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India News Network Digest    Thur, 28 Jan 93      Volume 2 : Issue 13

Today's News Topics:

        Court says Bhopal victims cannot sue in United States
        India contains oil slick, but damage to ecosystem suspected
        Bangladesh, India ties fraying
        Major says discussion on Security Council change possible
        Hindu holy men call for diplomatic break with Pak and Bangladesh
        India reports breakthrough in rocket technology
        India gives John Major a lesson on Kashmir
        India sacks 400 policemen in Kashmir for aiding terrorists
        Army Chief defends army's role in law and order
        Yeltsin arrives in India
        Pakistan recalls more officials from India
        Major says India could be an economic tiger
        British Premier fails to win billion dollar military contract
        Cricket: West Indies beat Aus by 1 run

Editorials & Commentary

        Editorial from Telegraph dt. Sunday, Nov 29, 1992

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Date: 27 Jan 1993 19:29:49 -0800 (PST)
From: "Sukhjinder Singh Bajwa" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Court says Bhopal victims cannot sue in United States

* COURT SAYS BHOPAL VICTIMS CANNOT SUE IN UNITED STATES

    NEW YORK, Jan 26, Reuter - A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday
that victims of the Bhopal poison gas disaster cannot challenge in the
United States the $470 million settlement between the Indian government and
Union Carbide Corporation. The Court of Appeals upheld a trial court's
ruling that the Indian government had the right to negotiate the settlement
with the chemical company, based in Danbury, Connecticut, and that the
victims have no standing here.
    On December 2, 1984, one of the most devastating industrial disasters
in history occurred when winds blew deadly gas from a plant operated by
Union Carbide India Ltd into densely-populated parts of Bhopal, killing
more than 2,000 people and injuring tens of thousands more. In 1985 India
passed the "Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster Act" giving the government the exclusive
right to represent the victims of the disaster in India or elsewhere. The
next year the Indian government sued Union Carbide on behalf of the victims
in the district court of Bhopal. After more than two years of litigation,
the Supreme Court of India in 1989 approved the $470 million settlement
reached between the Indian government and Union Carbide.
    In 1990 victims filed two class action lawsuits in the United States
arguing that the settlement was too low. They alleged, among other things,
that the Indian government had a conflict of interest because it was a part
owner of the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal.

* INDIA CONTAINS OIL SLICK BUT DAMAGE TO ECOSYSTEM SUSPECTED

   NEW DELHI, India -- An oil slick from a Danish supertanker threatening
an Indian island was brought under control by India's Coast Guard Tuesday,
but environmentalists and officials voiced concern that it may cause
lasting damage to the fragile ecosystem. A fire which had been raging on
board the Danish supertanker since last Thursday was finally extinguished
Tuesday, but the oil was still leaking into the sea, according to the Indian
Coast Guard.
   The Coast Guard had pressed two ships, two aircraft and a helicopter to
control the slick which was 12 miles off the Nicobar Island on Monday.
Chemical dispersants had been sprayed on the slick by the Coast Guard to
stop it from spreading, officials said. Commandant S.P Sharma of the Coast
Guard told United Press International that although the slick had been
neutralized some damage has been done to marine life.
   The oil spilled from a fully-loaded Danish supertanker, the 255,312- ton
Maersk Navigator, when it collided last Thursday with the smaller Sanko
Honor tanker off Sumatra. The Maersk Navigator was carrying the crude oil
to Japan, while the Sanko Honor was bound for Oman. The area is at the
entrance to the crowded but narrow Straits of Malacca, one of the world's
most strategic shipping lanes through which more than 600 ships pass daily.
The waterway borders Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia and controls access
routes to the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean.
   The Nicobar island is part of a long Indian archipelago in the Bay of
Bengal that stretches from close to Burma to near the Indonesian island of
Sumatra. The archipelago is famous for its unspoiled beaches and coral
reefs and is home to one of the world's last remaining virgin forests.

* BANGLADESH, INDIA TIES FRAYING

   DHAKA, Bangladesh (UPI) -- The government took another swipe at India
Tuesday in the verbal sparring that followed last month's temple
destruction at Ayodhya, firmly rejecting Indian charges of Bangladeshi
interference in Indian internal affairs. A Foreign Ministry spokesman
described as "regrettable and disappointing" the Indian reaction to a
Bangladesh Parliament resolution last week asking for the protection of
Muslims in India and the reconstruction of the 16th century Babri mosque
razed by Hindus in December.
   An Indian spokesman earlier dismissed the Jan. 22 resolution passed by
the Bangladesh Parliament, calling it "a totally unacceptable interference
in our internal affairs." The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesman said
the reaction of his country's much larger neighbor was "justified neither
by the intent nor substance of the resolution adopted by the Parliament."
"The resolution of the Bangladesh Parliament can in no way be construed as
interference in the internal affairs of India," the official said. "No
denunciation of the Indian government or its acts or policies was made or
implied in the resolution," he said.
   The mosque in the northern Indian city of Ayodhya was demolished Dec. 6
by Hindus, triggering a nationwide communal frenzy that left nearly 2, 000
people dead. Violence between Muslims and Hindus spread to Bangladesh and
Pakistan. The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed as "biased and
baseless" Indian accusations against Bangladesh's ruling party. The Indian
statement had accused the Bangladesh Nationlist party of Prime Minister
Khaleda Zia of "indulging in public denunciations of India's policies and
actions." The Foreign Ministry spokesman also rejected Indian claims that
non-Muslims living in Bangladesh were subject to attacks and were suffering
from a sense of deep insecurity as a result of the communal tension since
the Ayodhya incident. "There is total transparency in the situation in
Bangladesh, and any objective observer can ascertain the truth," the
spokesman said.
   Bangladeshi opposition leaders, however, have claimed that more than
2,000 Hindu temples were destroyed and nearly 3,000 Hindu women were raped
during widespread attacks in December against the Hindu community by
Muslims in several districts of Bangladesh. Zia's government has rejected
the opposition claims and said communal harmony remained intact despite
"provocations from bigoted and miscreant elements." Nearly 85 percent of
Bangladesh's 110 million people are Muslims while Hindus, the dominant
religious community in India, make up 13 percent.

* MAJOR SAYS COULD DISCUSS SECURITY COUNCIL CHANGE

    NEW DELHI, Jan 26, Reuter - British Prime Minister John Major said on
Tuesday a change in the make-up of the U.N. Security Council could be
discussed but the crucial objective was to ensure the body was effective.
Major, speaking to reporters during a visit to India, was responding to
a suggestion by new U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher that the
council be expanded so that Germany and Japan could become permanent
members. "These are matters that would have to be discussed if there is a
general will for them to be discussed," he said. "The most important thing
about the Security Council is to make sure it continues to be effective,"
he said. "I'm certainly happy to look at matters to make it more effective.
I would not wish to do anything that would make it less effective."
    Major said the suggestion to bring in new permanent members had been
around for some time but there had been no detailed discussion. "I think
you would have to change the United Nations mandate and a raft of other
things," he said. Britain is a permanent, veto-holding member of the council,
along with the other World War Two victors -- the United States, Russia,
France and China. The other 10 members serve for two-year periods and have
no veto. Christopher said on Monday it was time for a reorganisation at the
United Nations "to bring it into keeping with modern realities."
    He noted President Bill Clinton had said during the election campaign
he favoured Germany and Japan becoming permanent members and added: "I
expect we'll see some developments in that direction." British diplomats
have made clear in the past they do not want the council's make-up changed,
fearing it could diminish their country's international authority.
    Major said he did not share that view. Asked whether any expansion
would reduce Britain's world influence, he said: "I don't think that's at
all likely." Third World nations, including India, have argued that they
should have at least one permanent representative if the body is expanded.

* HINDU HOLY MEN CALL FOR DIPLOMATIC BREAK WITH PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH

   NEW DELHI, India (UPI) -- A meeting of prominent Hindu religious leaders
has demanded that India break diplomatic relations with its Muslim
neighbors, Pakistan and Bangladesh, because of their alleged persecution of
minority Hindus and aid to Indian separatist rebels. In a resolution passed
Monday but made public Tuesday, the religious figures also called for the
expulsion of the two countries from the seven-nation South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
   Representatives of many Hindu religious sects participated in the
two-day meeting, held on the banks of the sacred Ganges River in Allahabad,
an important pilgrimage center in northern Uttar Pradesh state. Modeled on
the Association for South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), SAARC so far has failed
to emerge as a cohesive body or help expand regional economic and political
cooperation because of numerous interstate conflicts.
   A summit meeting of SAARC heads of government was recently postponed
indefinitely after Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao declined to
travel to Dhaka, Bangladesh, because of a Muslim militant threat. This was
the second time the summit was postponed since December. Relations between
India, the geographical hub of South Asia, and its two Islamic nations have
come under severe strain in recent weeks. India ordered Pakistan earlier
this month to remove 40 embassy officials from New Delhi, almost the same
number of personnel it was asked to take back from its Karachi consulate.
   The Indian foreign ministry repeatedly has criticized Pakistan and
Bangladesh for interfering in India's domestic affairs by issuing
"inflammatory statements" on the Hindu-Muslim dispute over a holy site in
Ayodhya, northern India. The dispute triggered widespread sectarian rioting
and arson last month in the three neighboring countries. Last week, the
Indian government attacked Bangladesh's governing party for pushing a
resolution through the country's Parliament that criticized the Indian
handling of the Ayodhya dispute.
   After Hindu radicals demolished a disputed mosque in Ayodhya on Dec. 6,
Muslim mobs in Pakistan and Bangladesh wrecked scores of Hindu temples and
left thousands of minority members homeless, according to independent
observers. Several Christian and Sikh shrines also were reported destroyed.
The Hindu holy men at their meeting endorsed the demolition of the mosque,
which they said was built by a Muslim invader on the ruins of a temple he
destroyed. They threatened to launch a nationwide movement to topple Prime
Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's 19-month government unless it allowed Hindus
to construct a temple at the Ayodhya site. Hindus believe the locale is the
birthplace of their religion's legendary warrior-king, Lord Rama, who is
worshipped as a deity.

* INDIA REPORTS BREAKTHROUGH IN ROCKET TECHNOLOGY

By BRAHMA CHELLANEY
   NEW DELHI, India (UPI) -- India's space scientists said Tuesday they
successfully tested an air-breathing rocket, a technology that is at the
cutting edge of military modernization. Air-breathing propulsion technology
can help develop powerful space-launch vehicles and long-range ballistic
missiles. The basic features of the air-breathing propulsion system named the
ABR-200 were tested successfully by firing two sounding rockets from the
Sriharikota launch site along the southeastern Indian coast, scientist
Manoranjan Rao reported.
   Rao, who heads the team working on air-breathing propulsion technology
at India's Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, said the ABR-200 achieved a
maximum speed of 2.3 Mach during the trials. The Mach number indicated a
speed of 2.3 times the speed of sound. Rao said further development work was
necessary in that frontier technology, which has been identified by the
Pentagon as one of 20 technologies "critical" to long-term U.S. strategic
interests. More trials were planned to boost the rocket speed, he added.
   An air-breathing rocket can carry a much larger payload, such as a
warhead, by using oxygen from the atmosphere to achieve a targeted thrust
power. Conventional rockets are bulky because they need to carry their own
oxidizer stock to burn propellants, thus limiting payload capability. There
are three air-breathing propulsion technologies under development in the
world: Turbo, Ram and Scram. ABR-200 is based on the principle of ejector Ram
jet, according to Rao and his colleague, Rajaram Nagappa.
   India is one of few countries in the country pursuing a broad- based
space program. Thirteen years ago, it surprised the international community
by placing a satellite into orbit. In recent years, Indian scientists have
developed four separate ballistic-missile systems, including the intermediate-
range Agni, or Fire, seen as an important component of India's efforts to
build a nuclear deterrent against China.
   The United States views the Indian space program with deep concern because
India, which has developed a formidable nuclear- weapons capability, could
employ its civilian rocket technology to build nuclear-capable intercontinental
ballistic missiles. India's civilian space program currently is developing two
powerful space machines, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and
Geostationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The PSLV's maiden launch is scheduled for
March. The planned development of the GSLV by 1996 will give India an
undisputed ICBM capability. The air-breathing propulsion technology is being
developed by the Sarabhai Center for rockets in the next decade.
   Last May, the United States slapped limited trade sanctions against the
Indian Space Research Organization and Russia's Glavkosmos to discourage
the two civilian space agencies from going ahead with a $200 million deal
involving the transfer of sophisticated engine technology for the GSLV.
Washington argued the cryogenic engine technology that India was buying
could be diverted to its ballistic missile program. India contended the U.S.
action was unfair because it said it needed the 12-ton cryogenic engines to
build powerful rocket boosters to place advanced weather and communications
satellites in orbit. The cryogenic technology combines liquid hydrogen with
liquid oxygen to provide much greater lift-off power to the launch vehicle.

* INDIA GIVES MAJOR A LESSON ON KASHMIR

    By David Storey
    NEW DELHI, Jan 26, Reuter - India gave British Prime Minister John
Major a pointed reminder of its commitment to crushing the separatist
rebellion in Kashmir during Republic Day celebrations on Tuesday. In the
presence of Major, who has tried to encourage a political settlement between
India and Pakistan, the government honoured a soldier killed while fighting
"Pakistan-trained" Kashmiri separatists.
    Major watched from the dais as President Shankar Dayal Sharma presented
the Ashoka Chakra medal, India's highest award for bravery, to the family
of an army officer killed in action in Jammu and Kashmir state. A central
theme of the two-hour parade was national unity. The occasion, regularly used
by militant separatist groups to publicise their causes, follows two waves of
Hindu-Moslem violence that killed 1,700 people.
    India has been polarised by the destruction of a mosque on December 6
by Hindu nationalists, which plunged the nation into widespread mayhem. In
a nationwide broadcast on the eve of Republic Day, Sharma pleaded for
tolerance. But there was a reminder from the southern state of Karnataka that
Hindu nationalists were likely to ignore the plea as 300 tried to plant the
national flag in a Moslem prayer ground. Police said they used tear gas and
baton charges to prevent the flag-raising. The nationalists have become a major
headache for Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. He is also plagued by three
significant separatist movements including Kashmir.
    On Tuesday Major denied reports in the Indian media that he might try
to mediate between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, the northern Himalayan
state where more than 9,000 people have been killed in a three-year
insurgency. "It is not for us to offer artificially to broker a solution,"
Major told reporters. In Kashmir, where the mainly Moslem population always
marks Republic Day with protests against continued Indian rule, three people
died in clashes with security forces and militants hoisted black flags and
Pakistani flags. India controls two-thirds of the Himalayan territory and
Pakistan the rest. Some Moslem leaders in New Delhi called for a boycott of
the celebrations in protest against the government's handling of the communal
riots, in which most of the victims were Moslem. Many mosques flew black
flags.
    Indian officials said the presence of Major, the first British prime
minister invited as chief guest, symbolised a shift towards better economic
and political links with Western countries and away from Moscow. Soviet T-72
tanks, which led the parade, provided rumbling evidence of decades of close
ties with the defunct Soviet Union. A visit by Russian leader Boris Yeltsin
has been timed to start on Wednesday, the day after the celebrations. After
a display of military might, floats filed past the dais representing different
groups and interests among India's ethnically and culturally mixed 870 million
people. The parade -- which combined colourfully uniformed troops on camels and
horses, sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons and children riding on elephants --
passed without incident. On Sunday police said they had foiled a plot by
bombers to disrupt it. Four Sikh militants planning to explode four bombs at
buildings in the capital had been arrested, police said.
    Aides of Major said it appeared the plot had not been aimed at him.
Britain last year agreed with the Indian government on measures to stop any
help coming to Sikh separatists in the Punjab from the 800,000 Indians in
Britain. Major, whose visit has focused on boosting economic and business
relations with India, travels to Bombay on Wednesday to meet businessmen
before flying back to London with a stopover in Muscat to meet Oman's
Sultan Qaboos Bin Said.

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jan 1993 19:34:52 -0800 (PST)
From: "Sukhjinder Singh Bajwa" <[e-mail]>
Subject: India sacks 400 policemen in Kashmir for aiding 'terrorists'

* INDIA SACKS 400 POLICEMEN IN KASHMIR FOR AIDING 'TERRORISTS'

   NEW DELHI, India (UPI) -- A total of 400 policemen in the troubled
northern Indian state of Kashmir have been sacked in the past three years
for aiding underground Muslim separatist insurgents, the state police chief
said Monday. Police Chief B.S. Bedi said about half of the dismissed law
enforcement officers have been jailed under India's sweeping Terrorist and
Disruptive Activities Act.
   Kashmir Police is a predominantly Muslim force, and after a simmering
Islamic separatist movement burst into an open insurrection in 1990, many
law enforcement officers appeared to sympathize with the rebels. That
prompted the government to order a purge of the force, and many policemen
were fired or compulsorily retired. Bedi said the sacked policemen were
directly involved in aiding and abetting "terrorist violence."
   He said the problem, however, had been contained, and there was no
evidence of policemen assisting the guerrillas in any area of the Himalayan
state in the past one year. Bedi reported that 70 junior policemen have been
made inspectors in the last six months as a reward for their role in combating
militant attacks. Meanwhile, in a serious escalation of violence in Kashmir,
the underground insurgents ambushed an army convoy, killing a major and
wounding a lieutenant, state authorities said Monday. The weekend attack
followed a rebel announcement calling for protests on Tuesday, India's 43rd
Republic Day.
   There are nearly two dozen secessionist groups waging hit-and-run
attacks in Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state. Fundamentalist
guerrilla groups demand the merger of the territory with neighboring Pakistan,
while several other groups seek an independent Kashmir free from all foreign
rule. Kashmir is a disputed territory with its control divided among India,
Pakistan and China. India rules the largest section, the Kashmir Valley,
where more than 3,000 people have perished in the insurgency in the past
three years.

* ARMY CHIEF DEFENDS ARMY'S ROLE IN LAW, ORDER

(JAN. 25) MIDDLE EAST INTELLIGENCE REPORT - New DelhiThe Army Chief, Gen S.
F. Rodrigues, has defended Army's deployment extensively in maintaining law
and order saying, "nation building is joint endeavour and Army efforts in
this can not be adversarial". Conceding that Army's extensive deployment on
internal security duty and in counter-insurgency operations had "undoubtedly
stretched" the Army, Gen Rodrigues said the troops had executed these tasks
with professionalism and sensitivity.
   The Army Chief said throughout 1992, Army had been called out
extensively in maintaining law and order and had risen magnificently to the
job. He said the massive deployment of the Army in Punjab had instilled
confidence among the local people which had enabled free and fair
elections. In other major insurgency infested areas of Jammu and Kashmir
and Assam, the Army had by its relentless action kept the militancy in
check. In a wide ranging interview to the defence services newsletter SAINIK
SAMACHAR on the occasion of the Army Day, the Chief of the Army staff said
because of its stature, credibility and the professional competence" the
Indian Army would play a more positive and important role in peace keeping
operation under the United Nations.
   With regard to training and adapting to the rapidly changing
technological environment, the Army Chief said that Army had drawn up a
long-term perspective plan and was working methodically to develop
appropriate capabilities to meet likely operational challenges.

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jan 1993 19:41:02 -0800 (PST)
From: "Sukhjinder Singh Bajwa" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Yeltin arrives is in India

* YELTSIN ARRIVES IN INDIA

By BRYAN BRUMLEY
 Associated Press Writer
   NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Boris Yeltsin, the first Kremlin leader to
visit India since the Soviet collapse, arrived Wednesday hoping to solve a
nagging debt issue and revive sagging trade and military sales. Yeltsin
told reporters he also wants to revive Moscow's Soviet-era friendship with
New Delhi as part of a broader effort to quiet Russian hard-liners, who
accuse him of leaning too far to the West. "I have been looking forward with
great anticipation to my arrival on this sacred Indian soil," the Russian
president told reporters waiting on the tarmac.
   During the three-day visit, Yeltsin, Indian Prime Minister P.V.
Narasimha Rao and their aides plan to sign at least 10 agreements,
including a friendship pact to replace one between India and the former
Soviet Union. At the top of the agenda is a dispute over how much India owes
Russia, and efforts to revive bilateral trade, which fell from $5.5. billion
in 1990 to $3 billion last year. India claims it owes Russia $12 billion,
while Russia insists the debt is $15 billion. The dispute stems from the sharp
drop in the value of the ruble, which on Tuesday slid to a record 568 per
dollar, down from 493 rubles last week.
   Yeltsin said he would propose several formulas for bridging the gap,
including a plan to extend the repayment period. The Russian president, Indian
sources said, also will try to win a $500 million deal to sell India 88
military jet trainers that can be converted to combat planes. British Aerospace
and Dessault of France also are vying for the contract.
   Yeltsin sees a restored arms trade with India as a way to bolster the
Russian defense industry, which saw domestic orders drop by 68 percent last
year. At one time, India bought 80 percent of the hardware for its 1.2
million-member military at bargain prices from the Kremlin. Since the
Soviet Union collapsed, India has been strapped for supplies and spare
parts. To most Indians, Yeltsin is a heroic figure who rallied Muscovites
against Communist hard-liners during the 1991 coup attempt. But beyond that
image he also is seen as a leader with whom India can rebuild ties.
   He told reporters Wednesday that immediately after the Soviet collapse,
his primary concern was working with the United States to resolve nuclear
issues. "Now, we need to turn to other powers with whom our relations have
fallen to unacceptably low levels," he said. "In recent years, our ties
with India have weakened. So we need to introduce new dynamism into the
relationship."
   Yeltsin arrived in India during the visit of British Prime Minister John
Major, who joined India's leaders on Tuesday to mark the 43rd anniversary
of India's Constitution. Britain, India's colonial ruler for 150 years, is
also vying for new defense deals with India, a nation of 875 million people
and a tradition of uneasiness with its neighbors. Major winds up his visit
Thursday and Yeltsin departs Friday, but the two leaders are not scheduled
to meet in India.
   On Wednesday, Major praised India for beginning to open its closed
economy, but said more reforms are needed if it wants to flourish like
other Asian nations. Rao's 18-month-old reform program has reduced tariffs,
made India's currency partly convertible and allowed foreigners to own
majority shares in businesses. But many businesses want India to further
reduce its red tape, cut corporate taxes that are as high as 60 percent,
and reduce limits on the amount of money foreign companies can take home.

* PAKISTAN RECALLS MORE OFFICIALS FROM INDIA

   ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (UPI) -- The government Wednesday recalled 35
consular officials from New Delhi, saying India "has descended to a new
level of baseness" by naming Pakistan as partly responsible for the death
of a military officer. The recall, part of a series of diplomatic reprisals
between the two neighbors, followed a ceremony Tuesday in which India gave
its highest gallantry award to a military officer killed in a clash with
Kashmiri separatists. The officer, according to the award citation, died
"in an encounter with the so-called Kashmiri militants who were allegedly
trained by Pakistan and were on an assignment given to them by the Pakistani
military intelligence."
   The Pakistani government, which has denied it controls the Kashmiri
separatists, said in a statement Wednesday: "India's propaganda against
Pakistan has descended to a new level of baseness." "It is no accident that
these false assertions have been made to denigrate Pakistan's image during
the current visit of the British prime minister to India," a Pakistani
Foreign Office spokesman said.
   The Indian ceremony also fell on India's Republic Day. India and
Pakistan, which have fought two wars over Kashmir, had in recent years
avoided embarrassing each other on their national days. Relations between
the two South Asian neighbors have been stormy since each gained
independence from Britain following World War II, and have declined further
since a simmering separatist campaign in Kashmir flared up in the summer of
1990. The two countries share the Kashmiri territory, and the area's militants
are divided between those wanting full independence and those seeking full
integration of the territory into Muslim-majority Pakistan.
   Pakistan last month asked India to drastically reduce its consular staff
in Karachi, and India retaliated by asking Pakistan to cut its own staff in
New Delhi. The Foreign Office spokesman said Pakistan was recalling 35 staff
members from New Delhi, while India already has recalled 42 members of its
consular staff from Karachi.

* MAJOR SAYS INDIA COULD BE AN ECONOMIC TIGER

    By David Storey
    BOMBAY, Jan 27, Reuter - British Prime Minister John Major ended a
five-day visit to India on Wednesday praising its economic reform programme
and saying: "The land of the tiger could become an economic tiger itself."
In a speech to businessmen, Major also made clear he believed his visit
had helped to ease tensions between the two countries in the decades since
India's independence from Britain in 1947.
    Major, the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on
Tuesday, said he felt "the shadows that the past have sometimes cast over
our relationship have been dispelled by a modern partnership between
sovereign democracies." British and Indian officials said relations were as
good as they had ever been as both countries tried to generate fresh economic
and political links in the new international situation prompted by the
collapse of the Soviet Union.
    Major, who was accompanied by a delegation of 17 top businessmen and
industrialists, urged India to press on with its cautious reform programme,
intended to open up the protected economy to foreign trade and business
practices. "The effort to liberalise the economy and expose it to
international competiton must not only be maintained but increased," he said.
    India came to rely heavily on Moscow for arms, trade and political
support until the disintegration of the communist state forced it to look
elsewhere -- and to less state-dominated structures -- for its economic
future. Echoing a call by British businessmen wishing to expand their
investments, Major said India must make its "labour laws encourage job
creation and investment, rather than give an illusion of job security to a
privileged few."
    He said British businessmen wanted to come to India but this would
depend on full commitment to liberalisation. It depended on "confidence
that reform is here to stay, on the certainty that the era of suspicion of
foreign companies is over." During his visit, British Gas Plc agreed a 100
million pound ($152 million) joint venture with the state-owned Gas Authority
of India to distribute gas in Bombay and the Anglo-French GEC Alsthom secured
a 140 million pound ($213 million) deal to link power systems in the south
and west. Major was showered with rose petals and applauded when he stopped
over in the central city of Indore on his flight from New Delhi to Bombay to
tour slum improvement projects partly funded by British aid. He flies home on
Thursday, stopping over in Muscat for talks with Sultan Qaboos Bin Said of
Oman.

* BRITISH PREMIER MAJOR FAILS TO WIN BILLION-DOLLAR ...

NEW DELHI, INDIA (JAN. 27) UPI - British Prime Minister John Major will
return home without clinching a billion-dollar military contract he had
sought as a trophy from his Indian tour, defense officials said Wednesday.
Major, who brought 17 business executives with him to explore opportunities
in India's newly-liberalized economic market, was anxious to return with
important contracts to silence British critics of his visit to India.
   On top of his agenda was a deal to sell the British Hawk advanced jet
trainer to the Indian Air Force. Major had been criticized for leaving
Britain at a time when it is grappling with serious economic and foreign-
policy issues. Officials said the Hawk was still favored by the Indian Air
Force despite intense lobbying by the French for their Alpha jet trainer.
However, India wished to delay awarding the contract because of a
continuing balance-of-payments crisis, the Indian officials said.
A military official, who asked not to be identified, said the government
had agreed in principle to order the purchase of 20 Hawks. Another 80 Hawks
would be assembled in India, he said.
   "The country's foreign-exchange reserves are low, and Major has failed
to hawk his Hawk aircraft to India - at least for the time being, " the
official said. France had sent its defense minister earlier this month to
press India to buy the Alpha. Indian Defense Minister Sharad Pawar told the
national Parliament last month that the deal would be signed with either
Britain or France since other bids had been rejected by a technical
evaluation team. The deal, with a technology-transfer provision, could be
worth more than $1.2 billion, although initial off-the-shelf orders were
expected to be lower than $500 million.
   Another defense official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said
the government wished to go slow on the Hawk deal to also discuss what the
Russians were offering. Russian President Boris Yeltsin is scheduled to begin
a two-day state visit to New Delhi Thursday, the day Major leaves India.
Yeltsin is likely to offer Russia's new trainer jet. Russian military
officials earlier told the Indian defense ministry that Moscow would be
willing be co-produce the jet with India. The Indian Air Force, however, has
reiterated its support for the Hawk as the country's advanced jet trainer.
   The Indian government has been searching for a suitable trainer aircraft
for the Air Force since the mid-1980, but inter-agency differences on the
issue have been a major obstacle to a final decision. An advanced jet trainer
is seen by defense policymakers as essential for the Air Force to improve
pilot training and cut down its high rate of aircraft losses. In the absence
of a trainer aircraft, the Indian pilots are trained on regular warplanes.
   The Indian Air Force has said the Hawk is a better buy because it is
designed both for training and ground attack. The two-seater Hawk is equipped
with advanced attack-related avionics and can fire air-to-air missiles -
features that the French jet lacks. The Alpha is substantially cheaper than
the Hawk. But the cost of assemblying the British jet in India will lower the
price because the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited can manufacture
the Hawk's Adour MK-871. The Indian company already is manufacturing an Adour-
model engine for the country's Jaguar deep penetration aircraft, jointly
designed by Britain and France.
   India has the world's fourth largest military arsenal. The Air Force
fleet includes top-of-the-line MiG-29s and MiG-27s from the former Soviet
Union and the French Mirage 200 fighter-jet. India also manufactures
several older Soviet-model warplanes. India was the world's largest arms
importer until 1990, but a serious balance-of-payments crisis since then has
severely restricted its arms shopping.

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Date: 26 Jan 1993 16:51:00 -0500 (EST)
From: Gopalan Krishnamurthi 80951 <[e-mail]>
Subject: W.Indies bt Aus by 1 run

Source : Reuter
            ADELAIDE, JAN 26 - WEST INDIES snatched the
        narrowest win in test cricket history when they beat australia
        by one run in the fourth test on tuesday.
            COURTNEY WALSH was their hero. he broke a 40-run last wicket
        stand between craig mcdermott and tim may, who made 42, when
        mcdermott edged a catch to wicket eeper junior murray.
           The jubilant west indies players embraced each other and
        cavorted around the pitch. Their nailbiting victory squared the
        five-match series at 1-1 end sets the stage  for a riveting
        showdown in perth starting on january 30.


        ADELAIDE - WEST INDIES FIRST INNINGS 252 (B.LARA 52,
        M.HUGHES FIVE FOR 64). AUSTRALIA FIRST INNINGS 213 (M.HUGHES 43,
        C.AMBROSE SIX FOR 74) WEST INDIES SECOND INNINGS 146
        (R.RICHARDSON 72, T.MAY FIVE FOR NINE).

            AUSTRALIA SECOND INNINGS: M.TAYLOR C MURRAY B BENJAMIN 7,
        D.BOON LBW B AMBROSE 0, J.LANGER C MUR AY B BISHOP 54, M.WAUGH
         C HOOPER B WALSH 26, S.WAUGH  C ARTHURTON B AMBROSE 4, A.BORDER
        C HAYNES B AMBROSE 1, I.HEALY  B WALSH 0, M.HUGHES LBW B AMBROSE
        1, S.WARNE LBW B BISHOP 9, T.MAY NOT OUT 42, C.MCDERMOTT C
        MURRAY B WALSH 18, EXTRAS (B-1 LB-8 NB-13) 22, TOTAL 184, FALL
        OF WICKETS  1-5 2-16 3-54 4-64 5-72 6-73 7-74 8-102 9-144


        BOWLING: AMBROSE 26-5-46-4 (4NB), BISHOP 17-3-41-2 (2NB),
        BENJAMIN 12-2-32-1 (4NB), WALSH 19-4-44-3 (3NB), HOOPER 5-1-12-0

            RESULT  WEST INDIES WON BY ONE RUN TO LEVEL THE FIVE-TEST
        SERIES 1-1

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____________________________________________________________________________

                         Editorials and Commentary
____________________________________________________________________________

Date: 12 Jan 1993 12:37:17 -0400 (AST)
From: Girish <[e-mail]>
Subject: JAYA SHRI RAM

Editorial: JAYA SHRI RAM
From     : "The Telegraph".
Date     : Sunday, November 29, 1992.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
                             JAYA SHRI RAM

          To view the remarkable political 'volte face' by  the  chief
     minister of Tamil Nadu, Ms Jayalalitha, as merely a churlish over
     reaction to the Congress inspired antics of Mr Subramanian  swamy
     is clearly inadequate. True, Ms Jayalalitha has reason to be sore
     with her  traditional  ally  for  encouraging  the  Janata  Party
     leader's reckless character assassination. She may also have felt
     that Mr Narasimha Rao, encouraged by Mr G.K. Moopanar, was under-
     playing   her   importance  as  a  political  leader.  But  these
     grievances, important as they are, can not explain  why  Ms  Jay-
     alalitha  took  the audacious step of distancing herself from the
     Congress at last week's meeting of the national integration coun-
     cil, endorsing the Vishawa Hindu Parishad kar seva in Ayodhya and
     making a speech that could well have been  scripted  by  Mr  L.K.
     Advani.  The  collapse  of  the AIADMK-Congress alliance may well
     have been on the cards, but a parting of ways did  not  automati-
     cally imply Ms Jayalalitha's endorsement of Hindutva.

          The shift is more surprising in view of the AIADMK's  avowed
     commitment  to  the  Dravidian  legacy of C.N. Annadurai and M.G.
     Ramachandran. Ms Jayalalitha may be a brahmin by birth,  but  she
     has  operated  in  the  context  of  a movement that claims to be
     inspired by rationalism and a fierce antipathy to the symbols  of
     North  Indian  domination.  Clearly, her endorsement of "majority
     sentiments" in favour of the Ram Janma Bhoomi temple  in  Ayodhya
     is more than a tactical shift; it questions the very fundamentals
     of the AIADMK heritage.  Irrespective of whether or not there  is
     any  prospect  of  a BJP-AIADMK understanding, Ms Jayalalitha has
     provided the Hindutva camp a bridgehead into the southern  heart-
     land.

          Nor  is  it  merely  a  matter  of  personal   beliefs.   Ms
     Jayalalitha's  patronage  of  Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu and her
     encouragement of Vedic learning have been cited  as  evidence  of
     her  status as a closet kar sevak. But these beliefs have assumed
     significance because they coincide with other  rumblings  on  the
     ground.  First,  notwithstanding rationalist streak in the Dravi-
     dian legacy, the advent of MGR signalled a dilution of the inher-
     itance.  Basing  his  claim to fame on his celluloid credentials,
     MGR emphasised a personality cult far more than ideology.  Conse-
     quently,  the  base of the AIADMK became the MGR fan clubs rather
     than the devotees of the anti-brahmin movement. In the new scheme
     of  things,  deification and hero worship became the hallmarks of
     the AIADMK and this has made it possible for  Ms  Jayalalitha  to
     sense opportunities in the new mood of Hindutva being promoted by
     the VHP and Hindu Munnani.  In Tamil Nadu, this is  best  epitom-
     ised  by  the  growing  appeal  of Vinayaga, a god who is a local
     variant of Bharat Mata. From MGR to Ram may sound absurd, but  it
     is a logical progression of an emerging mood.

          Second, the emotive thrust of the anti-brahmin movement have
     long  been  blunted. The brahmins of Mylapore and Egmore who dom-
     inated the Congress till the days of K. Kamraj are today  politi-
     cally  irrelevant. They may have their enclaves of influence, but
     these are mainly outside Tamil  Nadu  and  often  outside  India.
     Anti-brahminism  is  an  archaic plank bereft of immediacy. Simi-
     larly, it is obvious that there is no longer any insidious  North
     Indian ploy to thrust Hindi down the throats of reluctant Tamili-
     ans.  Even the BJP has moved away significantly from the  program
     of Jana Sangh, and no longer insists on the pre-eminence of Hindi.
     This may be a factor behind the BJP's spectacular growth in  Kar-
     nataka.  Instead,  the  new  Hindutva thrust is towards promoting
     local manifestations of faith, such as the Jagannath  rath  yatra
     in  Orissa  and  Gujarat,  Ganapati worship in Maharashtra, Durga
     Puja in West Bengal, Bihar and eastern Uttar  Pradesh  and  other
     festivals in the rest of the Hindi heartland. In such a scenario,
     Ms Jayalalitha as the loyal servant of the towering deity, Vinay-
     aga,  the  symbol of Tamil Hindutva, is not as bewildering as may
     initially appear.

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