We cannot say that murder is wrong only within our borders or if committed against our citizens. He has to be because once we accept, condone or excuse the wrongful death of any human being, we have negated our own right to expect justice and respect.
Our enemies are the lawless dregs of a world gone half-mad. It doesn't matter if they feel in their hearts that the crimes they commit are somehow justified. It doesn't matter if they are exonerated by their peers or religious leaders or by the moral interpretation of some government official. Murder in our realm is wrong, and anyone committing this crime is The Enemy of mankind--no exceptions allowed.
The Enemy is the same to all people. He is not a soldier, a law unto himself, or, sadly, unknown among our own number. He lives here among us and over there with them. He is a man, or woman, who has denied the common morality accepted by people everywhere in the world. He is not just my enemy, but the Enemy of everyone, everywhere. If you accept this argument, then identifying those with whom we are allied is simple and straightforward: Our allies are those who do not accept murder, terror and assassination as valid political discourse.
Our enemies are all persons involved in causing the death of others--either actively or from a consciously passive posture--for political, nationalistic or economic ends. If Osama bin Laden ordered the deaths of the Americans in the tragedy of September 11, then he is The Enemy. Human life is sacred. The death of innocent children is not "collateral damage." The death of children is the murder of innocents. And if we commit these murders, then we are also the Enemy of civilization.
The entire population are our neighbors, our fellow human beings. It is paramount that we make peace with them if it is at all possible. And not peace on our terms, but a just and equitable peace.
The problems that we face today cannot be solved by superior strength alone. We must use our hearts if we want to face the hatred confronting us. And we must be able to look critically at our own actions and motivations if we want to understand our enemies. We must remember, the only true defense is peace

Peace through community movement

2006-01-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

Peace through community movement
Agri Expo
By
Jirsong Asong
A Press Statement
Karbi Anglong is endowed with fertile agricultural land, livestock, forests, fisheries, water, wildlife and minerals. Most of the above mentioned resources are yet to be utilized for the economic wellbeing of the people. Recurrent conflicts in the past has been a threat to food security and wellbeing of ordinary people. The current conflict has been more devastating; hence the urgent need for peaceful resolution of the conflict is the need of the hour. It is against this background that the Jirsong Asong is organizing an agricultural expo from January 21st to 23rd at Diphu Club. The organizers have planned a comprehensive programme of bringing together communities and villagers for a better Karbi Anglong.
Peace through community movement is the theme of the expo. The expo brings together farmers and civil society organizations like SHG’s, PPS, social workers, producers of inputs and services, and consumer bodies to exchange views on agriculture and related fields. The three-days of expo will look into issues in agriculture and its role in economic development and human welfare with reference to replicable achievements.
If economic growth was driving the development of agri-food systems, agriculture should be flourishing and the farmers basking in prosperity and happiness.
This is posing a challenge to us on how to live together in peace and prosperity. Poverty, poor governance and under–development are major attributes of the conditions of our region. Violence challenges food security by destroying crops and agricultural land and through forced migration of farmers. Therefore agricultural development is a key to maintaining conditions conducive to peace.
People incurring 'low opportunity' costs, with little hope for a better future, who have nothing to lose, are forming the core of misguided youth and people in our conflicts. Our rural areas provide young men fitting that profile in abundance. Therefore agricultural development can provide hope and prosperity for people living in such areas and can raise the 'opportunity cost' for the rural unemployed poor and make conflict less appealing.
The expo is designed to support peace through better policies leading to sustainable agricultural development and, subsequently, economic growth.
The thematic areas of the expo are:
Post-conflict transformation: Agriculture's potential for contributing to the post-conflict reconstruction and maintenance of peace in a conflict ridden region.
Village Governance: The empowerment of small-scale farmers, particularly women farmers, and methods for increasing their participation in decision making processes through people’s organizations like SHG’s,PPS etc.
Poverty Prevention and employment generation: Agricultural policies that contribute to the maintenance and strengthening of peace in conflict prone, poverty-stricken areas.
Environment Protection: The implications of natural resource scarcity, man-made or natural, on agriculture and its links to conflicts.
Food Security: The links between agriculture and human security, and their implications for peace building and conflict avoidance.
Multimedia Presentation: The need for awareness building through print and electronic media and the use of modern tools in the region for maintaining peace and preventing conflicts will be focussed. The multimedia extravaganza is set by a group of talented youth who are part of relief and rehabilitation programmes and the money gathered from the shows will be used for the rehabilitation of the present batch of metric students who were affected by the recent ethnic violence.

Come and join us in this humanitarian enterprise.

Tom Mangattuthazhe

2006-01-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

Peace in Karbi Anglong
An unforgettable year is drawing to a close. Many families and friends faced a Christmas without the loved ones lost in the tragic events. In these times of sorrow and pain, it's easy to wonder if the Christmas phrase "peace on earth" will ever ring true.
But the Christmas story once again reminds us that peace has already come to this earth. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6,). This message was actualized when our people decided to shun violence, a major breakthrough in our peace building efforts was achieved.
A peace rally at Manja held on 22nd of December involving around 2000 people from all the communities was a clear sign of the return of peace in Karbi Anglong.
A resolution adopted at the General body meeting of UCF urged churches "to join hands" with groups and secular parties to meet the challenge posed by ethnic violence. A new group of UCF leaders were elected to strengthen these ecumenical initiatives.
A Pre-Christmas prayer service hosted by UCF on 23rd was another milestone for peace.
Visiting the jail on Christmas day by UCF was yet another initiative, there are 346 under trails, most of them are youth who were caught on suspicion while the real culprits enjoy their life elsewhere.
Our Prince of Peace arrived more than 2000 years ago, not with chariots and weapons blazing, but humbly as a baby in a manger. Throughout Jesus' life on earth, he demonstrated to us a love so strong that it culminated in his sacrifice on a bloodstained cross. This Christmas, we have tried our best to remember the reason for the season and reach out to people especially the people in the camps and those affected by violence in families. We have expressed to them the love that Jesus modeled and freely poured out to us. The work in our relief camps are continuing although with limited resources. Supply of warm clothes, baby food items and medical care has been taken care. Although many have gone back to the villages, the situation in the villages is pathetic as several of them are burned; unless there is some external support these villagers will face starvation. The other concerns like education, medical care etc will take a back seat for these people. Dear Friends, if we were able to do a lot for our people it was because of your constant support and prayers. Thank you and we did remember you at Christmas and shall continue to do so. It is said that our lives aren't about the "stuff" we accumulate, but about how we love God and the people in our lives. Wish you all the joy and peace of Christmas

A Road Map for Peace in Karbi Anglong

2006-01-24T07:57:00.000-08:00

A Road Map for Peace in Karbi Anglong
This Road Map for Peace in Karbi Anglong is presented in the hope that its content might prove of some usefulness in helping the people formulate their own plan for attaining a just peace in our region. The ideas contained in this plan are the product of many years of work in Karbi Anglong and engagement with people from all walks of life. This proposed plan is not intended to serve the specific interests of any particular party or group inside or outside of Karbi Anglong and NChills but is an attempt to design a framework in which we the people can determine our future without being forced to adhere to the interests of narrowly focused domestic and external forces.
As we mourn, let us not forget that terror has been tolerated, funded and even encouraged by several forces within and outside the region. This is no excuse for what happened in our midst, but understanding the context of the violence is crucial. For a path forward, the following principles can guide us.
Seek justice, not vengeance. We call on responsible persons to respect the norms and procedures of international law and human values. Work with allies and supporters throughout the region, find the perpetrators, root out their networks and bring them to justice, but do not punish innocent civilians for the actions of others. Burning of houses and killing innocent people is no solution and only create more fear, anger, alienation and violence.
Defend the civil and human rights of people irrespective of ethnic affiliation. Build understanding and connections with all people who may be targeted and defend their lives, property and integrity.
Defend targeted communities especially in the villages, all are at risk of becoming targets of revenge, violence and scapegoat.
At times of uncertainty and fear, we must guard against an erosion of civil liberties. Our governments and concerned authorities must deliberate carefully when considering expanding the powers and budgets of security forces. The failure to protect civil liberties now may have serious consequences for the future.
Beware and tell the truth about our policy, and build voices of people who have been marginalized, silenced and ignored. We need to continue to focus on history, context and root causes if our region is to move toward the future without repeating the mistakes of the past.
Build and strengthen mechanisms that keep the peace, address poverty solve common problems. We must strengthen bodies with several sections of the society, not classified on ethnic basis or language basis and as such we must support agreements that address our common problems but with ample space to accommodate community grievances and inequalities.
Nurture tolerance and cultural understanding. Build respect among various peoples and cultures. That work has never been more important. To heal as a region and as individuals, we must continue coming together across racial, ethnic, religious and cultural divides. We must listen to one another’s point of view, working together to build a world free of fear, hatred and intolerance. We join with peace-loving people everywhere who seek a solution that affirms justice, protects human rights and allows healing.
Tom Mangattuthazhe
(Joint Secretary, DCPF)