Bangladesh - Tension with Burma

In the last 2 months, Bangladesh and Burma have been at each others throats. The tension started when Burma accompanied a Korean oil seeking vessel as they were exploring for oil and gas near Bangladesh. Bangladesh then replied with sending 3 warships to confront the Burma ships and stop their exploration for oil in Bangladesh waters. As talks of a war between the countries rises, Burma is claiming innocence and claims of no wrong doing.


It seems that Burma, with its history, has some other motivations with its neighboring country. It also seems like China is sticking their nose in the oil business along with Burma. There are talks of a China=Burma oil and gas pipeline that will span between the two countries. China, and their lack of coastline and oil production is looking to take advantage of the small and lackluster country of Burma. Burma has been known to start confrontation with oil producers such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Vietnam.


Bangladesh is now holding border talks with Burma, but has yet to withdraw all of their warships. The talks are to take place in New Delhi, India by both Prime Ministers of the two respected countries. The talks will discuss the border control, the withdrawing of troops in the sea and along the border, and Burma's intentions with exploration in Bangladesh waters. It will also discuss Bangladesh's sovereign rights which according to the people of Bangladesh, Burma is violating.

IS A WAR APPROACHING????????


A war between Bangladesh and Burma is too early to tell right now. Some may say that China is to blame based on their influence on the small country and their protection that they have been providing. The people in Burma are rioting for a better life and war with another impoverished country may not be the answer right now. In fact, China will be getting most oil no matter which way you go with the situation. Perhaps the two countries should have included China into the talks that they are having in India. Burma is currently rebuilding their land and Bangladesh is electing a new prime minister and starting a new democracy to get them out of their current poverty.

Video Link to Bangladesh and Burma Peace Talks in India

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UC36CYmamg

Nepal: The Royal Kumari Controversy

Tradition over Government in Nepal

On Monday, Nepal’s president, Ram Baran Yadav, backed the choice to continue the tradition of Royal Kumari. The Royal Kumari, or sacred virgin, is a chosen girl who is to be referred to as a living goddess. To become Kumari, a girl of 3 years of age must meet 32 very strict criteria. Some of these 32 are:

1. She must be a Buddhist from the Newar Shakya caste (where Buddha belonged)
2. She must be in excellent health
3. She must have never have shed blood or been afflicted by any disease
4. She must be without blemish
5. She must have not lost any teeth
6. She must have the neck of a conch shell
7. She must have the body like a banyan tree
8. She must have eyelashes like a cow
9. She must have thighs like a deer
10. She must have a chest like a lion
11. She must have a voice soft and clear as a duck
12. Her hair must be black
13. Her eyes must be black
14. She must have dainty hands and feet
15. She must have a set of twenty teeth
16. She must have small and well-recessed sexual organs
17. She must be fearless

The Royal Kumari is a living goddess in Nepal. Kumari was the name of the goddess Durga as a child, the supreme goddess. The legend of why there is a Kumari comes from the story of King Jayaprakash Malla and the red serpent. The story tells of the King who played a dice game with the goddess Taleju while a red serpent watched the game played. The goddess and the King played this game every night and the King’s wife got jealous and demanded that he never see the goddess again. The goddess was angered She told the King that she would be resurrected as a virgin child and he must protect her for all eternity. The King then sent a search out for the little girl in hopes of protecting the goddess’s spirit.
It is legend today, that if a mother in Nepal saw a red serpent or dreams of one, her daughter could be considered the next Kumari. Kumari’s are selected at a very young age and only when they menstruate is when it is believed that the soul of the goddess leaves the body and goes to the next Kumari. The selection process to find the new Kumari is down by 5 senior Buddhist priests and she must past all 32 criteria.
Every action that the Kumari does is watched and then translated. When she has visitors, they are allowed to touch her feet and see how she responds to them. If she does respond in any way, it is translated as followed:
Crying – serious illness or death
Rubbing eyes – imminent death
Trembling – imprisonment
Hand clapping – reason to fear the king
Picking at food – Financial losses

What is the big controversy now? Now that Nepal is a republic ran by an atheist government (Maoist), there are speculation from citizens and leaders on why to continue with the tradition of Kumari. With the new presidents permission, the tradition will live on despite some objection. However, with the new form of government comes a new form of Kumari. The Nepal Supreme Court just ruled that the Kumari is welcome to attend school and rid of her confinement in the castle.
The new Kumari that has been picked is three years old, Matine Shakya, who will replace Kumari Preeti Shakya, 12. The current Kumari is nearing puberty and becoming more and more ritually unclean.

Once one cannot be a Kumari anymore, it takes 4 days to rid her of her post and she is then paid 6000 rupees per month. This is four times the amount of average income in the poverty stricken Nepal.

List of former Kumaris

Name Hometown Dates as Kumari Marital Status
Hira Maiya Shakya Wotu 1922-1923 married, 0 children
Chini Shova Shakya* Lagan 1923-1931 married, 2 daughters
Chandra Devi Shakya* Asonchuka 1931-1933 married, 2 daughters
Dil Kumari Shakya Lagan 1933-1942 married, 3 sons ,1 daughter
Nani Shova Shakya Ombahal 1942-1949 married, 4 sons, 2 daughters
Kayo Mayju Shakya* Kwahiti 1949-1955 married, 1 son, 1 daughter
Harsha Laxmi Shakya Naghal 1955-1961 married, 2 sons
Nani Mayju Shakya Naghal 1961-1969 married, 1 son, 2 daughters
Sunina Shakya Ombahal 1969-1978 married, 1 son, 1 daughter
Anita Shakya Sikamoobahal 1978-1984 unmarried
Rashmila Shakya Kwahiti 1984-1991 unmarried
Amita Shakya Asanbahal 1991-2001 unmarried
Preeti Shakya Itumbahal 2001-2007 unmarried

Sri Lanka: Hope from M.I.A.

People in the United States may have just recently started noticing music artist M.I.A. for her hit single "Paper Planes". However, the country of Sri Lanka has put all their hopes on this one revolutionary. M.I.A., who's real name is Mathangi Arulpragasam, is the daughter of a activist and militant father named Arul Prgasam. Arul became famous for forming the group, Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students. EROS main goal was to analyze Tamil issues and recruited Sri Lankan Muslims to help them be trained in military and guerrilla warfare.

M.I.A. has praised her fathers efforts to fix the rival politics between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the right-wing United National Party. The two parties have put Sri Lanka into a country that is now considered to be universally suffering. Both parties have been known to violate human rights and be politically corrupt. This long lasting suffering has put a serious depression onto the citizens of the small island country.

M.I.A. has done her best at representing her country and raising awareness through her music. She has just recently landed on the mainstream with a few hits from her latest album, Kala. Her song Paper Planes talks about her problems in getting a visa to work in the United States due to the fact she was from a country currently in war. The song pokes fun of the United States border control for them seeing her as a terrorist. Some lyrics read "all i wanna do is ....(gun shots), and take your money". The gun shots represent how the border saw her and that she would be stealing American jobs.

M.I.A. first became popular in Sri Lanka and through her spray paint stencil pictures that displayed images of the Tamil rebellion movement in Sri Lanka. She also created a film about the life of a 19 year old girl living in Sri Lanka, but failed to get it filmed anywhere outside of the country. However, the people of Sri Lanka started to take notice of this artist who was obviously involved in the politics and human rights of the country she was raised in.

When she came to the United States and started doing festival tours, M.I.A. spoke publicly about the trouble that Sri Lanka was facing. At the 2007 Coachella festival in California, M.I.A. announced to the crowd that "There will be more bridges built between the United States and developing countries." The crowd applauded with much enthusiasm. She also proclaimed that since nobody will listen to the starving African kids who cry for help from developed countries, that she would starve along with them until some body's voice was heard.

The people of Sri Lanka praise her. She has given 60% of all her record sales earning to providing aid to Sri Lanka. At her concerts, during her song 20 dollar, she puts out a donation barrel and it all goes to help Sri Lanka kids. Her music, now becoming popular, is finally hitting more people and teaching them of the troubles that Sri Lanka and other developing African countries are going through. Sri Lanka has praised M.I.A. and her family for years, and hopefully for years to come.




http://www.lankatimes.com/fullstory.php?id=12748

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23399805/mias_unexpected_smash