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Myanmar’s military junta seizes bank accounts of billionaire Soros’ Open Society Foundation

George Soros Myanmar
Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi holds talks with George Soros, founder and chairman of the
Open Society Foundation, in New York in September 2016 / Ministry of Information

The military junta in Myanmar has seized the bank accounts of billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundation (OSF) on accusations of funding protests in the country.

The military regime has put its foot down on Soros’s Open Society Foundation, which is notorious for allegedly funding ultra-left groups in the US and across the world.

The local military detained Phyu Pa Pa Thaw, an official from the Open Society and are in the process of arresting 11 other employees on suspicion that the controversial NGO passed funds to the opponents of a February 1 coup.

After the junta took over from the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the people of Myanmar launched a civil disobedience movement to press the generals to reverse their coup and to recognise the Suu Kyi-led party’s November 8 election victory.

In another development, the Myanmar military has charged ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for violating anti-corruption laws, which means that she could face a maximum of 15 years in prison.

The Global New Light of Myanmar, which is a Junta-controlled publication, said that the Open Society Myanmar (OSM) organization transferred funds without seeking permission from the Foreign Exchange Management Department.

According to authorities, OSM failed to obtain approval from the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM)’s Foreign Exchange Management Department for a deposit of US$5 million (7.04 billion kyats) with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank (SMED) in Myanmar in 2018.

Now the foundation faces charges of illegally withdrawing $1.4 million from its account at SMED a week after the military takeover in Myanmar. The withdrawal coincides with the civil disobedience movement gaining momentum among civil servants across the country.

Myanmar’s military has long accused Soros of interfering in Myanmar’s politics by supporting civil society organizations in the nation.

However, OSM has denied the allegations and has said, “Claims of financial misconduct, including that OSM acted illegally by withdrawing their own funds in local currency from the SMID bank, are false”.

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DMK’s Duraimurugan has 8 active criminal cases against him

DMK general secretary Duraimurugan, who is contesting from Katpadi constituency for the tenth time, filed his candidature petition on March 15. The Election Commission has ordered that election-related expenses be borne from an account in his constituency. Accordingly, Duraimurugan opened an account at the Katpadi branch of Indian Bank, in which he has a balance of ₹30,74, 622 as election expenses.

Both Duraimurugan and his wife have assets worth a total of ₹29, 61, 91, 882. There are 8 criminal cases pending against Duraimurugan. Of these, 6 cases have been registered in connection with demonstration and road blockade.

Two cases are also pending by the Anti-Corruption Police for adding more property to the income. In 2016, the value of movable property owned by Duraimurugan was ₹57, 08, 425. At present, it has increased to ₹2,30,72, 415.

It has also been revealed that they are in the business of money-lending. Duraimurugan has lent ₹86,12, 782 and his wife Shanthakumari has lent ₹1,22,10,000 to other people.

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Watch: Police violently stop traditional rituals at Sree Kurumba Bhagavathi temple in Kerala

As the assembly election in Kerala gets near, shocking video footage of police trying to drag the oracles and Hindu devotees who wanted to perform the Kozhikallu Moodal, an ancient ritual of animal sacrifice and blood offering at the Sree Kurumba Bhagavathi temple near Kodungallur in the Trichur district in Kerala.

https://twitter.com/RiseOfShiva/status/1372235677446803463

As per the footage, one can clearly see that the Police was deployed inside the temple who stopped the devotees and reportedly arrested nine persons in this connection.

As the group of oracles and devotees entered the temple and performed the ritual dance called Thullal District Collector, S Shanavas ordered the police to stop festival celebrations this year, overruling town council officials and elected representatives.

However, Hindus are angry why would anyone object to such a symbolic sacrifice when every year thousands of animals are slaughtered in our streets during Bakr-Eid as local administration turns a blind eye and emboldening a particular community that kills cows that is sacred to Hindus.

According to the communists, these rituals are banned as an attempt to reform Hindus ever since they had come to power in Kerala, even as other animals are killed and sold on the main roads in the state by Muslims and this also includes beef and other animals that are killed indiscriminately and in the most inhumane manner.

Also, the entire meat industry is controlled by the Halal mafia that economically discriminates against others and the state government does not heed to the voices of Hindus when Kerala hosts beef festivals and at the same time considers animal sacrifice in Hindu temples ‘cruel and regressive’?

The communist government in Kerala has stopped many Hindu religious events due to the Covid-19 pandemic which is perfectly normal and closed all Hindu temples. However, when it comes to festivals of Christians and Muslims respectful consultations are held with religious leaders of those communities.

The local administration under the thumb of the Communists has virtually sealed off Kodungallur which is now a no-go zone.

As per reports, the devotees were led by Chandala Baba Malavari, a young local saint, and his disciples entered the temple yesterday morning around 11 amid heavy police presence and they just attacked the devotees as soon as they took out the birds for the ritual sacrifice. 

Also, the police were inside the temple premises with boots inside the temple but at the same time, they do not have the guts to stop namaaz being offered on the main road by blocking traffic.

Now the cries of the local devotees have reached fever pitch but neither central nor state governments are paying attention to their demand as the demand for zero government interference with Hindu temples grows..

“No official can stop us from mining sand from the river beds once the DMK is in power”: Senthil Balaji

DMK’s Senthilbalaji’s statement at a public meeting in Karur that there would be no ban on sand mining in the river beds after the DMK comes to power and that sand mining authorities would not be in office has caused a great stir.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which has not been in power for 10 years, has issued various election promises in the hope of coming to power this time around. On the other hand Senthil Balaji has said that if the DMK comes to power, he will be giving free rein to those who wish to mine sand in the river beds.

Speaking at a public meeting in Karur at present, Senthil Balaji said, “If Stalin takes over as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at 11.05 am, no officer will stop you from mining sand in the river beds. If you do get stopped, call me and the officer will not be there.”

Knowing that mining sand in the river beds will have a major impact on agriculture and water resources, the DMK candidate’s statement has caused a stir among farmers. Earlier, when the DMK was in power, there was severe water shortage due to the sand mining mafia. In order to prevent this, when the AIADMK came power, it came up with strict laws to prevent sand mining in the river beds.

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Chariot for Ayodhya Ram Temple to be built by Karnataka craftsmen

Ram Mandir Ayodhya construction temple chariot

Famous Karnataka-based craftsman Lakshminarayana Acharya and his team will build the chariot for the Ayodhya Ram Temple, reports Udayavani.

Acharya is a well-known craftsman who has previously built different types of chariots, such as Brahma rathas and Pushpa-rathas, for several temples in Karnataka. Acharya and his team have so far built 127 chariots from gold, silver and wood. The chariot being built for the Ram Temple is a Brahma ratha.

Construction for the Brahma Ratha is likely to begin in the month of May. Presently, construction work on a work-shed at Kumbhashi near Koteshwara , Karnataka is ongoing, and it is this shed which will house the chariot while it is being built.

The chariot will have large wheels with a diameter of 10 feet. With a base of height twenty feet, an eight-feet high pedestal, a thirty-six feet high spherical structure adorned with flags and pennants, a five feet tall arch, along with a kalasha of five feet atop the chariot, the chariot will have a combined height of eight-four feet. The width of the chariot will be twenty-six feet.

Teakwood to build the chariot will be sourced from Uttarakhand while Malabar ironwood will be procured to build the wheels. The chariot will also have artistic carvings depicting scenes from the Ramayana.

It is estimated that the chariot will be built in two and a half years.

Earlier, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had stated that the construction of the grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya is likely to be completed in three years. So far, ₹ 2,500 crore has been collected for the construction of the Ram Mandir, according to the VHP.

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Supporters of Maridas seek protection for him from the DMK

maridas

Maridas, the famous Tamil political commentator on YouTube, shattered the illusions that had been created over the years by the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) with his solid analysis and arguments. There are reports that the DMK has been locking horns with Maridas over this issue. They have charged him with more than 18 cases of attempting to disable Maridas’ operations.

Another case filed by the DMK’s supporters against Maridas is coming up for hearing on March 19 in Thoothukudi. In light of this, supporters of Maridas have called for assembling at the court to extend solidarity to Maridas.

The DMK has already started threatening the police and has even been intimidating government officials. They have gone to the extent of claiming that the DMK will assume office as soon as the election is over.

Speaking to the press, Maridas’ supporters said that it is the duty of the Tamil Nadu government to provide adequate protection to Maridas, a true social activist who gives a voice to the people.

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Illegal conversions by Christian missionaries using foreign funding exposed

The global network of evangelist missionaries, with the help of their allies in India, is shamelessly using foreign funds to convert people to Christianity through fraud, coercion, seduction and coercion.

The Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), which monitors FCRA irregularities and the misappropriation of foreign funds, has accused the Bible Chapel Society of receiving $ 4.21 billion in foreign-funded proselytizing work. This organisation recently mentioned the names of some Baptist organizations in the United States that funded the organization. These include Shenandoah Baptist, Independent Faith Mission, Bethel Baptist, and Zora Baptist. These are all from the United States. Some of these also have branches in India.

The Bible Chapel International, on their Facebook page, referred themselves as “the organization that teaches the Word of God and builds lasting foundations.” These foreign funded Baptist organizations aim to spread the gospel and Christianity. It is noteworthy that the founders of the Bethel Baptist organization were previously expelled from Assam for missionary activities.

The LRO’s complaint to the Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to be taken seriously and a serious investigation into not only serious FCRA violations but also national security vulnerabilities.

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“Battle Ready for 21st Century”: Book release at Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS)

Battle Ready for 21st Century CLAWS
Featured Image: A photograph of the book release | Credits: PIB

The book “Battle Ready for 21st Century” was released by General Bipin Rawat, CDS and General Deepak Kapoor, Former Chief of the Army Staff at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) on 17 March 2021.

The book has been co-edited by Lt. Gen. AK Singh, Distinguished Fellow, CLAWS and Brig. Narender Kumar, Visiting Fellow, CLAWS.

According to a press release, the book “endeavour[s] to postulate and define emerging areas of conflict, desired capabilities and doctrinal issues that need careful examination”. It adds that the book assumes great significance in view of the restructuring of India’s armed forces in integrated theatre commands and cross-domain operations.

“The authors with hands-on experience and domain specialisation have endeavoured to define and suggest the ways and means necessary to secure India from emerging security challenges on land, air, sea, space, cyber domain and even cognitive domain”, the press release states.

The book, centered around the conflicts that India may face in the future, elaborates upon the country’s need to “build capabilities to dissuade and prevent accidental wars”.

The foreword of the book was written by former Naval Chief Admiral Arun Prakash. Former Chief of the Army Staff Gen NC Vij and Prof Gautam Sen have also commended the authors for empirically identifying future security challenges and the need for building capabilities.

“The book lays down the conceptual framework for the strategic management of future conflicts. The conventional land forces in Indian context still remains irreplaceable to capture, hold and deny ground to the adversaries. As a result, focus remains on land forces, especially while dealing with the threat from China and Pakistan”, states the press release.

“The essays have imaginatively covered grey zone conflict, urban warfare and mountain warfare, along with dynamic military strategies to secure India. The “Two Front” dilemma is no longer an illusion, but an ongoing reality. For too long the ISR domain has remained an Achilles heel for India. The author of this essay has identified the gaps and suggested pragmatic measures to overcome these.”

“The important aspect of doctrinal innovation has rightly been linked to visionary leadership and aligned to professional military education. The book is a must-read for members of higher defence organisation, military professionals and academicians”, the press release adds.

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MHA approves study of radicalisation in India, indicates possible amends in UAPA

radicalisation study MHA UAPA
Featured Image: Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir | Credits: News Nation

To understand radicalisation in India, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved a study that will give solutions to remedy and/or prevent the problem of radicalisation. The study will also give recommendations on how the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act can be amended, reports The Hindustan Times.

The ‘Status of Radicalisation in India: An Exploratory Study of Prevention and Remedies’ will be headed by GS Bajpai, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Professor Bajpai is also the Registrar of National Law University.

According to Professor Bajpai, the study will focus on the “process of radicalisation”, its actors, target youths and will be probably conducted in the four states of Maharashtra, Assam, Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir, where cases of radicalisation have been reported.

This study is important in many aspects as there is no clear definition of radicalisation in the Indian legal system.

“This study is about the status of radicalisation in India. This study will analyse the pattern and dynamics of radicalisation. Also, we will study actors of radicalisation and how they are targeting youth,” Bajpai told ANI.

“Thirdly we will study who are vulnerable targets. These targets are selectively identified by actors of radicalisation. Fourthly, we are interested in the idea of de-radicalisation. We need the blueprint to counter radicalisation,” Bajpai said.

Regarding any possible amendments to the UAPA on the basis of the study’s findings, Bajpai said, “We will also be critically reviewing the current legal aspects, UAPA Act primarily. We would study to define radicalisation and de-radicalisation.”

“Approximately 75 radicalised individuals, those undergoing de-radicalisation and de-radicalised individuals shall be sampled from each state. Similarly, 75 functionaries from law enforcement agencies, officers of correctional services and judges will be interviewed from each state,” Bajpai said.

“Lastly, approximately 50 relatives of the individuals, psychologists, psycho-social workers, counsellors, religious and community leaders will be sampled from each state,” he added.

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India seeks to address potential supply chain shocks brought on by pandemic

India coronavirus supply chain

India is focusing on reducing any possible supply chain disruptions brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic, the Centre has said.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on 17 March, Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Hardeep Singh Puri said that the government is keeping abreast of the matter by engaging with export promotion councils and trade bodies.

A press release by the government said that the coronavirus outbreak in China initially impacted the supply chains of those Indian industries which were dependent on China for the import of raw materials, intermediaries and manufacturing components. However, the release added, the Chinese production resumed during the year.

The press release also stated that India is seeking to build resilience in the industries’ supply chains to reduce over-concentration of import sources on account of the pandemic-induced global supply chain shocks. In order to address potential disruptions in their supply chains as well as to secure and transport available inventories from various suppliers, the government has put export promotion councils and trade bodies in touch with the diplomatic missions abroad, the release added.

“The missions facilitated several Business-to-Business virtual meetings to broaden the supply base of the domestic industry”, the press release stated.

Speaking of the Indian pharmaceutical and electronics industry, the release stated, “The Government has also launched schemes such as Production Linked Incentive Schemes (PLIs) to promote domestic manufacturing capacities in critical sectors such as Key Starting Materials/Drug Intermediates, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients apart from electronic components & mobiles etc. These would broaden the base of the supply chains and make products available at competitive prices.”

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