GUWAHATI, Aug 1- A worldwide campaign, at the behest of Amnesty International, will be launched on November 27 to protest against the November 27, 1997, verdict of the Supreme Court granting validity to the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. Human rights activists the world over will wear black badges and present memoranda to the Supreme Court urging it to review its order. The call to this effect was given by human rights activists in a workshop on human rights under the aegis of Amnesty International held at Bhubaneswar in Orissa recently. The workshop, however, opposed a resolution put forward by Sumita Ghose on the issue of her husband, Sanjoy Ghose's kidnapping and subsequent death at the hands of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). The Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity (MASS) secretary general said that several programmes will also be organised in the Northeast that day to press for the revocation of the "black laws" in force in the region. It will also focus on alleged violations of human rights by law-enforcing agencies. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 2, 1999)

st 1: The Aos are celebrating the weeklong "Tsungrem Mong" festival from Sunday. Tsungrem Mong, a pre-harvest festival, is the second biggest festival of the Ao tribe after the "Moatsu", which is celebrated in the first week of May. The significance of the festival is to pray for bountiful harvest. The weeklong festivities include colourful traditional dances, merry-making and community feasts. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 2, 1999)

GUWAHATI, August 2: Sumita Ghose, wife of social worker Sanjoy Ghose, today claimed that a recent workshop on human rights held in Bhubaneswar had passed a resolution condemning the United Liberation Front of Asom's action in abducting Sanjoy Ghose and demanding accountability from them as to his fate and whereabouts. In a faxed statement, Ghose said the workshop, however, passed the resolution against the ULFA with reservations from organisations like Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity (MASS), North East Coordination Committee on Human Rights (NECCOHR) and Human Rights Alert. These organisations did not provide any reason for their reservations. Incidentally, the MASS in a statement yesterday had claimed that the workshop on human rights activities did not pass the resolution put forth by Ghose condemning ULFA for abducting Sanjoy Ghose. Ghose who was allowed to raise her points in the workshop including her painful experience while working in Majuli island as a member of the AVARD-NE led by her husband said, "No one opposed my resolution. But in an underhand way MASS wanted to add a prefix and a suffix to my resolution: 'while we accept the resolution we want to state that in the aftermath of Sanjoy's abduction hundreds of people have been arrested and some killed'." Sumita Ghose said, "What they did not bargain for was that there would be a question raised: who are these hundred people, how are they linked up to Sanjoy's abduction, how come this issue was not raised earlier in the workshop and why should the resolution condemning Sanjoy's abduction be diluted in this manner. Of course, MASS did not have any answers and took refuge in threatening to walk out as their 'credentials' were being ostensibly questioned. And some others from the Northeast, getting increasingly belligerent, were more eager to join them. If it were for the maturity of the organisers and the majority of the other participants, the workshop would have met the same fate as our Parliament has been facing in recent times. But matters were brought under control, and the resolution condemning the ULFA's action was passed with reservations from organisations like MASS, NECCOHR." (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 4, 1999)

MORIGAON, August 5: Loy Ram Bora is a schoolteacher by profession. But today he is no less than a flood control expert and an anti-erosion specialist. On the banks of the river Brahmaputra in Morigaon and Nagaon districts, he is the most sought-after person for his innovative method to fight erosion, the biggest problem of the area. In the last two decades, 45 revenue villages of Bhuragaon revenue circle were washed away by the mighty Brahmaputra. The Bhuragaon market was 7 km from the bank of decade ago. Today it is just 100 metres away, counting its days. Loy Ram Bora has seen people losing hundreds of bighas of land, school buildings, hospital, offices and playground by the devouring river Brahmaputra. He has seen rich landlords turning paupers and working as daily wage labourer. He has seen systematic looting by the government agencies in the name of flood control. "And then I thought of doing something on our own to save the remaining land even if it is already too late," he said. Bora thought out a simple and basic method. He bore the bank by 30 to 35 feet and then planted the bhaluka bamboo, the longest bamboo available in the village. He put the saplings at a distance of 2 feet and each row is at an angle of 30 to 35 degree towards the river. Then there were two rows which were filled with sand to make it a spur. Although the effort was initially an experiment, it has caused wonders during this wave of flood, giving confidence to Loy Ram Bora to announce that his success rate is around 70 per cent. The word has spread like wildfire. The villagers are now taking upon themselves the task of constructing such spurs around their villages throughout the bank with Bora offering expert advice. As all the ingredients of the spur are available in the villages, it is not only cost-effective but the villagers too are highly enthusiastic. If that too is washed away by the Brahmaputra then we have nothing to lose, said Sonamoni Hazarika of Jotibari village. He is not worried because each spur costs around Rs 6,000 and the entire village pools in the money and lend their own labour to build it. They are happy at being able to control the rate of erosion during the current floods. The villagers of Pakakati, Barawati, Nathgao and Chutiagaon have also taken up the venture with the people of Jatyabari to control erosion. Already the enthused villagers have formed the Bhuragaon Gorakhoniya Pratirodh Samittee (Bhuragaon Erosion Protection Committee) to spread the indigenous technology with a motto of solving the problems locally without depending on the authorities. "Each boring needs around Rs 35 and if the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) could have helped in that regard, we could have built much more spurs," said Bora. The flood control department has already lavished praise on the effort. The executive engineer of the department at Morigaon admitted as much. Officials from the North Eastern Centre for Technology Application and Rural Development (NECTAR) recently visited the work and were stunned by the success of the technology. Debajit Bora, the spokesman for the team, said such efforts should be much more stable and effective than the government sponsored through deep angular and dense boring. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 6, 1999)

KOHIMA, August 5: The Nagaland health and family welfare minister, Neiba Ndang, today said that the government had taken every step to combat and prevent the epidemic outbreak of viral diseases along with malaria, typhoid, hepatitis and gastroenteritis in the state. Ndang told newspersons that in all 650 people died so far. Of them 470 had died in Mon, 120 in Mokokchung, 50 in Kohima and 10 in Tuensang district. Figures from Dimapur and some other affected areas were awaited and the toll might go up, he said. Ndang, who recently toured Mokokchung and Tuensang districts, visited some health centres and hospitals to take stock of the situation. He, however, said there might be shortage of medicines in some health centres due to poor communication facilities. The worst-affected areas are entire Mon district, Changki, Longnak, Longsa, Asangma, Tuli and Mangmentung areas of Mokokchung district, Poilwa area of Kohima district, Peren, Jalukie, Viphoma and Nuiland areas of Dimapur district. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 6, 1999)