Indian woman convicted in Malaysia

Indian woman convicted in Malaysia
Times of India, 25 Dec 2008, 0540 hrs IST, IANS

KUALA LUMPUR: An Indian national has been convicted and sentenced for eight years for forcing a compatriot into prostitution after promising her a job as maid in Malaysian capital. R Punitha, herself a prostitute, pleaded guilty before Judge Mohammed Nasir Mordin. She screamed, cried and hit her head when the sentence was announced, the official Malaysian news agency Bernama reported. She was charged for exploiting S Maruthambal, 33, through force and threats at a house. According to the facts of the case, Maruthambal came under Punitha's care after she was sweet-talked by agents in India that she could get a job as a maid in Malaysia. During her confinement, Maruthambal was forced to provide sexual services to 20 to 25 men daily and her earnings were taken by Punitha. She was also threatened by Punitha that if she refused, her family in India would be killed by gangsters there. Maruthambal managed to escape to the Indian High Commission before making a police report, The Star newspaper said.

Christmas spirits not dampened by recent church attacks in Karnataka

Xmas celebration not dampened by church attacks

Christians across Karnataka, where around 15 churches were vandalised in September over alleged conversion and insult to Hindu gods, celebrated Christmas with fervour.

Hundreds thronged brightly-lit churches for the midnight mass in Bangalore. There were large crowds also in the coastal city of Mangalore and central Karnataka town of Davangere, the two places where several churches had been attacked.

Police personnel guarded the churches.

Archbishop Bernard Moras led the mass at St. Xavier's church in Bangalore and wished people of Karnataka peace, harmony and friendship.

Source: Deccan Herald » State » Detailed Story, Bangalore, IANS :

Be Indian and become rich Indian: Buy Indians and Sell Indians

Be Indian, Buy Indians and Sell Indians

21 Dec 2008, 0450 hrs IST, PTI

Times of India

LONDON: An Indian-origin man, who was jailed for five years for human trafficking in April this year, has been asked to pay more than 3,00,000 pounds by a UK court. The Leicester Crown court ordered Asif Patel, one of the six people convicted in January this year of smuggling illegal migrants from India into Britain, to pay the amount by January 31 next year, or face a further five years in prison. Patel (32) owned a mobile phone shop in Bolton, and was jailed on April 21. At the confiscation hearing, Judge William Everade ordered him to pay back 3, 03,368 pounds. The court was told that Patel sent money to contacts in India who recruited the clients, using a money exchange bureau. Each of the illegal migrants smuggled into the UK reportedly paid around 8,000 pounds. Besides Asif Patel, other members of the people smuggling gang were Sajid Bhikhi, Asif Bhikhi, Sikandar Patel, Soyab Patel and Sabbir Patel. They were sentenced to different terms of imprisonment. The people smugglers forged or stole documents to bring Indian citizens illegally into Britain via South Africa, often on forged South African passports. Holders of the passports can enter Britain as visitors for a period of six months. The investigation, which began in September 1999 after an illegal passport-making factory was discovered under a staircase in a house in Leicester, was led by Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and spanned several countries. In some cases, after the Indian nationals were brought into Britain, they were then facilitated to travel to Canada or the US through the collusion of a corrupt official at the Heathrow airport in UK. Printed from Further action against Indian trafficker 15 Dec 2008, 1350 hrs IST, IANS LEICESTER: A Leicester court is to begin hearing on whether the assets of an India-born shopkeeper, who was jailed for human trafficking early this year, be confiscated or not. Asif Patel, from Daubhill in Bolton, England, was part of a gang that used forged passports to bring thousands of Indian nationals into Britain. His home was raided in 2006 as part of a police investigation into illegal immigration. Patel, aged 32, who owned a mobile phone shop, was jailed for five years on Apr 21 this year after he was found guilty. The Leicester Crown Court heard his role including handling large payments from clients, who paid 8,000 pounds for their passage into Britain. The Bolton News has reported that a week-long confiscation hearing is due to begin at Leicester Crown Court Monday to investigate into Patel's assets.

WASHINGTON: Sonal Shah, the Indian-origin member of US president-elect Barack Obama's transition team, whose links with VHP sparked criticism

Sonal Shah renounces VHP affiliation Times of India, 11 Dec 2008, 1321 hrs IST, PTI WASHINGTON: Sonal Shah, the Indian-origin member of US president-elect Barack Obama's transition team, whose links with VHP sparked criticism, has renounced her affiliation with the Hindu outfit accused of fomenting violence against Muslims and Christians in India. Shah, former member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has said if she could have anticipated the outfit's role in the 2002 communal violence in Gujarat, she would have never associated with its US branch, a year before the incident. "Had I been able to foresee the role of the VHP in India in these heinous events, or anticipate that the VHP of America could possibly stand by silently in the face of its Indian counterpart's complicity in the events of Gujarat in 2002 -- thereby undermining the American group's cultural and humanitarian efforts with which I was involved -- I would not have associated with the VHP of America," Shah said. In a statement, obtained and posted by NextGov and the National Journal, the Google executive said the 2002 Gujarat carnage was one of the "most profound tragedies" in the long history of the state when "extremist political leaders, including some associated with the VHP, incited riots that resulted in the deaths of thousands." In an e-mail sent to her supporters, Shah asked for help in combating the allegations and expressed apprehension that the Obama transition team could ask her to resign. "I need your help," wrote Shah. "This is gaining legs as the National Journal also picked it up and likely Fox. I need to mobilise people against the leftists and the right wing. There is a likely chance that they will ask me to resign as team does not need my publicity." Shah has formerly been with the Goldman Sachs and served as a Treasury Department official in the Clinton administration.

Genocide charges against Sri Lanka officials ready to be filed in USA

Breaking News : Genocide charges against Sri Lanka officials ready to be filed in USA by Fein http://www.tamilsydney.com/content/view/1632/37/

Bruce Fein, a former U.S. Deputy Associate Attorney General and currently Counsel for a U.S. Tamil Group said in an interview this week that a 400+ page model indictment charging Sri Lanka officials for genocide against Tamils will be ready to be submitted to the U.S. Justice Department first week of January. He added that the document describes the motivational context, catalogues crimes, and constructs legal arguments establishing culpability of a U.S. citizen and a U.S. greencard holder for the crime of genocide against Tamils in Sri Lanka under the U.S. Genocide Accountability Act (18 U.S.C. 1091).

Sarath Fonseka and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa were selected as defendants in lieu of SL President Rajapaksa because Gotabhaya is a U.S. citizen and Fonseka, a permanent resident alien, for whom the United States is responsible as moral, political, and legal matter, Bruce Fein explains.

Full text of the interview with Attorney Fein follows:

TamilNet: Can you describe the legal process your group has chosen to bring Sarath Fonseka and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to justice in U.S. courts?

Fein: The United States Genocide Accountability Act of 2007 (GAA) makes Fonseka and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa subject to a genocide prosecution in United States courts even though the genocidal acts against Tamils occurred in Sri Lanka.

The United States may constitutionally assert extra-territorial jurisdiction over a certain category of universally condemned crimes, which include genocide and torture. The United States recently brought a torture prosecution against the son of Liberia’s Charles Taylor for torture perpetrated in Liberia. They are criminally culpable under the doctrine of command responsibility for criminal acts of their subordinates which they should have known about and prevented or neglected to punish after-the-fact.

TAG [Tamils Against Genocide] has virtually completed a model federal grand jury indictment of Fonseka and Rajapaksa charging violations of the GAA. The facts demonstrating genocide have been compiled from TAG’s independent research and investigations. The two were selected as defendants in lieu of President Mahinda Rajapaksa because Gotabhaya Rajapakse is a U.S. citizen and Sarath Fonseka is a permanent resident alien for whom the United States is responsible as moral, political, and legal matter.

The model indictment will be presented to the new United States Attorney General appointed by President Obama and the new Secretary of State. The two appointees hold the keys to a genocide prosecution, which only the government can initiate.

Tamil's Tamil Nadu State:Telugu Actress Jeya became AMMA /Chief Minister Jeya; Malayalee Actor MGR became Chief Minister

பகுஜன் சமாஜ் கட்சியில் சேர எஸ்.வி.சேகர் பரிசீலித்து வருகிறார்.

Make phone calls to any country using virtual phone cards

மாயாவதி கட்சியான பகுஜன் சமாஜ் கட்சியில் சேர எஸ்.வி.சேசர் பரிசீலித்து வருவதாக கூறியுள்ளார்.

சென்னை: மயிலாப்பூர் சட்டமன்ற தொகுதியில் அதிமுக சார்பில் போட்டியிட்டு வெற்றிபெற்றவர் நடிகர் எஸ்.வி.சேகர். இவருக்கு அண்மை காலமாக அதிமுகவில் நடக்கும் எந்தவிதமான கூட்டங்களுக்கும் அழைப்பு கொடுக்கப்படுவதில்லை.

அண்மையில் நடந்த அதிமுக பொதுக்குழு மற்றும் அதிமுக சட்டமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள் கூட்டத்திற்கும் அழைப்பல்லை என்றும், அதிமுக சார்பில் நடைபெறும் ஆர்ப்பாட்டங்கள், போராட்டடங்கள், உண்ணாவிரதம் போன்றவற்றிலும் இவரது பெயர் இடம் பெறவில்லை என்றும் எஸ்.வி.சேகரே செய்தியாளர்களிடம் தெரிவித்திருக்கிறார்.

எஸ்.வி.சேகர் அதிமுகவில் ஓரம்கட்டப்படுவதை அறிந்த, பாஜக, பகுஜன் சமாஜ் கட்சி உள்பட பல தமிழக அரசியல் கட்சிகள் தங்கள் கட்சியில் இணையும் படி அவருக்கு அழைப்பு விடுத்தன. இந்நிலையில் அவர் பகுஜன் சமாஜ் கட்சியில் இணைய முடிவு செய்திருப்பதாக தகவல்கள் வெளியாகியுள்ளன.

இதுகுறித்து செய்தியார்களின் கேள்விகளுக்கு பதில் அளித்த அவர்,

மாயவதி கட்சியான பகுஜன் சமாஜ் கட்சியினர் அக்கட்சியில் சேர என்னிடம் பேசியது உண்மைதான். மரியாதை நிமித்தமாக நானும் மாயாவதியை சந்திக்க இருக்கிறேன்.

பகுஜன் சமாஜ் கட்சியில் 25 முதல் 30 சதவீத இடங்கள் பிராமண சமூகத்தினருக்கு வழங்கப்படுகிறது. எனவே அக்கட்சியில் இணைவது பற்றி நான் பரிசீலித்து வருகிறேன்.

இந்த சமூகத்தில் தலித் மக்கள் அழுத்தப்படுகின்றனர். பிராமணர்கள் ஒதுக்கப்படுகின்றனர். உத்தரபிரதேச மாநிலத்தில் சமூக நல்லிணக்கம் வெற்றிகரமாக செயல்படுத்தப்படுகிறது. இதர மாநிலங்களிலும் அதே நிலைமை உருவாக வேண்டும்.

பகுஜன் சமாஜ் கட்சியில் சேருவது எனது சமுதாய மக்களுக்கு நன்மை பயப்பதாக அமையும் என்று கருதுகிறேன். பிராமண சமுதாயத் தினரையும், தலித் மக்களையும் ஒன்றிணைக்கும் முயற்சியில் ஈடுபடப்போகிறேன். எங்கள் உரிமைகளை பெற இணைந்து போராடுவோம் என்றார். மேலும் வரும் 6ஆம் தேதி குரு பெயர்ச்சி வருகிறது. அதன் பிறகு மாற்றங்கள் இருக்கும் என்றார்.