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Australia tells Communist leader Somnath to see reason

     Sydney: Reacting to veteran Communist leader and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's decision not to visit Australia till security checks and frisking, common for all people, are set aside for him and his wife, the Australian Government on Saturday said that the procedure was part of national policy and was non-discriminatory. "We explained that everyone who comes (to Australia) is subject to our country's security. That's a non-discriminatory policy. That is what the Australian public would expect, it's the law of Australia, there are no exceptions. Our own Government leaders are themselves subject to the security checks," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted a spokesman of Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, as saying. Canberra's reaction comes in the wake of Chatterjee refusing to travel to Australia to attend a Commonwealth-related parliamentary meeting because the government of Australian Prime Minister John Howard refused to waive security measures for the MP and his wife, who has a pacemaker, aside.

     Chatterjee has claimed that the security measures showed a lack of trust by the authorities in Canberra, and tantamounted to an insult to Delhi. Chatterjee, 75, was due to fly to Sydney today with his wife for a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association ahead of Delhi's hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He asked Australian authorities if security measures could be waived for his wife, Renu Chatterjee, but cancelled his trip after being told that he too would have to undergo security checks, including walking through a metal detector and the possibility of being frisked and asked to empty his pockets. To smoothen ruffled political feathers, the Australian authorities offered the Chatterjees private security screenings. "They've chosen not to accept it," Downer's spokesman said. Prime Minister Howard downplayed the incident on Friday, saying his wife, Janette, routinely took off her shoes when she was going through security at airports. "If I go to another country and I'm asked to go through an X-ray machine, I'm only too happy to do so. I frankly believe that these are things that if it's good enough for the rest of the community, it's good enough for the Prime Minister."

Shiv Sena leader Jayendra Hazare killed in Thane (Go To Top)

     Thane: Three unidentified persons killed Shiv Sena leader Jayendra Hazare early this morning at his residence in Ambernath, Thane. According to the police souces, the trio attacked Hazare with choppers at around 3 a.m. and that Hazare's murder has disturbed the situation in Ambernath, which goes to civil polls on Sunday. Hazare was the Sectional Head of Ambedkar Nagar in Ambernath.

Exiled Tibetans for rapprochement with China (Go To Top)

     Dharamshala: Tibet's Prime Minister-in-exile says his government is open for a compromise and a rapprochement with China. Samdhong Rinpoche's comments came ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to India on Saturday for rare but crucial discussions, which will include a longstanding boundary dispute and Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, reviled by Beijing as a separatist. China has not shown any change of heart for the Dalai Lama, who lives in an Indian hill station along with Tibet's government-in- exile, despite his recent soft talk on seeking autonomy and not independence. China imposed Communist rule on Tibet after its troops invaded the region in 1950. Though a delicate and slow-moving process to pave the way for a dialogue on the future of Tibet is underway, little headway has been made. "We are trying to have policy of rapprochement and negotiation or compromise or accommodating with each other. Although we don't have any direct programme to meet him (Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao) or apprise him this time but his visit is naturally important for all of us," Rinpoche said in an interview on Friday at Dharamshala, their headquarters.

     Some Tibetan activists held demonstrations in the run-up to Wen's visit protesting what they term as atrocities and human rights abuse by Beijing. Rinpoche appealed activists against protests, adding that there were more acceptable ways of making their point. "We have appealed to all of them not to make any aggressive demonstration. Whatever their grievances, can be communicated through letters or through more appropriate channels. They should not make any demonstration or any such thing that might embarrass the host country, embarrass India and also embarrass the visiting Prime Minister," he said. Despite a long-standing border dispute and India's treatment of the Dalai Lama, relations with China have been warming. Wen's visit aims to make progress on resolving a longstanding border dispute with India as well as building closer trade ties. Relations between the world's most populous countries are at their peak, with both emerging as economic and diplomatic heavyweights on the world stage and discovering the language of cooperation rather than competition.

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