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53-B, Calve Subburayar Street, Puducherry 605001 India

Tel:0413-2221025 Web: dravidaperavai@gmail.com www.dravidaperavai.org.in Email :

Honble Chief Minister of Kerala 19.10.2011 Thiru.Ooman Chandi Tiruvananthapuram Respected Chief Minister Subject: Need to safeguard Arabian Sea-Indian Ocean-Bay of Bengal from Chinese encirclement of India, expansionism to indulge in sea floor mining and plans to dominate sea lanes connecting Saudi to China through oil pipelines beneath our seas and to awaken vigilance towards Indias security and national interests through Government of Kerala regarding. Let me alert the Government of Kerala about the volcanic chains in Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal where mining for oil, natural gas and minerals by Indian corporate and Chinese counterparts is on the anvil.

. Let me bring to your notice that The International Seabed Authority in collaboration with the Government of Fiji and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) SOPAC Division is organizing an International Workshop on Environmental Management Needs for Exploration and Exploitation of Deep Sea Minerals, to be held in Nadi, Fiji Islands from 29 November to 2 December 2011. Let coastal states of South India like Tamilnadu, Kerala hereafter pay more attention to such workshops and debate the impact of deep sea mining off shore of respective states. Our appeal is to all Chief Ministers of Coastal states not to leave these workshops or activities of leasing out of our adjacent seas by International Seabed Authority as the domain of Indian foreign service bureaucrats of Union Government ministries. The after effects of deep sea mining will be borne by the people of coastal states and as their chosen representatives these Chief Ministers and politicians of these coastal states have to keep vigil on International Seabed Authority and countries like China which have dreams to become world power cutting down India to size in order to gain supremacy over India. This workshop takes place in the aftermath of The International Seabed Authority approving the application from the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA) to explore an area of the ridge for 15 years, covering about 10,000 square kilometers, on July 22 of 2011.
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Chinas approval for conducting exploration activities in the Southwest Indian Ridge is the countrys second such area with exclusive rights, following the 75,000 square kilometer poly metallic nodule ore deposit in the east Pacific Ocean, which was licensed in 2001. India, however, has become highly alarmed by this development, fearing that Beijing may use the exploration permit granted by the ISA as an excuse to operate their warships in the Indian Ocean an area seen in India as clearly within its sphere of influence. Reports in India say that the countrys Directorate of Naval Intelligence has given a warning note to related defense departments. In the mid 1950s the oceans came under the freedom-of-the-sea doctrine a 17th century principle that limited national rights and jurisdiction over the oceans to a narrow belt of sea surrounding a nations coastline. The United Nations convened three conferences on the Law of the Sea producing four conventions dealing respectively with the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, the high seas, fishing and conservation of living resources in the high seas and the continental shelf. In 1970 after years of intensive efforts, the UN Assembly unanimously declared the seabed and ocean floor beyond the limits of national jurisdiction to be the common heritage of mankind and convened a conference in 1973 which would lead to establishing the International Seabed Authority to organize and control all activities in the Area with a view to administering resources. It is from this Authority China had won approval to mine in Indian Ocean. The current areas of Chinese exploration are within the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Equatorial North Pacific Ocean and the Central Indian Basin in the Indian Ocean. Here it is pertinent to point to the Government of Kerala that China plans to bring oil through pipelines beneath Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean encircling India and to reach Hampanthotta harbor it has built in Southern Srilanka facing Indian Ocean. From there the current sea-lane where it brings oil through shipping vessels reaches South China Seas. China plans the oil pipeline to reach Yangoon in Myanmar. Then through vessels or pipelines in River Iravadhi it would reach the nearest point to China.

Picture of Oil Shipping lanes and Chinas security posts called as String of Pearls.

Proposed oil pipeline through Myanmar to reach Chinas Yunnan province. China's largest oil firm and parent company of PetroChina will build and operate the pipeline whose construction is due to finish in 2013.The SinoMyanmar oil and gas pipeline starts at Kyaukryu port on the west coast of Myanmar and enters China at Yunnan's border city of Ruili. The 2,380-km long oil pipeline will end in Kunming City, capital of Yunnan. It is expected to carry 22 million tonnes of crude oil per annum to China from the Middle East and Africa. The natural gas pipeline will be even longer, running from Kunming into Guizhou Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China for a total length of 2,806 km. It is expected to transport 12 billion cubic meters of gas to China every year. The project is the fourth way for oil and natural gas to enter China, after ocean shipping, the Sino-Kazakhstan pipelines and the Sino-Russian crude oil pipeline.

The oil pipeline saves 1,200 km of shipping. It will reduce China's reliance on the Straits of Malacca for oil imports. As inter-link between Bay of Bengal and South China Seas TENTH DEGREE CANAL was mooted to avoid traffic congestion in Malacca Straits. August 15 th 2003, from Pondicherry Dravida Peravai wrote a letter to the Lt.Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Mr.N.N.Jha on the need to dig a canal in Thailand connecting Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Siam. It also urged that such Indo-Thailand joint venture be named as Thamizhan Calvaay. (Daily Thanthi 15.08.2003). Then Dinamani dated 28.08.2003 stated that a memorandum for construction of a " New Canal for benefiting Chennai and Tuticurin Harbors had been handed over to the Union Minister of State for External Affairs Mr.Digvijay Singh. Mr.Singh lauded this project which will reduce 1500 nautical miles to reach South China Seas. Dravida Peravai also sent Memorandums to Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Thailand Prime Minister Thakashin Shinawatra on 3.11.2003. The contents of that memorandum are given here. Dear Respected Prime Ministers You may be aware that the Suez Canal (1869) and Panama Canal (1915), Sethusamudram Canal (1860) and the Tenth degree canal have been mooted to create short navigational routes to bring prosperity to respective regions and countries. The French initiative to build Siene7

Norde Canal is an example for the keen interest evinced by developed countries to promote trade and overall development. Since the recent visit of The Indian Prime Minister had given tremendous boost to the cooperation between India and Thailand, Dravida Peravai is bringing to your knowledge certain historical facts with the humble request to you both to take an active interest for the construction of the Tenth Degree Canal, which can bring prosperity to Andaman and Nicobar islands of India and Thailand apart from boosting bilateral trade. You must go back to the pages of history to know that Thailand then known as Siam is an enemy country of the British and an ally of the Japan during the World War II. On the conclusion of the Second World War one of the last secretive acts performed by the colonial Government of India was the signing of a Peace Treaty with Siam [Thailand]. A Peace Treaty between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of India on one hand and the Kingdom of Siam on the other on January 1, 1946 was signed at the Government House Singapore. The signatories were for the Britain Mr. Moberly Dening, political adviser of Lord Louis Mount batten for the Government of India M, S.Aney AND for Siam Prince Viwat Anajai Jaiyant, Lt.General Phya Abhai Songramm and Nai Serm Vinichayakul. This treaty contains 24 articles. Out of this Article 7 assumes great importance in context of this letter. Article 7: Siam undertakes to construct NO CANAL linking the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Siam [i.e. across the Kra of Isthmus] without British consent. [Keesings Contemporary Archives 194647 Vol VI p 7695]. This article had done great havoc to Indian shipping costing our nation billions of extra money by way of fuel imports, in view of shelving of the Tenth Degree Canal by imposing a condition in the Peace Treaty. It has also blocked the economic prosperity of Thailand and held up the development process by half a century and more. Hence Dravida Peravai urges the Government of India and Government of Thailand to look into the unfavorable condition imposed by a colonial rule that too on a defeated country in World War II. It is in the interests of India and Thailand that a Canal be cut across the Isthmus of Kra where Isthmus narrows to just 75 miles and to develop this canal vigorously so that a detour of 1500 nautical miles down the Malayan coast via Straits of Malacca and up the Gulf of Thailand in the South China Sea is avoided. The proposed tenth degree canal will be an extension of the tenth degree channel of Andaman Nicobar islands. The opening of Tenth Degree canal
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will save millions of tons of fuel for world shipping. Tenth Degree Canal will reduce the importance of Panama and Suez Canals. Tenth Degree Canal would develop Andaman and Nicobar islands and bring prosperity to its economy. The opening of this canal will also benefit Indian Ports like Haldia, Paradip, Vizag, Chennai and Tuticorin.There are more than 138 minor and intermediary ports under the control of various state governments in India. If Indian Government creates a National Seaway Authority and permits private sector vessels to transport cargo and passengers connecting all Indian ports, these 138 minor and intermediary ports which are inoperable will be busting with activity.................So continues the memorandum. It must be noted that Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee spoke about "Sagarmala" scheme which is nothing but National Seaway mooted by Dravida Peravai before Planning Commission and other forums. N.Nandhivarman General Secretary

[2011 : India did not act but China got this 10th degree Canal Project in Thailand. Our bureaucrats have no patriotism in their blood, their lethargy gives our enemy nations to progress at out cost, creating security concerns for us]

 Srilankan President Rajapakshe had allotted one block for China and one block for India out of 8 blocks in its zone. And he had announced in October 3rd of 2011 that Cairn {India] Limited had found natural gas below 1354 meter depth in Gulf of Mannar. Gulf of Mannar starts from Adams bridge and extends up to Lakshadeep. This has brought China into Bay of Bengal and particularly Gulf of Mannar which extends up to Lakshadeep. Hardly a fortnight after Cairn India moved into Sri Lanka to drill the depths of the Gulf of Mannar, a team from Russian oil major Gazprom arrived. Gazprom is one of the world's largest energy companies. Its major business lines are geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and marketing of hydrocarbons as well as generation and marketing of heat and electric power. Srilanka had said that it eyes on 30,000 square kilometers beginning from Gulf of Mannar in Bay of Bengal up to Lakhshadeep in Kerala coast for oil exploration. After this statement only we Tamils understood why Srilanka on almost daily basis is harassing and killing Indian Tamil fishermen from southern districts of Tamilnadu. The dispute is not over fishing boundary, the real motive is to drive out all fishermen from fishing activity and to hand over Bay of Bengal to oil companies of India, China and others waiting to grab oil blocks in tender.
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Bay of Bengal had been divided into 33 blocks and Reliance obtained 23 blocks and later British Petroleum joined the venture. Originally public sector undertaking ONGC had explored and found oil/gas reserves and wanted to take British Petroleum as partner, but Government of India did not grant approval. British Petroleum had proposed in 2005-2006 to partner ONGC in three of its deep sea blocks off East and West coast of India. British Petroleum made formal proposal to take 40-50 percent stake in ONGC allocated Krishna-Godavari oil block and Gujarat-Kutch basin oil block. But Oil Ministry and Directorate of Hydrocarbon rejected it, because babus there wanted private sector to prosper. Similarly ONGC in AugustSeptember of 2007 proposed to give 15 percent stake in KG-DWN-98-2 oil block to Brazils oil giant Petrobras and 10 percent stake to Norways oil major Statoil Hydro. Oil Ministry did not approve this for a year and both oil giants went back. It shows how officials scuttle public sector undertakings and promote private sector. Comptroller and Auditor General of India too had indicted that the more capital intensive the project, the lower governments share of profits in petroleum. Oil exploration blocks granted to Reliance which controls 90 percent of area in Bay of Bengal Hoping to set up refineries and other industries to process oil and other minerals mined in deep sea, corporate sector had started to grab beaches. Our people thought for tourism and for real estate beach fronts are being bought and got, but Andhra Pradesh incident woke us from
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slumber. Out of total Andhra coast of 975 kilometers 348 kilometers of beach front had been given to private corporate sector. A secret note of Union Shipping Ministry brought out this grab to light. One fine day in the beginning of this year at Ministry of Shipping under Union Minister G.K.Vasan there was a meeting to deliberate on setting up a harbor cum ship building yard in the Andhra coast. It was to be a joint venture between Visakapatnam Port Trust, Cochin Ship Building Yard and Union Ministry of Shipping. In that meeting the Principal Secretary for Infrastructure and Investments in Andhra Pradesh Government claimed it wont be a problem to identify 5000 acres of beach front land in Andhra coast for setting up this project. While for the new project they were hunting to locate 5000 acres the Union Ministry of Shipping was shocked to find out that 348 kilometers of beach front land had been given to Krishnapatnam, Machilipatnam and Vanpic private ports. Vishakapatnam harbor occupies 15.3 kilometer of beach front and oldest Chennai harbor has only 10.6 kilometers for its purpose whereas three private ports have been given 348 kilometers out of total Andhra coast of 975 kilometers. Yes private parties have captured one third of Andhra coast. Definitely this port exclusive zone is not for port purposes only, it is for processing exploits from our seas. In Tamilnadu for every power project one captive port had been given resulting in Tamilnadu having ports in every 30 kilometer. Fishermen to vacate beaches and Corporate to grab beaches is what I wrote in a local Tamil weekly Manasatchi, which is in the CD given to you now. SAVE OUR SEAS, we in EAST COAST are demanding, hope in WEST COAST Kerala aborts corporate conspiracy before it is too late. All our Riverbasins from Indus to Cauvery had been identified as potential areas for shale gas. Our memorandum to Tamilnadu Chief Minister which is in the CD, prays for Saving our Seas and River basins. My article in Manasatchi which is in the CD, highlights that both Nagapattinam District of Tamilnadu and Karaikal of UT of Puducherry had been identified as areas of shale gas, and the danger of oil companies taking over both districts looms large. Fertile Cauvery basin and its farmers had to give up farming my article forewarns. Hence the need of the hour is to remind the call Land for Tillers Sea for Fishermen once again. Hydrocarbon rich Bay of Bengal seems to be emerging as another centre of oil politics. This was recently manifested by a standoff between
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Myanmar and Bangladesh, when Dhaka sent three naval vessels to stop Myanmar from conducting exploration activities in their disputed Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). The crisis has since been diffused, though it is far from over. Myanmar and India have made major discoveries of oil and gas in the Bay, and Bangladesh is feeling left out of all this action. Probably because of confidence that existing gas resources would meet its needs for decades, Dhaka had felt that there was no need to explore for new gas and oil fields. The lack of interest could also be because of the lack of necessary technology and capital within the country. At the same time, there was unwillingness to collaborate with foreign companies because of the widespread feeling that multinational companies were overcharging for exploring hydrocarbon. Subsequently, however, Bangladesh has felt compelled to move on this front since its existing gas reserves have proved smaller than anticipated. The country currently produces 1,750 million cubic feet of gas a day (mmcfd) and faces a shortage of nearly 200 mmcfd for daily domestic consumption. But multinational companies have lost interest in exploring gas, given Bangladeshs reluctance to allow them to sell gas to India the nearest large market. As a result, there have been no new gas field discoveries since the 1990s. And now in the wake of the Indian and Myanmar successes in finding oil and gas resources, Dhaka is hurrying to engage in exploration of its own in the Bay of Bengal. The changing energy scene in the Bay of Bengal and the shortage of gas within the country prompted Bangladesh to divide its territorial waters into 28 blocks, which it auctioned off in January 2008. According to estimates provided by British Petroleum, Myanmar has 21.19 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves or 0.3 per cent of the world's total, while Bangladesh has 13.77 trillion cubic feet or 0.2 per cent of the world total at the end of 2007. Much of this is located in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh has disputes over territorial waters in the Bay with both India and Myanmar. International Law grants every country an EEZ of 200 nautical miles extending from its coast. However, given that the coasts of Bangladesh, India and Myanmar in the Bay follow a curve, there is overlap of the EEZs of the three countries, leading to disagreement on where exactly their respective maritime borders fall. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), India and Myanmar have to delimit their maritime borders and file their claims with the United Nations before June 29 and May 21, 2009 respectively, while Bangladesh had to do this before July 27, 2011.

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Efforts have been made since 2004 to sort out this dispute over EEZs, but without any success so far. In their last meeting, both Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed that they would not carry out any exploration in disputed territory. But Bangladesh broke this agreement, which led to Myanmar auction off a block (AD-7) to the South Korean company Daewoo, which began exploration work in September 2008. In response, Bangladesh sent three naval ships on November 2, 2008 to stop this activity. At the same time, it also launched a multi-pronged diplomatic effort. Bangladesh approached China and requested it to persuade Myanmar to stop exploration, and at the same time also requested the South Korean government to convince Daewoo to stop work. From the Indian perspective, a most important aspect of this crisis is the key role that China seems to have played. Bangladesh sought to influence the Myanmar government through Beijing. It did not bother to even consult India, probably because it has a similar dispute over its maritime borders with India as well. But the fact remains that China is quietly stealing a march over India in its own backyard. KERALA The geophysical field team of the ONGC found traces of oil in KeralaKonkan basin as early as 1977.ONGC employed the service of Geosearcher, a Norwegian seismic-survey ship, to find evidence of oil in the KK basin, located 55-nautical miles (102 Km) off the Kochi shore. Later that year, another survey ship owned by a London based company conducted a comprehensive survey of the Kerala coast. The ship mapped sea floor from the Kochi coast to Ponnani. In 2008, Norsecot, commissioned by ONGC began experimental drilling off the Kochi coast. A floater type energy driller rig, capable of reaching 3500 meters into the sea was employed. In 2009, there were unconfirmed reports that the team had struck gold. The exploration was reported to have found traces of hydro carbons at a depth of 1500 meter. The war for the Continental shelfs in Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal There is oil in the Bay of Bengal and the evidence of Methane gas in the Shale treasures of the Arabian Sea point to rich deposits of Carbon based riches on the shorelines of Pakistan. Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan are stuck in protracted stalemates on resolving the issues of the law of the sea. Indias claim over 300,000 sq. km of seabed in the Bay of Bengal that could potentially have large hydrocarbon reserves is
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being disputed Bangladesh.

by

its

eastern

neighbours

Myanmar

and

Myanmar,in 4 August 2009 letter to the United Nations (UN), has complained that India has unilaterally extended the maritime boundary between the two countries, contravening a 1986 bilateral agreement. A copy of the letter is available on the UN website. The maritime boundary between nations is an important reference point for establishing claims over untapped oil and gas, and mineral wealth in continental shelves. A continental shelf is the relatively shallow seabed surrounding a continent that could, in many instances, extend beyond a countrys exclusive economic zone, defined by the UN as a sea area within 200 nautical miles (360km) from the shore. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea permits countries to claim continental shelf regions beyond the exclusive economic zone (giving exclusive fishing and mining rights), provided they can back it up with scientific data. On 12 May 2009, India staked claim to large swathes of seabed under the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, which a government scientist involved with the survey process pegged at approximately 0.6 million sq. km of continental shelf. The Bay of Bengal is not the only Continental Shelf that is being contested. The Arabian Sea is also being contested. Sir Creek makes a huge difference in the number of Nautical miles which come under the control of Pakistan or Bharat. Northwestern branch of the Indian Ocean, covering 3,859,000 sq km/1,489,970 sq mi, with India to the east, Pakistan and Iran to the north, and the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia to the west. It is linked with the Red Sea via the Gulf of Aden, and with the Gulf via the Gulf of Oman. Its depth is 2,730 m/8,956 ft. The chief river flowing into the Arabian Sea is the Indus, which is linked with a large submarine canyon in the continental shelf. The sea is rich in fish. Chinese released a guideline on the oceanic science and technology development between 2011 and 2015, vowing to invest more to boost the country's maritime economy. China is the fifth country to send a man 3,500 meters below sea level, following the United States, France, Russia and Japan. In our opinion, each country should think carefully of consequences ocean mining will have on the environment.
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Regarding who should share the profit, I think that both rich and poor countries should have the same rights. Those rights should be set by the International Law and everybody should respect that agreement. CHINA : THORN TO INDIAs EXISTENCE Indias foreign policy makers must watch the Chinese moves in each and every issue in international arena. China had been for years scheming to become the sole Super Power of Asia. Nothing wrong in any nation to aspire for higher status, but that status when it tends to downsize India, it is our duty to counter Chinese dragon. The handing over of Coco island by the Indian foreign policy experts of seventies to Myanmar had paved way for China obtaining it in lease from Myanmar and to build a harbour apart from installing Russian made radars and satellites to spy on Indian Missile programme operated from Orissa, a state of India just facing Coco islands in the west of the Bay of Bengal. Sitting entrenched in Eastern side of Bay of Bengal that too just 40 nautical miles away from Indian Territory of Andaman Nicobar islands, China had established its access and control over Bay of Bengal. The intelligent foreign policy experts who had no broad vision had opened the gateway of Bay of Bengal to the Chinese dragon. But the threats from China are not only in our border but everywhere. Unless India watches every move of China, we will fail in our patriotic duty to preserve our nation and its status among comity of nations.

India and China are now members of the Financial Stability Board, the apex institution to monitor global risks of financial crisis. Their voting
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shares in the International Monetary Fund will also be slightly increased through an accelerated quota reform process. However post-reform the USA will retain its de-facto veto power with a 17 percent share and the US, EU and Japan will control 53 percent of IMF shares. Individually the shares of US, UK, France and Japan will still be larger than Chinas share of fewer than 4 percent. Hence China had planned a new offensive according to Professor of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy Mr.Sudipto Mundle. Zhou Xiaochuan, Governor of the Chinese Central Bank had in past suggested that dollar should be replaced with SDRs as the new reserve currency. The huge dollar reserves held by Central Banks and other global investors would be severely eroded if the dollar were to suddenly depreciate. Yet these investors cannot easily diversify away from the dollar since this itself would trigger dollar depreciation. The Chinese are particularly concerned, an estimated 1 trillion dollars of their total reserves of around 2 trillion are held in dollar asset. The SDR exchange rate is a weighted average of exchange rates of the major convertible currencies. Accordingly under Zhous proposals, China and other countries could convert their reserves from dollars to SDRs at current exchange rates without any erosion in their value. Implementing such a proposal would also mark the end of the dollar as reserve currency. This is the game plan of China which has let the cat out of its bag. If China launches SDR missiles to strike at the Dollar regime, India had to toe Chinese line, if Indo-China-Srilanka partnership to ethnic cleansing of Tamils is a forerunner to such cooperation. USA realizing the Chinese designs had been urging India to sign End-use Monitoring Agreement, Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum agreement, and Logistics Support Agreement. China causes grave concern for USA, hence USA urges India to sign these pacts. China had become emboldened to say to USA to concentrate on western Pacific and China will look after eastern Pacific. Pacific Command Chief Admiral Timothy J Keating had recently exposed this game. Are we with USA or are we with China? Is USA a grave danger to the territorial integrity of India or is China, the aggressor who claims our Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh will be a threat with high magnitude? China had encircled India with tie-ups starting from Myanmar to Srilanka, Maldives to Pakistan and Bangladesh. With harbours in all these countries carefully built from 1990, China had acquired a might India cannot challenge. If China could suggest to USA to divide Pacific Ocean as
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eastern zone and western zone between them, will it not say to India confine to your coast in Bay of Bengal and from Myanmar China will control half of Bay of Bengal? Will not China with harbours in Pakistan and Maldives suffocate Indian presence in Arabic Ocean? Sitting in Srilankas southern tip China could block passage to Bay of Bengal and from Myanmar control Malacca Straits. Each and every step China plans is to establish it as Super power of Asia. It is the neo-colonial power which will colonize Myanmar and Srilanka. In Indian state of Bihar, the influx of Chinese women to marry Indians born in Buddhas land is silently establishing a Chino-Indian population like early Anglo-Indians. Chinese products are flooding India, and in my face-book one friend wrote at this rate China will prepare Tirunelveli halwa cheaper than in Tirunelveli and sell in India. Our foreign policy must be debated in Indian Parliament. Few individuals should not decide the foreign policy of a continent like India with 100 crore population. Ours is Indian Union, though it became unitary due to the trauma of partition, it must be borne that Indian States have a right to shape Indias foreign policy. Consensus can emerge in our National Integration Council, debates in Parliament can offer constructive course corrections, and Cabinet should not be bypassed, few people should not be shouldered with crafting nations foreign policy, however super brains they may be. But seeing how China had outwitted us by encircling India, and within India opening a Red corridor from Nepal to Andhra Pradesh where Maoists rule the roost, it becomes evident that China wants India again to become a colony. N.Nandhivarman, General Secretary, Dravida Peravai

Borders and Boundaries: Follies galore

India must publish maps showing Tibet as independent country under occupation of Chinese. Only then Chinese maps on Jammu and Kashmir could be countered effectively. There is a Tibetan Government in exile within Indian soil and we are within our right to declare Tibet as disputed area which belong to Tibetan people. Having said the way to counter Chinese moves, as impassionate observer of history let me share my thoughts with readers and invite a debate. The maps of 1930 show Indian border in North East sector, which is McMahon line between Indias Assam and Tibet region as Boundary Un-demarcated. In Northwest, North sectors
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[from Kashmir Ladakh to Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh it was inscribed as boundary undefined. Miss Dorothy Woodman in her book Himalayan Frontiers in 1969 wrote, The innumerable discrepancies on maps might lead to the most nave student of cartography to the view that the devil can quote maps to serve its own purpose. The discrepancies in maps are a disease infecting both sides. In Indian side as per eminent parliamentarian and scholar Kuldip Nayyar The Government itself with drew several official maps and books which did not indicate meticulously a curve here or a bend there or which left the boundary undefined. Many maps of the Survey of India and the books of Publications Division were withdrawn, and there was a circular sent to return all such materials [Between the Lines p 137-138]. Similarly Chinese Premier Chouen-lai made it clear in April 1955 during Bandung Conference, that Chinas borders with neighbouring countries had not yet been fixed. BANGLADESH BORDERS: The legacy of past not only haunts India and China, it also hurts India and Bangladesh. There are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladesh enclaves in India. The legacy of high stake card games between two kings, rulers of Cooch Bihar and Rangpur within old Bengal State centuries ago where they used estates as stakes when they ran out of cash, resulted in our nation having Bangladesh enclaves and Bangladesh having our enclaves.The sudden raking up of a claim over Arunachal Pradesh by China had created heartburns amidst Indian people. But whatever China does aims to cut India down to size and to dwarf India as super power, eating into its geo-political spheres of influence. BUREAUCRATIC BLUNDERS India had spent crores of public money to safeguard our borders; thousands of our brave men have given their lives to secure our borders. The War with our neighbour is not a footnote in history, but a chapter of sacrifice made by our army men.The Indian Army only needed a nod from Indian Prime Minister at a crucial period of Indian history to drive Pakistan out of Kashmir. The Indian Home Minister Sardar Vallabai Patel was urging Indian Prime Minister to give green signal to our Army Chief Major General Kariappa to secure Hyderabad and Kashmir at one go. While Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru consented for army intervention in Hyderabad, which fell for Indian army in a day, hesitated to give his consent with regard to Kashmir. This indecision resulted in ever bleeding never-ending Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. It is not treason to look back at
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history. This today BJP claims that nation had paid heavy price for Nehrus folly. Similarly it is not a sin to pin point the blunders committed by our bureaucrats. Only politicians are portrayed as villains but bureaucrats enjoy immunity. This is bad practice. While workforce of the country, the real masters in a democracy are subjected a hire and fire policy, why not hire and fire policy be framed for bureaucrats and only such a whip will make them deliver goods without delay to the people. I reproduce a letter addressed by me to then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 5.1.2004. His government did not act nor I hope any government by bureaucrats and for bureaucrats will punish the guilty. But people of the country, the supreme power in a democracy have the right to know where and how it went wrong. Honble Prime Minister of India Thiru.Atal Bihari Vajpayee Respected Atalji Subject: A white paper sought on the Kashmir issue to evolve national consensus and fix responsibility for faulty maps All Indians will echo your feelings with regards to the Pakistans bartering away of Kashmiri territory to China, our neighbour. At the moment out of the total area of 222.336 square kilometers of Kashmiri state the possession is as follows: Area of Jammu & Kashmir in possession of India: 101,387 square km Illegally occupied by Pakistan: kms Illegally handed over to China by Pakistan: km Illegal occupation of China and Pakistan: 78,114 square 42,735 square 120,849 square km

All this is shown as total area of Jammu and Kashmir 222,336 square kilometers. This figure is shown from 1988/89 to 1999 in all manuals brought out by the Ministry of information and Broadcasting. So while with spirit of nationalism and patriotism we are ready to share your feeling of hurt for Pakistans handing over an area of 42,735 square kilometers to China. But let me request your office to trace out my

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letter-dated 24.8.1999 in which I had complained first about the following grave mistake. I humbly submit that from the Source of INDIA: A REFERENCE MANUAL 1953 brought out by the Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in page 1. THE AREA OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR STATE WAS GIVEN AS 92,780 square miles which is equivalent to 240,300.20 square kilometers. How could this become 222.336 square kilometers in 1988? Pakistan holds 78,114 square kilometers. China owns 42,735 square kilometers. India owns 101,387 square kilometers. By mistakes committed by our bureaucracy in preparing faulty maps, we have lost 18,036.20 square kilometers. Are we to take it for granted that 18.036.20 square kilometers vanished into thin air? Like Bermudas triangle in our earths oceans do we have a Bermudas triangle in our Ministries, which had swallowed 18,036.20 square kilometers? Who is responsible for this? Who is going to be held accountable for this? Are we going to find scapegoats? Or whether The National Democratic Alliance Government has the moral guts to fix the responsibility on the Congress governments that caused this national loss to our country? While 1953 Manual says 92,780 square miles equivalent to 240.300.20 square kilometers, in 1960 Edition the area becomes 86,024 square miles equivalent to 222.802.16 square kilometers. Official reference journal published by a Ministry of the Government of India in 1960 at page 24-25, a district wise break up of the area of Jammu And Kashmir State is given. The total of this area arrives at a figure of 84,476 square miles, which is equivalent to 218,792.84 square kilometers. In 1964 Edition page 7 has a different story to tell. It contains two different figures. In the column area figure a) shows 86,023 square miles equivalent to 222.799.57 square kilometers. Figure (b) shows 56665 square miles, which is under Indian possession. This amounts to 146,762.25 square kilometers? In 1965 Edition page 7 changes over to 222.896.78 square kilometers? In 1966 Edition page 7 Area of Jammu and Kashmir once again changed to 222,800 square kilometers? In 1968 Edition page 8 area of Jammu and Kashmir once again changed to 222,870 square kilometers .In 1988-89 edition the area of Jammu and Kashmir was shown as 222.236 square kilometers. In the very same edition in a different page693, the area of Jammu and Kashmir was shown as 222.236 square kilometers and a note inserted which stated That this area includes 78,114 square kilometers under illegal occupation of Pakistan, 5280 square kilometers illegally handed over by Pakistan to
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China and 37,555 square kilometers illegally occupied by China N.Nandhivarman General Secretary 5.1.2004 After recalling the effort of Dravida Peravai seven years ago, now when scam after scam hits head lines, I felt the need to overhaul our bureaucracy, purging them, and enacting stringent acts to punish them. Unless bureaucracy is tamed, blunders like this will only be in archives of history. Instead of a short memorandum, we chose to be little elaborate because in a state where literacy is hundred percent and where media acts as watchdogs of society, we from Tamilnadu and Puducherry want the Kerala Government and politicians of Kerala to have greater national vision and to be the spokesperson of peoples conscience. American President Obama said two years ago that in USA we did not have peoples democracy but only corporate democracy. Yes true the book WHO REALLY RUNS THE WORLD ? by Thom Burnett created in me a new awakening to read in between the lines. After mining scams in land corporate are for mining our seas, and herein sneaks enemical forces like China. Let Public sector Mining and Nationalisation of Private Mining Companies be thought of as if Indira Gandhi would have done had she been alive. Let people of Kerala save Arabian Sea-Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean from corporate over exploitation driving fishermen out of traditional profession. Let Indian river basins be for farmers and agricultural production and let us prevent shale gas sharks from grabbing farm lands. On this visit we wanted Kerala Government to forget the usual rivalry with Tamilnadu over river waters and act as brothers in need to save the Tamil fishermen who are getting killed by Srilanka only to grab Gulf of Mannar for oil companies. Our appeal to International Tribunal of Law of Seas is made with no locus standi, just to act as catalyst for generating awareness and make Government of India take up the issue of Tamil fishermen killing and retrieval of Katcha Tivu to the International Tribunal of the Law of Seas. Few decades ago there was a Southern Chief Ministers Council, let a Coastal Chief Ministers Council be thought of to safeguard our seas, and traditional fishermen. With Regards
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Yours fraternally N.Nandhivarman General Secretary Dravida Peravai

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