Hua Archive

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Sunday welcomed India’s initiative to revive the Nalanda University in Bihar, noting that the varsity was a ‘great ancient centre of learning’.

The heads of the ASEAN member states ‘are deeply impressed with the sanctity and significance of the great ancient centre of learning in Nalanda that attracted many scholars from South, South-East and East Asia,’ read a joint press statement of the fourth East Asia Summit held in this Thai resort.

‘They noted that the Nalanda University was a great centre of intellectual activity in Buddhist philosophy, mathematics, medicine and other disciplince,’ the statement said.

Appreciating the contribution and recommendations of the members of the Nalanda mentor group, headed by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, towards the establishment of the university, the statement called for ‘appropriate funding arrangements on voluntary basis from governments and other sources including public-private partnership’.

The joint statement also supported the idea of establishing the university as a ‘non-state, non-profit, secular and self-governing international institution with a continental focus that will bring together the brightest and the most dedicated students from all countries of Asisa’.

The university will ‘enable’ its students ‘to acquire liberal and human education and give them the means needed for pursuit of intellectual, philosophical, historical and spiritual studies and thus achieve qualities of tolerance and accommodation,’ said the statement.

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – The East Asia Summit Sunday sought to pressure India into signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

In his capacity as chairman of the multi-nation forum, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva noted the intention of the Philippines to undertake wide and transparent consultation to achieve a successful outcome of the May 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.

‘We also encouraged those East Asia Summit participating countries that have not acceded to the CTBT to do so prior to the NPT Review Conference as it would serve as an impetus for having a successful NPT Review Conference,’ Vejjajiva said in his concluding statement.

The East Asia Summit brings together the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and six participating countries: India, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attended the East Asia Summit Sunday after the conclusion of Saturday’s India-ASEAN Summit. India has refused to accede to the NPT and CTBT, calling them discriminatory between nuclear haves and have-nots.

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday rebuffed Beijing over its opposition to the Dalai Lama’s planned visit to Arunachal Pradesh while declaring that he and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao have agreed to maintain ‘peace and tranquility’ along their disputed border.

In his first public comment since China came out strongly against the Tibetan spiritual leader’s November trip to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, a state Beijing claims, the prime minister described the Dalai Lama as a religious leader and India’s ‘honoured guest’.

At a press conference at the end of his hectic two-day visit to Thailand, Manmohan Singh said he was not aware of the travel plans of the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959.

‘I have explained this position to the Chinese leadership… I explained to Premier Wen that the Dalai Lama is our honoured guest. He is a religious leader,’ Manmohan Singh said.

‘(But) we do not allow Tibetan refugees to indulge in political activities. As a proof of that, last year we took resolute action at the time of Olympics when there were reports that some Tibetan refugees might disrupt (the Olympic torch relay).’

Manmohan Singh’s comments followed his formal delegation-level discussions with Wen Saturday morning on the sidelines of the India-ASEAN Summit. But he quickly added that the talks over the Dalai Lama took place at a dinner hosted by the Thai prime minister Saturday night.

Manmohan Singh said he had ‘frank and constructive exchange of views’ with Wen at both the interactions Saturday – the first meeting between the two leaders since they met in New York in September last year.

‘The premier and I reaffirmed the need to maintain peace and tranquility on the border pending the resolution of the boundary question. Both of us agreed that we should continue and strengthen efforts to build political trust and understanding.

‘We … agreed that existing mechanism for bilateral cooperation should be used to resolve all issues amicably in the spirit of strategic and cooperative partnership. The Chinese foreign minister will be visiting India in two days and the foreign ministers (of India and China) will have an opportunity to discuss all issues which have a bearing on our relationship.

‘We both agree that the boundary question is a complex question and that pending the resolution of the boundary question we both have an obligation to maintain peace and tranquility along the border.

‘One doesn’t have to go to the media to accentuate or exaggerate the amount of differences that prevail.’

Manmohan Singh said he raised with Wen the reported issue of a dam being built on the Chinese side of the Brahmaputra, an issue that has generated fears of water scarcity in India’s northeast.

‘I conveyed to him that cooperation in the area of trans-border rivers is of mutual benefit… He said that relevant discussions on trans-border river issues could be held through the expert level mechanism that we have constituted.’

But the prime minister said he did not raise the issue of Arunachal Pradesh or the issue of visas to people of Jammu and Kashmir on separate papers. ‘Whether it is Arunachal or Jammu and Kashmir, they are integral parts of our country.’

On the Commonwealth Games: Manmohan Singh admitted to some delays in the execution of projects, but said that mechanisms now in place will work effectively and visitors ‘will see a spectacular show’ in October 2010.

On Maoism: I have stated repeatedly that the Naxalite problem has emerged as the biggest internal security threat. Both the central and state governments have an obligation to take effective steps to control the problem.

Kashmir: It is our desire to engage all sections of political opinion in Jammu and Kashmir to find practical, pragmatic solutions to the problems facing the state… I have already had two-three meetings with the Hurriyat people. They promised to come back with specific suggestions. I am still waiting for them.

Monetary policy: Monetary policy is the preserve of the Reserve Bank of India. I am satisfied that both the monetary and fiscal policies in our country are in line with our requirements.

On union minister A. Raja: It is not proper for me to join issue with a cabinet colleague in public.

Myanmar: The next year’s elections should see a reconciliation of the various segments of the Myanmar society.

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday he favoured ‘practical, pragmatic solutions’ to the Jammu and Kashmir problem and a dialogue with the separatist Hurriyat Conference.

Stating that he planned to visit Jammu and Kashmir in a few days to inaugurate railway projects, Manmohan Singh he was not going there to ‘start negotiations or to engage in negotiations myself.

‘I have always maintained that it is our sincere desire to engage all sections of political opinion in Jammu and Kashmir to find practical, pragmatic solutions to the problems facing the state.

‘I recognize that there are some political groups who are outside the mainstream. We would like them also to engage in a constructive dialogue with us.

‘I have already had two or three meetings with the Hurriyat people. They promised to come back with specific suggestions. I am still waiting for them,’ he said.

The prime minister is due to open 12-km railway line connecting Anantnag and Qazigund in the Kashmir Valley. The trip was originally scheduled for Oct 18 but it was postponed due to non-availability of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday declined to join issues with Communications Minister A. Raja, who has been linked to wrongdoing in spectrum allocation.

‘I don’t want to comment on cabinet matters or what happens in the cabinet or what happens between me and the ministers in public,’ Manmohan Singh told a news conference here. ‘It is not proper for me to join issue with a cabinet colleague in public.’

The prime minister was asked to comment on Raja for dragging Manmohan Singh’s name into the controversy over the allotment of 2G spectrum licenses to private operators. The Congress party has already criticized Raja.

Initially, the prime minister even declined to answer a question on Raja, a member of the DMK who was first accused of corruption by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has since raided the department of telecommunications.

Asked if Raja should resign, Manmohan Singh first said: ‘Cabinet changes or cabinet reshuffled are not discussed in public. It would be very inappropriate for me to answer this question, more so on the foreign soil.’

But when journalists persisted, he declared he did not want to go public on the issue.

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday that the monetary policy was the exclusive domain of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and expressed satisfaction with the country’s monetary and fiscal policies.

Asked to comment on the RBI governor’s suggestion to ease the monetary policy, Manmohan Singh told journalists here: ‘The monetary policy is the exclusive domain of the Reserve Bank.’

‘It is not proper for me to comment on the monetary policy stance that should be adopted. These are matters on which the (RBI) governor is competent to take decisions.

‘He does come and brief me from time to time. And I am satisfied that both the monetary and fiscal policies in our country are in line with our requirements,’ the prime minister said.

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday that the central and state governments needed to fight the Maoists together.

Reiterating that the Maoist movement had emerged as the biggest internal security threat, Manmohan Singh told reporters here that ‘everything’ needed to be done to overcome the problem.

He said while the law and order mechanism had to be strengthened, it was also necessary to tackle economic issues that create alienation among the deprived communities.

The prime minister declined to reveal the discussions he had had with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the violence unleashed by the Maoists.

‘Both the state and central governments have an obligation to control the Naxalite problem,’ he said.

The prime minister’s comments follow a dramatic surge in Maoist violence in the country. The movement, which emerged in 1967, has claimed thousands of lives over the past four decades.

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday he was waiting for the separatist Hurriyat Conference to discuss the Jammu and Kashmir issue with his government in a ‘constructive dialogue’.

Stating that he planned to visit Jammu and Kashmir soon to inaugurate railway projects, Manmohan Singh said he had ‘always maintained that it is our sincere desire to engage all sections of public opinion (in the state).

‘I recognize there are some groups who are outside the mainstream. We would also like them to engage in a constructive dialogue with us.’

He said the government had held two or three rounds of discussions with the Hurriyat and the group had promised to revert. ‘I am waiting for them.’

The prime minister is due to open 12-km railway line connecting Anantnag and Qazigund in the Kashmir Valley. The trip was originally scheduled for Oct 18 but it was postponed due to non-availability of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday admitted some delays in the execution of Commonwealth Games projects but pledged to hold ‘a spectacular show’ next year.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a two-day visit to Thailand, he insisted that whatever the problems in the preparations of the Games, they would be resolved.

‘Whatever mechanisms have now been put in place will work effectively,’ he said, answering a question on the Commonwealth Games partly in Hindi and partly in English.

‘I am fully confident that the Games will take place. Those who come to see the Games will see a spectacular show.’

The prime minister avoided giving an answer when he was asked if there was a proposal to make Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi in charge of the Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Games 2010 will be held in New Delhi Oct 3-14.

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 25 – Asserting that the Sino-Indian border dispute cannot be wished away, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday that he and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao had agreed to maintain ‘peace and tranquility’ on their winding and disputed frontier.

Manmohan Singh also told journalists at the end of a hectic two-day visit to Thailand that he had informed Wen that India viewed the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, whose proposed trip to Arunachal Pradesh next month has been opposed by Beijing, as an ‘honoured guest’ and ‘a religious leader’.

The prime minister said he had ‘a frank and constructive exchange of views’ with Wen both during their formal delegation-level meeting Saturday morning and at the dinner hosted by the Thai prime minister at night. He underlined that the Dalai Lama figured only at the dinner talks.

He said he discussed with Wen various issues and they agreed that these should be resolved amicably.

Differences between the two countries would be taken up by the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers when they meet in Bangalore two days later as part of a three-nation dialogue also involving Russia, he added.

‘There is a complex border question that cannot be wished away,’ Manmohan Singh, speaking candidly on a range of issues that have strained relations between the world’s two most populous countries over the past one month, sparking a war of words.

‘There are established channels to resolve issues. One doesn’t have to go to the media to exaggerate (the state of affairs).

‘Both (of us) agreed that the boundary question is a complex question. Both have an objective to maintain peace and tranquility on the border.’

The prime minister’s comments followed the Chinese military’s reported incursions into India and Beijing’s unprecedented criticism of Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the northeastern Indian state that Beijing claims.

Manmohan Singh said he took up the issue of China building a dam on the Brahmaputra, which has caused worries in India’s northeast as it could divert the river water and cause drought.

But he said he did not discuss the issue of China issuing visas to people from Jammu and Kashmir on separate sheets rather than on Indian passports.

‘There was a general discussion of all bilateral issues. I did not specifically raise the (visa) issue. Be in Arunachal Pradesh or Jammu and Kashmir, they are integral parts of the country.’

Pressed if the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since 1959 in self-imposed exile, would visit Arunachal Pradesh, the prime minister replied: ‘All I can say that I explained to Wen that the Dalai Lama is our honoured guest. He is a religious leader. ‘

But he quickly added that India does not allow political activities by the Tibetan exile community.

‘I am not aware of the Dalai Lama’s (Arunachal) programme. I have explained this position to the Chinese leadership.’

He pointed out that India cracked down on Tibetans when it became clear that there could be protests against the Chinese Olympic Torch relay when it passed through New Delhi.

The prime minister again described the Maoist movement as the biggest internal security threat to India and said that New Delhi’s destiny lay in integrating itself with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).