1997

Andaman & Nicobar Islands News

2005

India repatriates Burmese poachers to Myanmar

from Denis Giles, journalist
Port Blair
denisgiles@yahoo.com

12 December 2005

Burmese poachers waiting at the Coast Guard Jetty, just before their departure for Myanmar on the Indian Coast Guard vessel "Vivek".

Inspector General of the Indian Coast Guard, S.P.S. Basra, shakes hand with Aung Myo Saw, Attache at the Myanmarese Consulate General, Kolkata before the repatriates depart.

A group of 129 Myanmarese fishermen set sail for home today from Port Blair on board the Coast Guard ship Vivek. The Government of India, as a goodwill gesture, had approved the repatriation of 131 Myanmarese fishermen to Mayanmar.Only 129 could be repatriated as one fisherman had died and another had tried to escape and was in judicial custody.

Two Myanmarese representatives (Aung Myo Saw, Attache, Myanmar Consulate General, Kolkata and Maung Maung Oo, Third Secretary, Myanmar Embassy, New Delhi) had come to in Port Blair for pre-repatriation formalities and discussions with the Andaman & Nicobar Administration and the Coast Guard (ICG). They also accompanied the fishermen home.

Talking to the media at Coast Guard Jetty, in Port Blair, Shri S.P.S. Basra, Inspector General, Andaman & Nicobar Coast Guard Region, said that the repatriation of the fishermen and visit of Coast Guard ship "Vivek" to Yangoon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma), from 12th to 15th December would boost to the bilateral relations between India and Myanmar.

The Inspector General noted that the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of the Indian Coast Guard in Port Blair is already working in close coordination with Yangoon Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of Myanmar Navy as both the countries share common sea border in the Andaman Sea. The visit of the ICG ship to Myanmar will facilitate both these rescue agencies to know each other better. This is the second visit of a ICG ship to Myanmar in five years. The earlier visit was in 2003 when two Coast Guard ships went to Yangoon as a goodwill gesture and joint exercise.

Asked if the repatriation of 129 fishermen was being done as a goodwill gesture to reciprocate the Myanmarese military's crackdown against the Indian insurgents in Myanmar recently, the Inspector General said that the friendly ties between India and Myanmar have already vastly improved and the two events have no link whatsoever. India has always been trying to improve its relations with its neighbouring countries, the Inspector General explained stating that the Coast Guard Ship "Samar" returned today after a 45 day visit to Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and Philippines.

To a question, Shri Aung Myo Saw answered that the process of identification of nationality of the remaining 142 fishermen in Port Blair is already going on. They, too, will be repatriated as soon as their identities are established. As soon as the fishermen are back in Myanman, they will undergo a medical check and then be allowed to return to their respective villages.

The 129 Myanmarese fishermen who are being repatriated were involved in poaching, illegal fishing and illegal immigration into A & N Islands. They have undergone punishment and have been awaiting repatriation for some time. The governments of India and Myanmar agreed for their repatriation after their identity was verified by the Myanmar government.

The Tribal Forest Rights Bill

SANE
Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology
Mr. Samir Acharya
PO Box 63, Middle Point
Port Blair
Andaman and Nicobar islands, India
Tel: (03192) 232929, 234624
Fax (03192) 2326014
E-mail: samiracharya.sane@gmail.com

and

KALPAVRIKSH
Mr. Pankaj Sekhsaria
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
Pune 411004
India
Tel: 020 - 25654239 / 25675450
Fax: 25654239
E-mail: pankaj@leadindia.org

18 November 2005

The much debated and politicized ?Tribal Forest Rights Bill? is scheduled to be tabled in the winter session of the Parliament. In its present form this will remain applicable to the islands also.

Can you envisage a Jarawa demanding a 2.5 hectares plot of land in the reserve? Or the Sentinelese tilling a small plot on Sentinel? Will the Shompen love to have a small homestead with a garden? Could you confine the Onge to a homestead? The only tribe that needs and will want land rights is the Andamanese.

But no selfrespecting Andamanese will like to own a plot of land in the forest. They would rather have a ?house site? at or near Port Blair. This Act is not going to help any of them.

The Nicobarese already enjoy total and unfettered rights over the tribal reserves of Nicobar Islands. This Act could pose a potential danger to their enjoying these rights. At a later day some smart Alec could argue that why can?t the Nicobarese be content with 2.5 hectares of land in the forest, like all other tribes of India? Why should so few Nicobarese have such a large chunk of land with them? It is even possible that since the Central Act is being passed to protect their rights the ANPTR could even be declared null and void and rescind ended. Even now the Defense establishment is eyeing at the Nicobars for possible firing ranges.

For more than a decade, various Politicians including the ruling MP had been campaigning for and demanding for inclusion of certain communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes of Andamans. All it takes is a Presidential assent. If that happens, a flood gate of encroachments into our forests will be opened legally under this Act.

Since the Act is neither wanted nor desirable for Andaman & Nicobar, will it not be better to add the word Andaman & Nicobar Islands to the following mantra with which every Act begins? ?The Act shall be applicable to the whole of the Union of India except Jammu and Kashmir

..and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands??

We are already suffering from the Wildlife Protection Act which has seriously threatened many endemic species by legalizing the presence of Spotted and Barking Deer. If this Act in its preamble had stated that the relevant schedule would not be applicable to ANI the problem would not have arisen at all.

I do hope to get your support in voicing this issue in time and averting and avoidable catastrophe.

How to create a panic? Very slowly!

18 November 2005

One morning we read in Aspect, a local daily that according to the Government of India (GoI), a major earthquake threatens the islands again.

Following this, dozens of people called us up and visited us to know if they should move to the higher grounds or move out of the islands. We tried to locate the source of this information and attached is the source. This letter is a part of GoI's knee jerking reaction which was caused by an article published in Nature of 9 June 2005 . Being the dinosaur that it is, GoI took four months to register the news in its tiny brain. It becomes funnier when you note that GoI claims it can respond to a warning and caution people in one-and-a-half hours. And this notice took four months to arrive! The very ambiguous language in the second paragraph of the Secretary DST's note seems to have been designed to create maximum amount of panic. I think that the authorities should hear from us.

Future stability of shore-line ecological systems

7 October 2005

The Society for Andaman & Nicobar Ecology (SANE) has taken a new initiative towards resolving the question of future stability of shore-line ecological systems in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands using high-precision ground deformation measuring instruments as well as the hydrodynamics of water channels bordering the shores. Specifically, Tilt-Meter and Pressure-Gauges will be installed at appropriate sites in the islands for measuring the ongoing tilt of the island as post-tsunami relaxation. This work would be accomplished in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore under a Memorandum of Understanding jointly agreed upon between Society for Andaman & Nicobar Ecology and Prof. Vinod K. Gaur, Distinguished Professor, Indian Institute of Astrophysics. In the first phase of implementation a 300 meter long tilt meter will be installed along an East-West direction beneath the almost flat ground of Rangachang. It is also proposed to install pressure gauges at appropriate locations along the inlet and outlet to develop an understanding of the hydrodynamics of water channels which is essential for a meaningful interpretation of tide gauge data caused by unusual ground deformation events.

It is envisaged that such measuring systems would be installed at several additional sites in the near future to develop a closer understanding of the behaviour of the island forms to the continued tectonic activities in the region.

In this endeavor SANE has the good fortune of associating with the world renowned seismologist Prof. Roger Bilham of Colorado University, who already collaborates with Prof. Gaur in Earthquake Research.

The project has been welcomed by MR. D.S Negi, Chief Secretary, A & N Administration who has promised support of the Administration in this venture. Thanks to his intervention the work of installing the first Tilt Meter has already started under the supervision of Prof. Gaur today. It is expected that the local personnel of SANE will learn the process and will be able to take care of the subsequent installations.

A few pressure gauges have also been placed at selected locations.

Sophisticated equipment like sensors, pressure gauges and computers have been provided to SANE by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics on permanent loan.

Prof. Gaur's association with the Andamans goes back to a long time. He was the Secretary Department of Ocean Development and IDA standing Committee Member during the Prime Ministership of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. Among his many publications, there are two books Nuclear Energy and Public Safety and Earthquake Hazard and Large Dams in the Himalayas both of which were published by INTACH.

Revival of tourist Neill island, devastated by the tsunami

6 October 2005

The first phase of our Lake Revival, Bharatpur, on Neill island in the Ritchie archipelago in the Andamans, is complete.

The channel gauged out of the beach causing sea water ingress into the freshwater lake (turning it brackish) has been successfully sealed off. Against the advice of the engineers, we decided to avoid concrete, using fallen trees and sand bags instead to create two barriers against the sea. We have filled up the gap with sand deposited by the tsunami. The lake is full again.

We must now arrange for an outlet to drain out the excess water from the lake as otherwise, the overflow will create another channel through which sea water could start coming during high tide. We intend to embed two HDPE pipes to drain the excess water out in the beach sand at an appropriate level. The survey to determine the approximate level starts next week.

In the next phase, the lake will be partially de-silted (mostly sand that the tsunami had brought in).

A bamboo bridge will be constructed over the lake to enable tourists to reach the far bank and also to observe fish, birds and vegetation. Mr. Arup Roy, a young graduate, has joined SANE. He will coordinate the Neilll projects. He is taking over for Mr. Sumitro Sen who will now concentrate in mapping corals and reef fishes around Neill, Havelock and Sir Hugh Rose Island. All this was made possible by Mr. D.S. Negi, Chief Secretary, who cut a lot of red tape and told all concerned to do the job first with formal approval to follow later.

For setting up an organic manure production facility in Neill, a large covered area is needed. To save costs, we would prefer to use an old shed of Agriculture Department which is not in use. We have approached the Administration for permission to use this. We hope that this will be through in October, 2005 to enable us to begin working in November.

Regarding the other freshwater lake at Lakshmanpur on Neill island, we have decided to wait until next year before attempting its revival. Starting too many projects at a time might pose too much of strain on our resources and manpower.

The Neill projects are being supported by Trees for Life. We are grateful to Mr. Balbir Mathur for this.

The Member of Parliament for the Islands writes to the Lt.Governor -
and makes a fool of himself

To,
The Lt. Governor,
Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
Port Blair

19 May 2005

re: Non-fullment of the genuine demands proposed on several occasions - Notice of Hunger Strike

Sir,

During the last six months, I have brought to the notice of the A & N Administration several burning issues relating to the A & N Islands in the post-tsunami scenario in writing as well as in person for necessary action by the Administration. I have no hesitation to say that on certain matters the Administration has performed satisfactorily while in certain urgent and burning issues, no fruitful steps appears to have been taken by them and its various departments, in spite of my repeated requests to the concerned authorities time and again. Now, having considered all aspects, I once again request your honor to see that all those proposals/suggestions/demands are considered favorably and implemented immediately/ in case I am not getting positive reply, I have no other alternative than to agitate on the pending issues by sitting on Hunger strike following the footsteps of the Father of Nation with effect from 06th July, 2005.

yours sincerely

Manoranjan Bhakta, MP

Transfer policy of the Govt. Servants should be more transparent and rational

It is astonishing that major posts are created but Recruitment Rules are not framed and subsequently the posts are lying vacant. All the vacant posts under the A & N Administration should be fill up within six months time. Even the Prime Minister has announced during his trip to Car Nicobar after the Tsunami that there should not be any obstruction by any authority in filling up such vacant posts which if done would be questioning the authority of the Prime Minister.

Tourism management should be commercially thought of because until and unless we are able to market our tourism, we may not get the desired result. It would not be out of place to mention that the Volcanic Islands like Barren Island and Narcondum Island are of tourist importance as these are the only live volcanoes in India and we should tap the importance of these natural phenomenon by arranging regular tourist trips to those islands.

The aboriginal Jarawa tribe should be provided with the required food metarials so that they may not stray to the nearby settlement areas and wander on roadsides in search of food. sufficient quantity of coconut and bananas should be made available at various locations where the Jarawa tribes are residing.

The policy of the Jarawas which have been followed over the years needs to be revised as the ground realities as far as the Jarawa are concerned is totally different. The policy of the Government in keeping the Jarawas in "secluded isolation" is like keeping them as "museum pieces". Today we encounter Jarawas along the Andaman Trunk Road (ATR) as well as in many of the Revenue villages especially in the Tushnabad Panchayat area. These Jarawas, as has been experienced, are very friendly, speak Hindi very fluently and regularly visit the local inhabitants for food. it has also been observed that a group of about 80 Jarawas who regularly visit Tirur area are so friendly with the people that a few of the Jarawa children recently approached the local teacher for admission in the school as they had observed other children studying in the school. This episode indicates that this group have reached a certain degree of assimilation into the mainstream of the society. It will be totally inhuman and cruel to keep them away from the basic entitlement of a citizen. I would, therefore, suggest that the matter should be taken up immediately with the Government of India and the experts should come to Andamans and camp at these sites to observe the new behavioral pattern of these Jarawas, who are trying hard to integrate with the local population. I would also like to state that the integration of this community should not be 'dole based' as the Govt. did with some other aboriginal tribes i.e. Great Andamanese and Onges, but it has to be on a gradual and self-sustaining basis.

The Andaman Trunk Road (ATR) which is the lifeline of the Andaman should continue and any move to close down the same should be stopped keeping in view the unimaginable ramifications on the livelihood and the economy of the people of South, Middle and North Andaman. The Jarawa tribes from time immemorial were hostile and the Administration has spent millions and millions on account of making them friendly. Now almost all of them have learnt Hindi, easily mingle with the general public, stray into the settlement areas in search of food, volunteer for medical treatment etc. and at this stage event if we close down the ATR the very same Jarawas may not become or return to the inaccessible forests where there is scarcity of food. rather, they will continue the process of mingling with the general public and come to the mainstream of life which may turn to be a difficult nut to crack in the near future. So, in my opinion, in the name of protecting the Jarawas, no useful purpose will be served by closing down the ATR, rather the ATR should be expanded for smooth operation of the vehicles plying between Port Blair and Diglipur and vice-versa.

It has been reported that the A & N Administration is planning to evict people who are residing in the forest land at Baratang Island. In fact, these forest dwellers were to be rehabilitated by bringing them under suitable package as they are staying in those forest areas for several decades. Out of a total population of about 4 to 4.5 lakhs residing in these islands, about 50,000 people will be affected if the Admn resort to such an inhuman eviction. Therefore, I would request the Admn/Govt. of India to prepare a proper package to these poor forest dwellers and rehabilitate them. Till such time, there should not be any forceful eviction of these forest dwellers.

The villagers who are in need of a job should be provided with daily rated jobs by paying 30% wages as grains and 70% as cash at least for another one year.

Farmers who lost the land and its fertility due to inundation of sea water should be given ration articles free of cost for at least one more year or till such time they are able to earn their livelihood on their own.

Government servants and employees of various autonomous bodies, PSU etc. , who lost their properties, houses etc. during the earthquake and tsunami and are living in shelter as well as in own houses, Govt. accommodations, should not be discriminated and should be paid adequate compensation as has been extended to the general public.

Environmental Debate about the Andaman and Nicobar islands

Debate started by MADHUSREE MUKHERJEE
lopchu@att.net
Dr. Mukherjee is the author of The Land of Naked People: Encounters with Stone Age Islanders (Houghton Mifflin, Penguin India, 2003), a nonfiction book about the Andamanese.

after publication of
"Andamans can be developed as organic islands of the world"
by SURESH NAMBATH in THE HINDU
www.thehindu.com/2005/05/25/stories/2005052508041200.htm

The CD published by the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IRRS) can be acquired from the publisher
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing
(National Remote Sensing Agency)
Department of Space
Government of India
Dehradun 248001
Uttaranchal
India

Tel. 0135-2744583
Fax 0135-2741987

The image shown below to illustrate the points made in the debate are taken from this CD at the Andaman Association.
The CD can be purchased directly from the IRRS.

"Andamans can be developed as organic islands of the world"

by SURESH NAMBATH in THE HINDU
www.thehindu.com/2005/05/25/stories/2005052508041200.htm

25 May 2005

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are free from severe anthropogenic pressures, can be developed as the `Organic Islands' of the world, according to the Action Plan for Development of post-tsunami New Andamans, which was prepared by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

According to the report, based on a survey of the islands by six MSSRF scientists led by P.C. Kesavan, the islands, which did not suffer from over-exploitation of forest and marine resources, are uniquely equipped to emerge as `Organic Islands' of the world.

"These islands can still boast of a forest area of over 85 per cent of the land. The agriculture practised by a fraction of the settlers is more biology than chemistry-based. What is more attractive is that a combination of factors such as precipitation, soil, coconut and arecanut forests, provides an ideal milieu for raising organic spices, vegetables and fruits.

There are more coconut `forests' than plantations, which make the transition to organic farming easy,'' the action plan, submitted to the Andaman and Nicobar Administration says. Crop husbandry, sylvi-horticulture (pandanus, coconut, spices, vegetables and fruits), and aquaculture (tiger prawns, mud crab) are based on low external input sustainable agri and aquaculture (LEISA). With proper care and organic certification system, the islands could emerge as `Organic Islands'. However, there was need for a change of mindset, and think beyond production and productivity, and in terms of value addition, sustainable management of the ecological foundations of crop and animal husbandry and aquaculture, and linkages with markets both nationally and globally, the report added.

The islands were fortunate in having several tribal communities whose collective traditional wisdom, blended with frontier science and technology, would strengthen the efforts of the administration to realise the vision to develop a `New Andamans' after the tsunami. This meant a participatory knowledge management, bottom-up approach involving the local elected representatives, tribal captains and members of the tribal council in the decision-making process and initiation of appropriate actions.

The fisheries, both marine and inland, offered great scope for employment and income generation as well as for nutrition security. The islands should give the same importance to fisheries as Iceland, the report suggested in its recommendations.

The action plan noted that capacity building in all aspects of disaster management and in the development of bio-shields, bio-villages and village knowledge centres was an urgent task. Capacity-building was also needed in the establishment and sustainable management of Community Food and Water Banks.

The report suggested that an Empowered Committee be constituted to examine and take speedy action on the recommendations. A multi-disciplinary Scientific and Capacity-Building Consortium consisting of experts with a track record in converting scientific know-how into field level do-how should be set up immediately to ensure that the rehabilitation efforts are scientifically sound and socially relevant, it added. ``All our suggestions are actionable and affordable. For success, a fusion of political and administrative will and action, professional skill and peoples' participation is essential,'' the report said in the executive summary of the action plan.

Besides Prof. Kesavan, others in the MSSRF team that visited the islands were: Dr. K. Balasubramanian, Dr. T. Ravishankar, Ms. R.V. Bhavani, Dr. John Joseph, and Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam.

______________

by MADHUSREE MUKHERJEE
lopchu@att.net

25 May 2005

Free from severe anthropogenic pressures? Not suffering from overexploitation of forest resources? Forest area of over 85 percent? More coconut 'forests' than plantations? A suitable place for tiger prawn culture? What planet are they on?

If they're talking about the A&N islands we know and love, perhaps they should have taken the time to talk to some people on the islands. Such a fundamental misreading of the actual situation makes me wonder if the plan can have much value.

The ecological disturbance status of the Andaman islands. Click on desired image to get large-scale map.

North Andaman
(incl. Narcondam island)
Mid Andaman
Baratang island and Ritchie's archipelago
(incl. Barren island)
South Andaman and
North Sentinel island

Little Andaman

Maps courtesy Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IRRS), Dehradun (for more information and more maps see Maps)

______________

by RESMI R. NAIR in a Letter to the Editor of the THE HINDU
rushmefast2002@yahoo.com

27 May 2005

This is with regard to the news item by Suresh Nambath, "Andamans can be developed as organic islands of the world," which your esteemed paper carried on the 25th May, 2005.

The article says that as per the action plan submitted by MSSRF to the A & N Administration, the forest area of the islands is over 85%. As a matter of fact, Forest Survey of India (FSI) in 2001 measured a forest area of 84.01%, and in the following year, 2002, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) measured a forest area of 82.80%. This information can be substantiated by the report 'Biodiversity Characterization at Landscape Level, Using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System, by the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun.

______________

by MADHUSREE MUKHERJEE
lopchu@att.net

29 May 2005

It's important to note that, on the Andamans, much of the remaining forest is degraded. The tallest canopy trees having been cut, it has turned from rainforest to deciduous forest, which is dry and brown for part of the year. It doesn't have much undergrowth and therefore is far less useful in trapping rainwater. It also catches fire more easily. The same satellite images how that the only Great Evergreen Rainforest left is in the Jarawa reserve.

The minister who is credited with having cut down trees during his reign as Lt.Governor of the A&N islands is also universally regarded on the Andamans as the man who institutionalized corruption. He fixed the percentage takings for police and other officials from illegal activities (such as those involved in liquor licences). With the help of a corrupt police officer, he even had one of his critics thrown in jail. Now, even when the men right at the top are honest, it becomes very difficult for them to implement decent policies because corruption is so ingrained in at virtually every level of government.

Pressure timber treatment plant commissioned at government saw mill, Chatham island

Andaman and Nicobar Administration press release

Received from KALPAVRIKSH
Mr. Pankaj Sekhsaria
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
Pune 411004
Tel: 020 - 25654239 / 25675450
Fax: 25654239
E-mail: pankaj@leadindia.org

12 May 2005

A Pressure Timber Treatment Plant having treatment capacity of 7 cubic meters of sawn timber per shift per day has been commissioned at the Government Saw Mill, Chatham island.

The treatment plant has been installed in compliance of Para 15 of Shekhar Singh Commission's Report which was accepted by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India vide its order dated 07.05.2002 requiring treatment of all construction timber in order to extend its durability and life.

With the installation of this additional plant, the capacity of treatment of sawn timber of the mill at Chatham has now gone upto 9 Cu.M per shift of eight hours per day which is expected to meet the requirement of treated sawn timber of South Andaman and Southern groups of islands. Besides, installation of another plant of the same capacity is also underway at Betapur Saw Mill, Betapur for meeting the requirement of treated sawn timber for consumers of North and Middle Andaman.

Lessons on Island Living:
Indigenous knowledge saves the native Andamanese from the tsunami,
but can it save them from settlers and rapacious development?

by Madhusree Mukerjee
originally published in Samar 19

Madhusree Mukerjee is the author of The Land of Naked People: Encounters with Stone Age Islanders (Houghton Mifflin, Penguin India, 2003), a nonfiction book about the Andamanese.

9 May 2005

"It's happened before," explained Nau, a woman of the Great Andaman tribe. "Our forefathers said, if the earth shakes, the sea will rear up and thrash onto the ground. One has to take a boat out to sea." Perhaps they dawdled for too long that morning, December 26th, 2004, for Nau's small group of aboriginals had to run, with the tsunami chasing behind, up a hill on their home of Strait Island. A man from another Andaman tribe, the Onge, told anthropologist Vishvajit Pandya that he knew for sure the wave would come when the water drew back, baring the sea floor. The Onge threw turtle skulls into the sea to convince bloodthirsty spirits bringing the wave that they had indeed claimed lives, and abandoned their beachside winter camps to head for the elevated interior of Little Andaman. The more isolated Jarawa, who roam in the dense forests of Middle and South Andaman, reportedly struck the shaking ground furiously with arrows before gathering safely on high ground. And as for the inhabitants of North Sentinel Island, the arrows they directed at a helicopter hovering above said it all.

Astonishingly, not one of the fewer than 500 Andaman aboriginals is known to have died that December morning. Lichu, a pregnant Great Andamanese woman, fell from a tree to suffer the only injury. She is now fine and boasts a baby boy. The Onge not only saved themselves from the angry spirits but also induced one of the latter to be reborn as a girl, thus winning the current round of an ongoing tussle with their supernatural adversaries. And on their island of Little Andaman, where the tsunami penetrated far inland&emdash;killing perhaps three thousand settlers from Bengal&emdash;millions of tiny bullet-wood trees sprouted on the salinated land. In a few hundred years, this species rises a majestic 150 feet to provide the shady canopy of the dark, drippy 25-million-year-old rainforest that not so long ago covered most of the Andaman archipelago. The tsunami is evidently part of the islands' natural cycle, a periodic catharsis that seems to nourish, rather than threaten, its Great Evergreen Rainforest and its ancient human residents. The ones who suffered were the newcomers.

With upward of 60,000 years of inherited experience of their island environment, it is scarcely surprising that the Andaman aboriginals took the catastrophe in stride. Technically known as Negritos for their dark complexion, curly "peppercorn" hair and small stature, the Andamanese are the last holdouts of the first humans in Asia. They possess unique fragments of DNA, pointing to genetic isolation for at least 20,000 years. Chances are, their ancestors reached the Andaman archipelago during one of the past ice ages and, when the earth warmed up, melting glaciers and raising the seas to current levels, they became stranded there.

Roaming in small bands from shore to forest according to season, these hunter-gatherers lived&emdash;and some, such as the Sentinelese, still live&emdash;much as our own ancestors must have in prehistoric times. The men hunted turtle, pigs and fish with their spears, bows and arrows, while the women gathered tubers, fruit and clams and caught fish in nets. In summer they collected honey, smearing their bodies with a paste of leaves to repel the bees. They cooked all the flesh and tubers, although, peculiarly, they had lost the art of starting a fire and always kept burning logs or embers around.

All Andamanese interactions with their environment were directed by a complex mythology that seems to encode their survival strategy. For instance, the Italian anthropologist Lidio Cipriani wrote in the 1950s, the Onge had to "steal" tubers from a spirit, and so took only a little at a time, carefully patting down the earth afterward so that the spirit would not know. The effect was to prune the plant rather than to kill it. Similarly, the Onge would not hunt pigs in the breeding season, always left some honey for the spirits to eat, and observed many other seemingly whimsical taboos. In consequence, their surroundings were bounteous: the Onge had ample food and would throw away, for instance, any fish they deemed even the slightest bit stale. Their botanical, zoological and medicinal knowledge Cipriani described as phenomenal, albeit often expressed in circuitous ways. Edible plants were under the protection of benign spirits, for instance, whereas the poisonous ones were favored by the malevolent.

The Andamanese also had several myths about sudden floods. In one of these, quoted by Pandya, the monitor lizard and the civet cat climbed up a tree to escape the flood, along with embers, which they carried in a clay pot; when the waters abated they returned to earth and walked on it as the sole possessors of fire. These were the first ancestors. It is possible that the Sentinelese similarly saved themselves and their fire from the tsunami by climbing trees.

In all, Andamanese beliefs had the effect of preserving the environment and its resident humans. The islanders also seem to have evolved biological adaptations such as late menstruation and cultural adaptations such as far later marriage to keep their population down. So whereas many island cultures, such as that on Easter Island, flourished for a while and died out from having depleted their resources, the Andamanese persevered for millennia&emdash;until modern times. When outsiders first came upon them, they were awed by the islanders' solid, shining bodies, their gleaming white teeth, their unsurpassed health, physical prowess and good humor.

That is, if the intruder didn't first fall to arrows. Hostility to other humans seems to be the survival strategy that has best served the Andamanese. In historic times, the Great Andamanese regarded the lighter-skinned, bearded seafarers who sailed by&emdash;or landed to grab slaves&emdash;as Lau, spirits of the sea with a taste for human flesh. Sailors returned the compliment, believing the Andamanese to be cannibals who, if they could, "would seize and devour all the passengers they could lay their hands on," according to an 11th-century Arab text. The islanders were not cannibals, but they did kill many who set foot on their shores. In the 19th century, the Sentinelese slew a pair of unfortunate escapees from Port Blair, where the British had established a penal colony in 1858. The current residents of North Sentinel are likely to inflict similar punishment on someone who attempts a landing today&emdash;with good reason.

Andamanese culture seems to acknowledge that, adept as the islanders may be at dealing with nature, they are exceedingly vulnerable to other humans. Within half a century of the British occupation of the islands, the aboriginal population on the Great Andamans&emdash;the North, South and Middle Andaman islands&emdash;had declined from perhaps 8,000 to around 600. The primary culprits were the killer germs that thrive in densely populated agricultural societies, and to which most of us have some degree of immunity; these island people, having never been exposed, had none. Today, a mere century and a half later, the ten tribes who thrived on the Great Andamans for tens of millennia are reduced to the 45 or so members of Nau's band. The youngsters can barely speak their ancestral languages and aspire to assimilation; alcoholism and other social problems abound.

The Onge, who were initially more isolated, slowly succumbed over the 20th century and now number around 100. These embattled, embittered individuals cling precariously to their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, their diet supplemented by the dole they are allotted now that their environment is no longer rich enough to meet their needs. Much of their forest has been burned down to make room for rice fields, or damaged by a government-owned corporation that selectively removed the tallest, canopy, trees.

The Jarawa, who originally lived in South Andaman, were in the 19th and most of the 20th centuries protected from the slew of germs by their enmity with the Great Andamanese. As the latter died off, the Jarawa spread northward into Middle Andaman, and for a century vigorously resisted all efforts at pacification. Until 1998, they were killing intruders into their forest, being shot in turn by poachers or policemen. In that year, though, the Jarawa succumbed to a decades-long official policy of seduction (via gifts left on their beaches) and laid down their arms. Earlier, they had been free of even the common cold; now, epidemics show up with almost clockwork precision. Modern medicine has held down the casualties&emdash;from bronchitis, pneumonia, measles, mumps and malaria, to name just a few&emdash;although no one knows how many have died in the forest. Today around 240 Jarawa still live, precariously balanced between the security of the jungle and the alluring traps of civilization.

When the Jarawa began emerging in peace from the forest, distressing some and enthralling others with their nudity, a lawyer based in Port Blair filed a case in the Calcutta High Court (which has jurisdiction over the Andamans), demanding that the aboriginals be clothed, civilized, settled, and otherwise given "the amenities of modern civilization." In response, Samir Acharya, a local firebrand and head of the Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology&emdash;appropriately abbreviated as SANE&emdash;pointed out that forcibly sedenterizing the nomadic Onge, for example, had led to their physical and emotional decline. A flood of letters prompted by a Survival International campaign arrived in Port Blair, demonstrating worldwide interest in the case. A court-appointed "expert committee" failed to agree on how to deal with the Jarawa, because of a thoughtful dissenting opinion by a retired civil servant, Kanwar P. Saxena. The latter pointed out that the Jarawa would continue to decline unless their forest was protected from poachers and until the Andaman Trunk Road, which runs right through their reserve, bringing in encroachers, is closed down.

Curiously, the Supreme Court of India, which was hearing a second case on the environment of the Andaman archipelago (brought by SANE and the mainland non-governmental organizations Kalpavriksh and the Bombay Natural History Society), also decided that the road needed closing. Environmental problems on the Andamans are extreme and escalating. The archipelago now houses 500,000 or so settlers, and overpopulation and forestry operations have led to a severe shortage of water. Dense jungle used to allow the monsoon rains to drip slowly into the earth, replenishing the water table, but these days the rain runs right off the denuded hillsides. (To make matters worse, the runoff smothers surrounding corals with silt.) Recent satellite pictures display a startling truth: the only remaining Great Evergreen Rainforest is in the Jarawa reserve. Even supposedly protected forests have been systematically degraded or decimated.

In sum, outsiders can still thrive on the Andamans because the Jarawa have protected the jungles with their lives. If they die out or become enfeebled, their jungle will fall to encroachers and contractors, and the archipelago will run out of water. In peak summer, taps in the average home in Port Blair reportedly run for half an hour every three days. At such times waterborne diseases show up; the administration sends inessential personnel on leave to the mainland, easing the demand for water, and requisitions ships to bring in the precious fluid from neighboring islands. If deforestation or immigration continues, settlers may quite soon have to be forcibly repatriated to the mainland.

The visionary Supreme Court judgment, based on the report of its one-man commission, Shekhar Singh, was a prescription for sustainable living on small, fragile, earthquake-prone islands. It stopped export of timber from the islands, asked that encroachers be removed from within the Jarawa reserve, recommended that immigration be controlled, reduced the amounts of sand extracted from beaches for construction, and promulgated many other orders for saving the Andaman archipelago. But the administration, in no hurry to take on local politicians and its own rank and file, began cherry-picking through the orders, half-heartedly implementing some and ignoring others. If instead the judgment had been taken seriously, damage from the earthquake and the tsunami might have been less. The Supreme Court had asked, for instance, that timber, rather than concrete imported from the mainland, is used for local construction. Concrete tends to crumble during earthquakes, and many spanking new buildings fell (whereas the few wooden structures stood strong). More beaches, mangroves and forests would certainly have meant less damage from the tsunami.

In the days afterward, utter chaos prevailed in the delivery of relief&emdash;but the administration managed to get sections of the Supreme Court order annulled for six months on the plea that timber and sand was needed for rebuilding. Arguably, enough of these materials could have been extracted within the purview of the existing order to meet all the requirements. That the forests are more threatened than ever is clear: to begin with, mainlanders are now fearful of the sea, so that closing the Andaman Trunk Road has become politically more difficult (even though it developed impassable cracks during the earthquake). On Little Andaman, where many settlers' rice fields have been salinated, fresh encroachments on Onge territory are being reported. New attacks have also ensued on resources within the Jarawa territory&emdash;which, with its pristine forests, beaches and corals, suffered virtually no damage from either the earthquake or the tsunami.

In mid-April (and for the first time since the summer of 1998) a group of Jarawa raided an illegal settlement within their reserve, grabbing tools, cloth and food and generally causing mayhem. A police party, accompanied by social workers, later approached the Jarawa band to find everyone enraged. Throughout the summer they had collected honey, their only non-perishable food, and stored it in carved wooden buckets buried underground; some miscreants had stolen their supplies and, to make matters worse, damaged the buckets. Furious, the Jarawa had retaliated on the village.

The islanders' mythology might be different from ours, but their moral code is much the same, probably because human ethics evolved while our ancestors all roamed in similar small bands. Hunter-gatherers have a very strong sense of ownership over their territory and the products of their efforts. The administration's response&emdash;forcibly moving the band to a distant location&emdash;obeyed neither Andamanese ideals of fair play, nor ours. The politically expedient tactic rewarded the original aggressors, threatened the existence of the Jarawa as an independent and self-sufficient people, and also managed to defy existing court orders.

The suffering the tsunami inflicted on settlers has thus destabilized the already fractious relations between the Andamans' few ancient survivors and its populous recent immigrants. To make matters worse, by churning up the ocean bottom, depositing silt and dispersing creatures, the tsunami also damaged coral reefs around many islands. Corals serve as nurseries for many oceanic species, and fish are said to be harder to find these days. In normal circumstances, the corals would have plenty of time to re-grow: large tsunamis occur here once in a hundred years, and conceivably make up for the damage by seeding new reefs or cleaning the debris off old ones. These days, though, the clock is inexorably ticking. A hot summer slew half the world's corals in 1998, and global warming remains poised to destroy virtually all reefs within our lifetimes. The tsunami possibly brings that frightful day closer.

Some 7,000 settlers are said to have returned to the mainland, having realized, through terrible tragedy and loss, that life on an island requires special knowledge, skills and adaptations. We can all take heed. If the Andamanese have a lesson to teach, it is this: on a small island&emdash;and is not the earth one? &emdash;we ignore nature's laws at our own peril.

Letter to the Lt.Governor:
Villagers complain about unplanned and illogical development

Received from KALPAVRIKSH
Mr. Pankaj Sekhsaria
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
Pune 411004
Tel: 020 - 25654239 / 25675450
Fax: 25654239
E-mail: pankaj@leadindia.org

8 May 2005

To
The Hon'ble Lt. Governor
Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Your Excellency,

We, the villagers of Prothrapur have been astonished by the recent activities undertaken by the Zilla Parishad in the name of development. Few months ago (post tsunami); the Zilla Parishad decided to construct concrete nallahs in our village. When the work was initiated, we were of the notion that the work of concreting the perennial nallahs would be restricted to erection of retaining wall to restrict soil erosion. But as the work progressed, we witnessed that the contractors were laying 'concrete bed' along with the retaining wall in the existing perennial nallah.

We are extremely worried by this kind of destruction in the name of development, which would lead to nothing but devastation in our village. The Zilla Parishad by its illogical plans has turned a major portion of the perennial nallahs of our village, into concrete drain.

Sir, these nallahs originate from the hillock of Birch Gunj and adjoining hillocks. Over the years, the Deputy Commissioner has been issuing 'Blasting Permit' to various private parties. Lack of proper survey of blasting area has already disturbed the source/origin of these perennial nallahs. Regular complaints have been made by the villagers of Birch Gunj and nearby areas regarding the intolerable noise from the blasting of stone quarry. Unfortunately the prayers of the poor villagers have often been turned down.

During the last decade, the hollow block factories found it a convenient place for setting up their unit. The factories set up adjacent to these perennial nallahs, used water from these nallahs for curing the blocks. As a result, the cement that flowed down into the nallahs during the curing process chocked up the running water in various places.

Respected Sir, we are at loss to understand as to which expert scientific organization in the country approved the plan of concretising of the perennial nallahs. Nallahs in our village means a lot to us. The farmers in our village utilized the nallah for irrigation purpose round the year. It not only helped the farmers but was a source of drinking water to the villagers and our livestock. The fish and prawns that breed in these nallahs have been a source of income to many villagers along the years. The Zilla Parishad by its recent activity has converted these perennial nallahs into a concrete drain. Now the water does not stop at any point. We also fear that during the forthcoming monsoons the entire water would be drained out at a speed that would cause flooding in many parts of our village. And in the dry spell, our village would be suffering due to scarcity of water.

Sir, it would be appropriate to mention here that during the recent earthquake and tsunami on December 26th 2004 when the pipelines carrying drinking water was disturbed, it is these perennial nallahs that supplied water to the most of the parts of Port Blair and adjoining villages. How could anyone allow such unplanned development then?

Stating the above destruction work undertaken by the Zilla Parishad, we the villagers request your Excellency to probe in the matter and order an immediate seizure of the work. An early initiative would help save our village from the wrath of nature.

Yours truly,

(signed)
Villagers of Prothrapur

Rider by Denis Giles

Perennial Streams Converted to Concrete Drains in South Andaman

Recently the Zilla Pariahd In Port Blair has awarded contracts/tender to private parties to build concrete drains over the existing perennial streams. The stream bed has been cemented and retaining walls erected on the sides to protect the land from sliding. The work has already been completed in many places of south Andaman. In this connection the villagers of Prothrapur, South Andaman have submitted a petition to the Lt. Governor explaining their best, what the streams mean to them while protesting the far from sensible plan of the Zilla Parishad. There is no action yet from the Andaman Administration and the work continues.

By constructing concrete drain over these perennial streams, the authorities have not only threatened the 'only available fresh water source' in the islands but at the same time have increased the risk of flooding in many low-lying parts during rains.

Since the work has been initiated and completed in many parts, I would like to call for suggestions as to what best can be done with the 'concrete drains' that have come up, even if the work is seized.

Visit of President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, to A&N islands (Car Nicobar)

Received from KALPAVRIKSH
Mr. Pankaj Sekhsaria
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
Pune 411004
Tel: 020 - 25654239 / 25675450
Fax: 25654239
E-mail: pankaj@leadindia.org

5-7 May 2005

His Excellency, the President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, is paying a visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 05th to 07th May, 2005.

On arrival at Port Blair by an IAF aircraft in the afternoon, he will be presented guard of honour at the airport. The President will address the students and interact with them at the JNRM Auditorium. The President is scheduled to visit orphanage and interact with the children staying there.

Thereafter he will visit the National Memorial Cellular Jail, place floral wreath at the Martyrs' Column and witness the Sound and Light Show. The President will also visit the Andaman and Nicobar Command.

On 06th May, 2005, the President is scheduled to visit Car Nicobar where he will visit Perka and Chuckchucha villages, inaugurate Vidya Vahini Portal, interact with the Tribal Council leaders, meet students/children and witness cultural programme presented in his honour. Other islands which the President is scheduled to visit include Teressa, Chowra, Katchal and Kamorta where he will meet tribal leaders, students and children. On his return from Nicobars, Dr. Kalam will address Sainik Sammelan in Port Blair. He will also visit Haddo wharf.

Dr. Kalam is scheduled to visit Campbell Bay on 07th May, 2005 and meet PRI members, tribal leaders and public representatives and interact with children/students and visit airbase at Car Nicobar.

On completion of visit the President is scheduled to leave for mainland from Car Nicobar in the afternoon.

Received from KALPAVRIKSH
Mr. Pankaj Sekhsaria
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
Pune 411004
Tel: 020 - 25654239 / 25675450
Fax: 25654239
E-mail: pankaj@leadindia.org

6 May 2005 - Car Nicobar

His Excellency, the President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, visited Car Nicobar on 6th May, 2005. He was accompanied by the Hon'ble Lt. Governor, A & N Islands, Prof. Ram Kapse, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Shri Manoranjan Bhakta, Chief Secretary, Shri D.S. Negi and other senior officers of the Administration. On arrival, he was received by the Tribal Council, Chief Captain, Shri Aberdeen Blair, Bishop Rt. Rev. Christopher Paul, Deputy Commissioner, Nicobars, Shri A. Anbarasu, and other local officers.

On arrival, the President drove to the Perka village, where he visited an Intermediate Shelter for those displaced by tsunami. Later, the President visited DC Office and inaugurated the Union Government's computer literacy programme called Vidya Vahini Project in the conference hall.

On the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner, Nicobars gave a presentation on the socio-cultural and economic life of the Nicobari people. He also dwelt at length about the relief measures and rehabilitation work undertaken post tsunami.

Thereafter, the President visited Chukchucha village, where he met the Tribal Council Chairman, Vice Chairman, Village Headmen and students and interacted with them. While interacting with the Tribal Leaders, the President expressed grief over the loss of lives and damage to the economy of the islands. He assured that the Administration will extend all possible help in restoring economic normalcy in the islands.

The Tribal Council members presented a memorandum to the President. He also heard their grievances and demands and assured that they will be looked into. These among others, are the empowerment of Tribal Councils at par with Panchayati Raj Institutions, continuation of relief for the tribals till normalcy in the islands is restored.

He addressed around 500 tribal children at Car Nicobar and answered their queries on the safety of the island groups in the wake of tsunami, reassuring them quoting seismologists that it occurs only rarely. The tsunami warning system would be in place by 2007, he said. While interacting with students, the President advised each student of 10+2 to teach five family members during off school days like Saturday and Sunday so as to literate them. He also advised them not to be afraid of natural calamities but to face it courageously.

President Kalam was scheduled to visit today other tsunami-affected southern group of islands such as Teressa, Katchal and Kamorta as well but due to torrential rain and inclement weather, it was put off and he will again try to visit these places tomorrow, if the weather permits.

After returning to Port Blair from Car Nicobar, Dr. Kalam visited the Haddo Wharf this evening. The Hon'ble Lt. Governor, Prof Ram Kapse was also present on the occasion. The President visited various godowns and the Chief Port Administrator made a presentation regarding the operations being carried out from there like movement of men and materials by ship to the islands affected by tsunami.

Raids on corrupt bureaucrats, including some on A&N islands

Received from KALPAVRIKSH
Mr. Pankaj Sekhsaria
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
Pune 411004
Tel: 020 - 25654239 / 25675450
Fax: 25654239
E-mail: pankaj@leadindia.org

6 May 2005

In its ongoing anti-corruption drive, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday conducted nationwide raids at 34 places. As many as 26 searches in Delhi, Alwar, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Mumbai were conducted in connection with a case of disproportionate assets registered against an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the 1980 batch, now posted as Commissioner of Income Tax, Delhi.

The Commissioner had allegedly acquired immovable property, mostly benami, in the name of his brother and his wife with the help of conduits in Mumbai, Delhi and Jaipur.

Various bank accounts, banking transactions and other records have linked the accused to the assets acquired in the names of his brother and his wife, and have also brought out the role of the private parties and conduits. His brother and his wife are also said to be directors in a Mumbai-based firm, owned by a stockbroker, who has not only helped the accused official in the acquisition of assets in Delhi but also in setting up an agro farm in Mumbai.

The brother of the accused official became a village council head Rajgarh in 2000, prior to which, he had no source of income to explain the acquisition of the huge assets.

The book value of the assets acquired up to January, 2000 alone is estimated at Rs. 85.83 lakhs, the CBI spokesman said.

Case against Collector

The agency raided several places in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, one in Pondicherry and two in Kolkata.

Eight of the searches, in Port Blair, Kolkata and Pondicherry, were conducted in connection with a case of corruption booked against the then Collector, Land Acquisition, Port Blair, now Director, Tribal Welfare, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, Port Blair*; an IAS officer of 1997 batch, formerly posted as Collector, Land Acquisition, and now Port Blair posted as Collector & Secretary (Revenue), Pondicherry; a former Collector, Land Acquisition, Port Blair; an Executive Engineer, APWD, Port Blair; Chairman and Assistant General Manager of a private company.

* the then "present Director of Tribal Welfare" at Port Blair is Dr. S.A. Awaradi, author of the Computerized Master Plan 1991-2021 for Welfare of Primitive Tribes of A&N Islands, 1990.

It was alleged that certain government lands in Port Blair had been given on licences to the private party for residential purpose but these were used for commercial or factory purpose in violation of terms and conditions of the lease.

On the basis of the violation, the licences could have been cancelled and the lands could have been resumed by the Andaman and Nicobar administration. The CBI said it was not done despite a pending request from the Port Management Board of Andaman and Nicobar Islands for integrating the land with the master plan.

When about Rs. 1.5 lakh could have been paid as compensation and the land resumed, these public servants, in connivance with the private party, acquired the lands by giving a compensation of Rs. 8.70 crores thereby causing a loss to the Government.

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Last change 27 August 2006



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