Southasian Briefs India/Tibet
'Trade through the border'
The Nathula pass between Sikkim and Tibet reopened at the beginning of May, a month earlier than last year. It is now set to stay open through November, two months later than last year. At the opening ceremony, Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh described the trading-time extension as a "small beginning" in the effort to start full trading between China and India through Nathula. "But we still have a long way to go," he cautioned. Ramesh went on to say that priorities now include upgrading the trade-related infrastructure on the Indian side of the pass, and coming to a new agreement with China that moves "from border trade to trade through the border". In addition, Ramesh noted, the list of tradable goods needs to be expanded. With the current list being based on traditionally traded items from a half-century ago (before Nathula was closed off, following the 1962 war), India's current exports are almost exclusively confined to rice.
Sri Lanka Out, OCHA
In late April, the Colombo government indicated that it wanted the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to leave the island's most troubled areas. OCHA originally set up its Sri Lanka office in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami to oversee rehabilitation work, but has since remained to assist with communities that have been adversely affected by the ethnic conflict. Now the government is accusing OCHA of "overstaying" its mandate, and has ordered it to vacate the country's north and east. OCHA officials had reportedly floated the possibility of acting as a human-rights monitor, even though some UN officials say that the agency is unequipped to do so.
India Minding Meghalaya's migrants
The day after the 1 May deadline set by Adivasi leaders in Meghalaya for all migrant labourers to leave the state, the 'quit notice' was rescinded. Meghalaya is home to a large number of economic migrants, many from Nepal and Bangladesh, who work in the state's many coalmines. From 28 March, when the warnings were issued by the Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Peoples (FKJGP), panic had spread quickly through the state's migrant communities. FKJGP leaders, threatening "dire consequences", warned that if the state government were not to deal seriously with "illegal immigration", locals would have to take matters into their own hands. In addition to economic and cultural worries, FKJGP claims that the migrants have brought "illegal activities" along with them, such as gambling. Nonetheless, officials professed not to be particularly worried by the activists' demands. Citing a long history of anti-immigrant sentiment, Chief Minister D D Lapang said that the FKJGP warning should not be taken "too seriously". The government did acquiesce to the FKJGP demands enough to promise to crack down on illegal 'infiltration', and to implement a policy requiring all migrant workers to register with the police.
The Maldives Male 'collapsing'
Reports again indicate that the island of Male is dangerously near capacity. Cracks in the reef surrounding the island, particularly off the north and northeast sides, were originally discovered five years ago. Now those have been observed to have worsened significantly. "The worst possible scenario is that Male will fall into pieces," said Mahmood Riyaz, an official with the Environmental Research Centre. "But hopefully we will be able to do something." Following a 2002 report, some reinforcement work was done, and certain large-scale construction was halted in the northern areas of the island. The government did not follow through on that policy, however, which many observers now suggest has exacerbated the problem. Some are even pointing fingers at cafes in the area that play loud music, the suggestion being that the vibrations are accelerating the cracking of the reef. Although its population is only a bit over 80,000, Male's tiny size (1.7 x 1.0 km) makes it the world's most densely populated city. To take in more population, the construction industry has started building high-rises, even though the science of how building foundations and other stresses impact upon atoll islands is not yet firm.