The Indian government wants to spend a lot of money to turn the Nicobar Islands into a printed version of Hong Kong. However, 39 international scholars jointly issued a letter warning that they would exterminate the Shomban people, the indigenous people on the islands.
In the past few years, the Indian government has been brewing a transformation plan worth 720 billion rupees (approximately HK$67.8 billion) in an attempt to turn the strategic overseas Nicobar Islands into an “Indian version of Hong Kong.” According to the British “Guardian” report on the 7th, 39 scholars from the fields of genocide studies, sociology and other fields jointly warned the plan, saying that it was tantamount to “genocide” against the island’s indigenous people.
The Nicobar Islands are an overseas territory of India and, like the Andaman Islands in the north, are under the jurisdiction of the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (hereinafter referred to as the “Anni Islands”) in India. The Ani Islands are about 1,300 kilometers away from the mainland of India, accounting for only 0.2% of India’s territory, but its exclusive economic zone accounts for 30% of India’s territory. There are three important straits distributed around the archipelago from north to south – the Prairie Strait, the Tenth Strait, and the Sixth Strait, which control the only way for the Western Pacific to enter the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Malacca.
Anne Islands location.Image source: Standard Map System
The Guardian stated that given the strategic location of the Anne Islands in the Indian Ocean, India has begun to attach great importance to its role in its military and diplomatic strategies to “counter China’s growing presence in the region.” After the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, India increased its investment in infrastructure construction and military build-up in the Ani Islands, trying to build the archipelago into a regional economic hub and a new stronghold for maritime security affairs.
To this end, the Indian public think tank National Institute for Transforming India (Niti Aayog) proposed a transformation plan estimated to cost 720 billion rupees in March 2021, and plans to build an international shipping terminal, airport, power plant, and military base in the southern part of the Nicobar Islands. and industrial parks and other facilities, and vigorously develop tourism, eventually turning this island with 8,000 residents into an “Indian version of Hong Kong.”
In response, 39 scholars “with expertise in the field of genocide” from 13 countries and regions around the world issued a warning in an open letter to Indian President Murmu published on the 7th: “If this project continues, , even in a limited form, we believe this would be a death sentence for the Shompen people and tantamount to the international crime of genocide.”
Part of the development program of the Government of India. Image source: Indian “Independent” magazine (Swarajya)
It is reported that the Shomban people are one of the indigenous groups on the Nicobar Islands. They mainly live in the rainforest of Great Nicobar Island and number about 100 to 400 people. According to the Guardian, Great Nicobar Island has an area of approximately 900 square kilometers and is the largest island in the Nicobar Islands.
Scholars believe that due to the long-term isolation of the Shaomban people, they may die from diseases from the outside world once contact is released. According to plans announced by the Indian government, the project will directly destroy four semi-permanent settlements of the Shomban people, as well as their hunting and foraging territories in the south. However, apart from stating that the indigenous people can be resettled “if necessary”, the Indian government’s development plan barely mentions the resettlement of the Shomban people.
Information map of Shaomban people. Image source: “The Guardian”
Environmentalists have also expressed concerns about the project’s impact on biodiversity and ecology. The report pointed out that Great Nicobar Island is home to several endemic species including long-tailed macaques, tree shrews and owls, and Galathea Bay, where the proposed port is located, is home to a species of leatherback sea turtles. Nesting area. Last year, 70 former Indian government officials and ambassadors wrote to the president saying the project would “effectively destroy the island’s unique ecology and habitat of vulnerable tribal groups.”
Despite this, India’s National Green Tribunal had earlier rejected requests from environmental groups to intervene in the approval, and the Indian government is expected to formally approve the project in the coming months. The port in Galaxia Bay will start construction before the end of 2024 and is expected to be operational in 2028. India’s Ministry of Environment has approved the felling of 850,000 trees on the island for this purpose.
Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda insisted that ministries “have studied every aspect of this project very seriously… utmost care will be taken while executing the project to preserve the sanctity of the place and its people” sex”. Indian Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal made bold remarks to the Indian media, saying that the project “will become an important milestone in India’s development into a confident and independent country and support the country’s economic development.”
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The Ukrainian army changed its coach before the battle, and his successor was Serski. Some analysts say that this may damage the morale of the Ukrainian army and is politically unfavorable to Zelenskiy, because the approval rate of the former commander-in-chief Zaluzhny is higher than his.
The new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Sersky. AP pictures
According to the Ukrainian National News Agency, on February 8, local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky signed a presidential decree to remove Zaluzhny, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, from his post and appointed Ukrainian Army Commander Sersky as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. commander.
Zelensky said in a video speech on the evening of the 8th that the Ukrainian Defense Force now has nearly 1 million people, most of whom lack frontline combat experience, which means that the Ukrainian army needs new management, mobilization and recruitment methods. “These are all It will give soldiers more respect and restore clarity to combat operations.”
Zelensky said he met with Zaluzhny earlier in the day to discuss moves to reform the Ukrainian military and decided to update the leadership of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Zelensky expressed his gratitude to Zaluzhny for his efforts over the past two years and proposed that Zaluzhny remain in the Ukrainian national leadership.
After meeting Zaluzhny, Zelensky posted a photo on social media. AP pictures
Zelensky announced that Ukrainian Army Commander Sersky will succeed Zaluzhny as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “He has successful defensive experience, leading defensive operations in Kiev. He also has successful offensive experience, leading combat operations in Kharkov.”
Zelensky also raised expectations for the Ukrainian armed forces, including requiring the Ukrainian army to formulate a realistic and detailed action plan in 2024 to ensure that each frontline force is fairly distributed with Western weapons, solve logistics problems, and establish an effective Rotation system, improving the quality of military training and establishing unmanned system units, etc.
“In the coming days, Commander-in-Chief Sersky will lead the team to redeploy the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” Zelensky said at the end of his speech, “Only effective changes to the core of our national defense, that is, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 2024 This year will be a successful year for Ukraine.”
In addition, Zelensky admitted in his speech that the Ukrainian army’s counterattack in southern Ukraine and other areas has stalled, which has affected the mood of the Ukrainian public. But he insisted that Ukraine had not lost confidence in victory. “Ukraine has retained its historical opportunity and it is our responsibility to achieve this.”
Sersky, 58, has served as the commander of the Ukrainian Army since 2019 and was promoted to general in 2020. Reuters stated that Selsky had been responsible for the defense of Kiev and directed the counterattack against the Russian army in Kharkov.
The Ukrainian National News Agency stated that Zaluzhny said after his meeting with Zelensky that the two had an “important and serious” conversation and decided to change the Ukrainian army’s strategy. “The fighting continues and changes every day. In 2024, Ukraine will The military’s combat missions are different from those in 2022, and in order to win, everyone must change and adapt to the new reality.”
Zaluzhny expressed his gratitude to the General Staff of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense and Zelensky, saying that he was “proud” of everyone in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
According to the Associated Press, in recent times, Ukrainian and Western media have been discussing rumors that Zaluzhny may be dismissed. Zaluzhny is regarded as a national hero by many Ukrainians. So the disagreement between Zelensky and Zaluzhny has caused an uproar, and this leadership turmoil comes at a particularly dangerous time for Ukraine.
Analysts said that as the Ukrainian army is struggling to deal with Russia’s offensive, the change of coaching at this time may damage the morale of the Ukrainian army. It could also backfire politically, hurting Zelensky’s approval ratings.
Reuters stated that some Ukrainians were confused about the move to replace Zaluzhny because Zaluzhny was known as the “Iron General” in Ukraine. A poll last year showed that the Ukrainian public’s trust in Zaluzhny exceeded 90%, higher than Zelensky’s 77%.
Zaluzhny is trusted more than Zelensky. AP profile picture
In addition, analysts have long been speculating whether Zaluzhny will one day become Zelensky’s political opponent in future elections. Zaluzhny’s dismissal may stem from Zelensky’s consideration of eliminating political opponents. So far though, Zaluzhny has shown little political ambition.
There have been rumors of tension between Zelensky and Zaluzhny for a long time. In November last year, Zaluzhny described the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield as a “stalemate” in an interview with British media. This statement angered Zelensky. Zelensky’s office publicly condemned Zaluzhny’s remarks, saying that his remarks caused panic among Western allies and made it easier for “aggressors” to succeed.
The two also disagreed on the issue of Ukrainian army mobilization. Zaluzhny advocated lowering the conscription age, but Zelensky has yet to sign the relevant bill.
At a time when the Russia-Ukraine conflict has reached a stalemate and U.S. aid to Ukraine has stalled, conflicts among the leadership of the Ukrainian army have also caused concern to the U.S. government. Bloomberg reported last month, citing people familiar with the matter, that the United States hopes Ukraine will improve its counteroffensive plan for 2024, but Biden administration officials are worried that the “differences” between Zelenskiy and Zaluzhny will delay the improvement of the new strategy.
The Washington Post also quoted sources on the 2nd that the Ukrainian government had notified the White House that Zelensky had made the decision to remove Zaluzhny from his post, but the United States did not express its position. “The White House’s response is that they neither support nor oppose Ukraine’s decision. The White House says it is up to Ukraine to make its own sovereign decision regarding its personnel,” a source said.
2024-02-10 00:00:54
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