August 20, 2009A Publication of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)
||August 20, 2009
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PRIME MINISTER MANM0HAN SINGH LAUDS GOPIO FOR ITS CONTRIBUTION TO INDIAN DIASPORA MOVEMENT
The convention theme is "People of Indian Origin: Strengthening Global Connections." An Array of Dignitaries to Attend the Convention.
GOPIO International, the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (www.gopio.net), is celebrating its 20th Anniversary Convention in New York on August 20 -23, 2009. The main venue is at the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia Hotel as well as the World Fair Marina Banquet Hall in New York. The theme of the conference is "People of Indian Origin: Strengthening Global Connections," and will provide an opportunity to deliberate on the Global Indian Diaspora, evaluate GOPIO's progress in 20 years, to network, exchange ideas and connect with PIO/NRI delegates from around the world.
PRIME MINISTER SENDS MESSAGE TO THE CONVENTION DELEGATES
Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in a message felicitated GOPIO for its contribution to the Indian Diaspora Movement. "GOPIO has emerged as a leading organization providing a unique platform to the vast Indian Overseas community for promoting their interests and realizing their aspirations. It has contributed significantly in the process of engagement between the Government of India and the Indian Diaspora. The bonds between the motherland and people of Indian origin across the globe are valuable and precious. It is my hope that through such events, they will continue to flourish."
The convention will be inaugurated on August 21st evening at the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia Hotel. An array of dignitaries including Indian Ambassador Prabhu Dayal
, Consul General of India in New York; Guyanese Ambassador Bayney Karran
;Mr. Basdeo Panday
, former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and currently the Opposition Leader; Mr. P. Chandrasegaran
, Minister of Community Development & Social Inequity Eradication, Govt. of Sri Lanka; Mr. Jagdish Shetter
, Speaker of Karnataka State Assembly; Mr. D.N. Srivastava
, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs; GOPIO Executive Vice President Lord Diljit Rana
, Member of the House of Lords, UK; other Indian American political leaders including Mr. Upendra Chivukula
, Deputy Speaker of New Jersey State Assembly. They will be joined by several other prominent members of the global Indian community and the local political dignitaries, who are expected to participate in various segments of the three-day event. Former US Ambassador Frank Wisner
will be the keynote speaker on Friday, August 21.Deputy Consul General of India Dr. Ajay Gondane
will be a speaker in both conferences.
The program will start with a welcome reception/dinner on Thursday, August 20 at the World Fair Marina venuefollowed by an interactive session with some of the Diaspora community's political leaders. The chief guest for the evening is Ambassador Manjeev Puri
, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN. A pre-convention conference on PIO/NRI Business, Economic and Development on Aug. 21 is titled "India and the Indian Diaspora in the Context of Global Economic Challenges and Development
." A full day Diaspora Conference on Aug. 22 is titled "The Indian Diaspora: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Millennium.
" There will also be a conference session on "The Living Pioneers - Global Perspective of Indian Elders
" on August 22nd morning. A networking session "The Next Generation
" is planned for youth and young professionals on August 22nd afternoon.
More details of the convention are available at http://www.gopio.net/ or contact the Convention Convener Ashook Ramsaran at 718-939-8194 (or 917 519 5783), E-mail firstname.lastname@example.org . Co-conveners are Sangeeta Ahuja, Darshan Singh Bagga, Lal Motwani and Nohar Singh.
Online registration is available. Visit: http://www.gopio.net/Convention_2009/purchase_tickets.html
|GOPIO 20TH ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION AND CONFERENCE UPDATES
Dates - August 20-23, 2009
Venue - Crowne Plaza Hotel LaGuardia Airport
104-04 Ditmars Blvd., East Elmhurst, New York 11369, USA
(call for special discounted room rates for GOPIO Convention)
Thu (8/20) Day 2:00 - 4:00pm GOPIO Executive Committee Meeting
Chaired by Inder Singh, President, GOPIO Int'l.
(Not open to general public)
Day 3.30 - 4.30 Country & Regional Reports
(Open to general public)
Day 4.30 - 6.00 GOPIO Executive Council Meeting
Chaired by Dr Thomas Abraham, Chairman of GOPIO Int'l.
Eve 7:00 - 9:00pm Welcome Reception/Dinner
Fri (8/21) Day 9:00am - 6:00pm NRI/PIO Economic/Business Conference
Eve 7.00pm - 9:00pm Reception, Convention Inauguration & Entertainment
Sat (8/22) Day 9:00am -10:00pm GOPIO General Council Meeting & Elections
Day 10:00am - 6:00pm Indian Diaspora Conference
Conference on Living Pioneers, and
Networking Session for the Next Generation
Eve 7:00pm - 11:00pm Finale Banquet & Cultural Program
Sun (8/23) Day 10:00am - 12:00pm GOPIO General Council Meeting (Cont'd)
Hotel and Conference Center: Crowne Plaza Hotel LaGuardia Airport
Tel: 1-718/457-6300 (call to make reservation, mention GOPIO Convention for discounted room rates of $119 for double room)
GOPIO Executive Council Meeting and Reception on August 20th and Banquet August 22nd
World's Fair Marina Banquet Hall, Flushing, New York
(near Citifields, one mile from Crowne Plaza Hotel at LaGuardia Airport)
Register online at To register online,
Chairman: Dr. Thomas Abraham; President: Inder Singh; Executive Vice President: Lord Diljit Rana; Regional Vice President North America: Dr Piyush Agrawal; Secretary General: Ashook Ramsaran Convention Team:
Dr. Thomas Abraham, Sudha Acharya, Dr .Piyush Agrawal, Ritesh Agrawal, Anand Ahuja, Esq., Sangeeta Ahuja, Darshan Bagga, Rafeek Baksh, Sharon Banta, Anita Bhat, Marina Budhos, Dr. Maya Chadda, Ravi Dhingra, Bhanu Dwarika, Ram Gadhavi, Dr Sushila Gidwani-Buschi, Deo Gosine, K.N. Gupta, Munish Gupta, Rekha Gupta, John Joseph, Prasad Kambampaty, Ramesh Kalicharran, Dr. Surendra Kaushik, Ram Lakhina, Bina Mahabir, Gary Mahabir, Vishnu Mahadeo, Robert Mahesh, Prince Markose, Dr. Raj Metha, Jaswant Mody, Chandra Morgan, Ashook Motwani, Dr. Jagat Motwani, Lal Motwani, Stanley Raj, Dr. Rohini Ramanathan, Yesu Persaud, Rajeshwar Prasad, Netram Rambudhan, Ashook Ramsaran, Jasbir Sachar, Dr .Asha Samant, Dharmatma Saran, Dr. Parmatma Saran, Dr. Rupam Saran, Shabana Sharif, Inder Singh, Nohar Singh, Prakash Singh, Pritha Singh, Dhiraj Solanki, Satruhan Sukdeo, Dr. Najma Sultana, Mohinder Taneja, Thambi Thalappillil and Raju Thomas.
Some of the GOPIO Convention Team Members who regularly met to put together the program at its last meeting on August 9th
GOPIO has been providing a common platform for people of Indian origin since its inception in 1989. GOPIO membership is open to all people of Indian origin. For more information or to volunteer for the convention activities, please contact: GOPIO Secretary General & Convention Convener Ashook Ramsaran at 718-353-2404 email: email@example.com GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham at firstname.lastname@example.org or GOPIO President Inder Singh at GOPIO-Intl@sbcglobal.net.
DETAILED CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel La Guardia, New York, USA
Friday, August 21, 2009
NRI/PIO ECONOMIC, BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE
India and Indian Diaspora in the Context of Global Economic Challenges and Development
CONFEDERATION OF INDIAN INDUSTRY (CII), New Delhi
Chair: Dr. Thomas Abraham Co-Chair: Dr. Maya Chadda
Dramatic deceleration in the global economy pose serious challenges to India and the people of Indian origins residing in different parts of the world. How has this global developments affected them? Having returned to power with a stronger mandate, what direction the new government is taking? Will it accelerate economic reforms and liberalization? Will it take steps to establish a more business friendly environment encourage Indian and Diaspora-led business? Will it promote transfer of technology and encourage Indian community abroad to participate in India's growth and advancement? What impediments is it likely to encounter in achieving this? What investments, trade and technological collaborations can one expect from the interface between India and the Indian Diaspora in advancing India's status as a potential great power?
9.20 a.m. - 10.00 a.m. INAUGURAL SESSION
Speakers - Hon. Dr. A.M. Gondane, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of India
Hon. Basdeo Panday, MP, Leader of the Opposition, Trinidad & Tobago
10:00am - 11:15am Session I - India & the Global Economy: Prospects and Challenges
Session Chair - Dr. Maya Chadda, Prof. of Political Science, William Paterson Univ., NJ
Speakers - Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Professor of Economics and Jagdish Bhagwati Professor
of Indian Political Economy Columbia Univ. School of International & Public Affairs
Sreedhar Menon, Chairman of the Board, Strategic Advisor
& Co-Promoter of VITEOS Fund Services Inc., NJ and Bangalore
Dr. Sanjay Ruparelia, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Faculty Fellow
of the India China Institute, New School for Social Research, New York, NY
11:15am - 11:35am Tea/Coffee Break
11:35am - 12:50am Session II - Indian Diaspora - Prospects and Challenges in the
Emerging Global Economy
Session Chair -Bharat Bhargava, President, US-India American Chamber of Commerce,
Speakers - Lord Diljit Rana, Business Leader & Member of House of Lords, UK
Naveen Jain, CEO, Intelius, Bellevue, WA
George Abraham, Managing Director, GA Group, Singapore
Vibhuti Jha, Director, The Human Potential Project, New York
12:50pm - 2:00pm Lunch -Keynote Speaker - Ambassador Frank Wisner
Former US Ambassador to India
2:00pm - 3:15pm Session III - Diaspora in India's Development
Session Chair - Prof. P. Somasundaran, La von Duddleson Krumb Professor
School of Engineering Columbia University, New York
Speakers - Dr. Sanjay Sinho, American India Foundation, New York
Dr. George Abraham, MD, FRCS, Medical Director, ED & EMS, Troy
Community Hospital; Chair and Secretary, American Academy for Emergency
Medicine in India and President and Managing Trustee, Institute of Emergency
Medical Services (IIEMS); Troy, Pennsylvania
Dr. Surendra Kaushik, Prof. of Finance, Lubin School of Business,
Pace University (New York) and Founder Chairman, Mrs. Helena Kaushik
Women's College, Rajasthan, India
Pavit Mattewal, Mattewal La Offices, Chandigarh, India
B.C.Gupta, IAS, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Govt. of Punjab
3:15pm - 3:35pm Tea/Coffee Break
3:35pm - 4.35 pm Session IV - Indian Diaspora in Social Development - What could we do?
Session Chair - Yesu Persaud, Chairman, Demerara Ltd. and Chairman of the Caribbean
Council for Europe (CCE), Guyana
Speakers - Hon. P. Chandrasegaran, Minister of Community Development & Social Inequity
Eradication, Govt. of Sri Lanka
Dr. Raj Warrier, Vice Chancellor, Manipal University, India
Aruneshwar Gupta, Former Advocate General of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India
Pritpal Singh Pannu, Chairman, National Integrated Forum of Artists and
Activists (NIFAA), Karnal, Haryana, India
4:35pm - 4.55 pm Special Presentation
Speaker - Shefali Chaturvedi, CEO, Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC)
Confederation of Indian Industry
4.55pm - 5.15pm Concluding Session & Resolutions
Moderator - Dr. Sushila Gidwani-Buschi, Economists an Tax Consultant
5.15pm - 7.00pm Networking Reception
7.00 pm Inauguration of GOPIO Convention
Saturday, August 22, 2009
INDIAN DIASPORA CONFERENCE
Theme: The Indian Diaspora: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Millennium
Chair: Prof. Parmatma Saran Co-Chairs: Prakash Singh, Ashook Ramsaran
GOPIO's 20th Anniversary Commemoration and Convention 2009 will examine and evaluate GOPIO's role during the last 20 years with respect to helping achieve goals and aspirations of 25 million people of Indian origin (PIO) living outside of India. GOPIO Diaspora Conference "The Indian Diaspora: Challenges & Opportunities in the New Millennium" will examine issues of human rights, political participation, economic trends and challenges, socio-cultural and Diaspora related issues and concerns, inter-generational issues, inter-ethnic relations, and opportunities for the future.
9:00am - 10:00am Conference Registration
10:15am - 10:45am Introductory Session
11:15am - 11:30am Tea/Coffee Break
11:30am - 1:00pm Session I: Energizing the Global Indian Diaspora
Areas and means whereby the global Indian Diaspora can become much more vibrant, active and engaged in more collaboration through improving means of communication, interaction, networking, cultural exchanges, academia, economic alliances and support for mutual benefits to all.
Chairperson: Prof Chandershakhar Bhat (former Professor of Sociology & Director, Centre for the Study of Indian Diaspora, University of Hyderabad, India)
Co-Chair: Nohar Singh (CEO of Travel Span Ltd, Community Advocate, New York, USA)
Speaker: Mitra Kalita (Journalist and Author, New York, USA)
Speaker: Hon. Basdeo Panday (former Prime Minister, Trinidad & Tobago)
Speaker: Sandhya Sinha (Chairperson- Women's Political Forum, India)
Conclusion: Dr Asha Samat (University of Medical and Dentistry, New Jersey, USA)
11:30am - 1:00pm Session IA: Living Pioneers: Global Perspective of Indian Elders
Discussion on issues faced by early and recent immigrants of Indian Origin with perspectives as seen and understood in other countries: New Zealand/Australian; Indian, European and possibly Canadian views. Issues include: Social, cultural, economic aspects of senior life such as health, isolation, loneliness, family interaction, etc.
Chair: Rajeshwar Prasad , Exec Dir, National Indo-Amer Assoc for Senior Citizen (USA).
Co-Chair: Chan Jamoona, Exec Dir, United Hindu Cultural Council Senior Center (USA)
Speaker: Raj Loomba, CBE, Founder & Chairman, The Loomba Trust Foundation (UK)
Speaker: Suman Kapoor, President, GOPIO of Waikato(New Zealand)
Speaker: K N Gupta, President, GOPIO of New Delhi(India)
Q &A Moderator Interactive Audience Participation
From the Floor: Dr Jagat Motwani, Joseph Parmar
Concl. Remarks: Sunny Kulathakal, Vice Pres, GOPIO Middle East rEGION(Bahrain)
ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED:
Who is a Senior? Their categories outside India: Early Immigrants, Recent Immigrants, also Single Seniors. Matters of Importance to Each Group in the following areas:
(a) Social, Cultural and Economic Aspects of Seniors such as Isolation, Loneliness, Family Interaction, Financial Stability or Lack of it During Retirement Phase; Economic Independence or Lack of it; assimilation problems in foreign countries, including adaptation to a different way of life, domestic abuse.
(b) Intergenerational Problems (Conflicts and Compromises) such as Communication with Children and Grand Children; and utilization of richness that seniors bring to the next generations.
(c) Health Related Issues including Insurance; End of Life issues such as Wills, Durable Power of Attorney, Health Proxy, Asset Protections
(d) Residential Alternates: Joint Family Structure; Home Sharing with someone like a Tenant, but not a tenant in literal terms; Senior Homeowners and Apartment Residents organizing themselves to seek support on the spot from Private and Public Entities; Independent Senior Housing or Retirement Complexes; Assisted Living and Nursing Homes: Various Concepts in Different Countries.
1:00pm - 2:00pm Lunch
Speaker: Personal Perspectives in the Diaspora
2:00pm - 3:30pm Session II: The Global Indian Diaspora: Then and Now
In this session, an attempt will be made to see the changing experiences of the Indian Diaspora in general, with particular references to family, religion, politics, economics and identity.
Chairperson: Dr. Parmatma Saran (Prof of Socilogy, City Univ. of New York, USA)
Co-Chair: Dr. Najma Sultana (Founding Member, NRIs for Secular & Harmonious India)
Speaker: Hon. Dr. A. M. Gondane (Deputy Consul General, Indian Consulate, New York)
Speaker: Dr. S. Jauhar (North Shore - Long Island Jewish Health System, New York, USA)
Speaker: Dr. Prem Misir (Pro-Chancellor, University of Guyana, Georgetown, Guyana)
Conclusion: Harold Ramdhani (President, GOPIO of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname)
2.00 pm - 3.30 pm Session IIA: The Next Generation (First Session)
GOPIO believes in strengthening the next generation, in line with the motto"The Next Generation is our Future." To create a strong next generation, GOPIO has planned sessions where it engages the Next Generation members from different Diaspora to interact, collaborate and network. This session aims to discuss Academic, Professional, Political & Economic challenges and raise awareness on the impact of these key issues on the next generation of PIOs.
During this session, teams are formed to discuss four chosen topics: - Political Engagement, Career Opportunities,Current Economy, & PIO Youth - Identity. Experts on all these topics will be invited to provide a primer. Teams, thereafter, get to discuss issues and recommend initiatives in these areas. Experts and assessors will develop a report on the basis of group discussions. This will be presented to GOPIO Executive committee at the end of the session to create an action plan.
The dialogue and the discussion between experts and the next generation will help GOPIO formulate an action plan for the Next Generation. GOPIO International will look into addressing these issues and concerns as part of their global initiatives and growth, through GOPIO's various chapters
The first session aims to discuss Academic, Professional, Political & Economic challenges and raise awareness on the impact of these key issues on the next generation of PIOs.
Speaker: Bhiravi Desai (Taxi Workers Alliance in New York, USA)
Speaker: Nohar Singh (CEO of Travel Span Ltd, Community Advocate, New York, USA)
Speaker: Jessica Taneja (Shelter Rock Strategies LLC, USA)
Speaker: Shankar Krishnan (Managing Director, Adventity Inc, New York, USA)
3. 00pm to 3. 30pm Coffee Break and Networking for The Next Generation
Organizations taking part in the networking session
Sakhi for South Asian Women - Mohammad Alam
Jahajee Sister - Jacquelene R. Latif Scully , Taij Kumarie Moteelall
Census 2010 - Suzanne Persard
SAYA - Annetta Seecharran
Youth Canada - Vanessa Rambihar
3:30pm - 3:45pm General Tea/Coffee Break
3.30pm - 4.30pm Session III A - The Next Generation - Networking: An Essential Guide to Survival
Session will engage the Next Generation members from to interact, collaborate and network collectively to challenges and opportunities
4.30pm - 4.45pm Concluding Session & Presentation - The Next Generation
3:45pm - 5:00pm Session III: The Global Indian Diaspora: Inter-Ethnic Relations
How Indians can peacefully and successfully co-exist in multi-ethnic societies as increasing numbers of Indians live and settle in more countries; including suggestions, precautions and guidelines on adaptation, assimilation and coping as well as participation in host country social, cultural, political and community activities.
Chairperson: Prof Mohan Gautam (Co-Chairperson, GOPIO Academic Council, former Professor of Disapora Studies at Leiden University, The Netherlands)
Co-Chair: Jasbir Sachar (Founder & Publisher, Asia Who's Who, London, UK)
Speaker: Prof Mahin Gosine (Prof of Sociology, Suffolk Comm. College, New York, USA)
Speaker: Ms. Marina Budhos (Author, Educator, New Jersey, USA)
Speaker: Amarinder Bajwa (GOPIO Australia Country Coordinator, Australia)
Conclusion: Dr Rajeev Mehta (President, GOPIO of Central New Jersey, USA)
5:00pm - 6:00pm Session IV: The Global Indian Diaspora: The Family Unit including Women and Inter-Generational Issues
Chairperson: Prof. Runi Mukerji-Ratnam(Chair, Dept of Psychology, State University of
New York, Old Westbury, New York USA)
Co-Chair: J. Nami Kaur (Marketing & Media Consultant, New York, USA)
Speaker: Dr V. Rambihar (Consultant Cardiologist, Scarborough Hosp, Canada) Speaker: Aysha Latib (Socioligist, Researcher, Author, South Africa)
Summary Reports: Sessions of Living Pioneers & The Next Generation
Conclusion: Dr. Jagat Motwani (Medical Researcher, Pres, GOPIO Washington, DC, USA)
GOPIO INTERNATIONAL AND CHAPTER NEWS
GOPIO-TRINIDAD JOINS WITH OTHER GROUPS TO ORGANIZE CONFERENCE
GOPIO-T&T joined forces with Indian High Commission, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, University of the West Indies, National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) to organize a seminar Language and Cultural Heritage: Issues & Challenges for the Indian Diaspora" in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.
Senator Lenny Saith, minister in the Office of the Trinidad and Tobago's prime minister, lauded the Indian Diaspora that forms 44 percent of the country's population, while speaking at the seminar.
"The Indian Diaspora has an unquestionable commitment and concern towards the development of the Caribbean countries in which they stay and to the region as a whole," said Saith.
"This is their society where they have their own roots and which they have helped to shape," Saith continued.
Saith said: "They recognise India as their place of origin, acknowledge its positive ancestral influences, empathise with the challenges it faces from time to time, and take significant pride in its continuing progress and achievements.
"But their home is the Caribbean. This is seen in the unquestionable commitment and concern on the part of the diaspora to the development of their individual Caribbean countries and to the region as a whole."
He went on to say that "this is their society, where they have their own roots, which they have helped to shape, and which has nurtured their development and view of the world.
GOPIO-CONNECTICUT MEMBERS MEET LAWMAKERS IN WASHINGTON DC
A delegation from GOPIO-CT while attending Senate India Caucus reception hosted by Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd, met other lawmakers in Washington DC and discussed items of mutual interest. GOPIO-CT members met freshman Congressman Jim Himes and Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut. Both lawmakers have agreed to join GOPIO-CT members for interactive sessions in a Town Hall setting in the near future.
Contact: Sangeeta Ahuja, President GOPIO-CT, Tel: 203-0329-9744 or e-mail: email@example.com.
CANADIAN NRI WINS RAKHI SAWANT IN SWAYAMWAR
India's upcoming TV star Rakhi Sawant chose NRI businessman from Canada Elesh Parujanwala as her "life partner", bringing to an end the month-long 'Swayamwar' drama that kept millions of viewers hooked to their TV screens. Parujanwala was among the top three finalists who waited anxiously to be 30-year-old Rakhi's suitor.
He finally won Rakhi's hand pipping Manas Katyal, a 22-year-old event manager from Delhi and Chittiz Jain, the businessman from Delhi.
Romance was high in the air as Rakhi and Parujanwala said 'I Love You' to each other while exchanging rings and vows during the glittering ceremony attended by the boy's family members, besides noted choreographer Saroj Khan and celebrities from the TV world.
Giving reasons why she selected Parujanwala, Rakhi said "He is honest."
The audiences waited with bated breath for her final decision which was announced in a song and dance extravaganza that was transmitted live.
During the past one month of the modern-day 'Swayamvar', Rakhi had whittled a field of 16 contestants down to three.
They contenders had written poetry, serenaded her with songs, arm wrestled and even walked on burning coals to show their love for her.
|NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs AND PIOs AROUND THE WORLD
MALAYSIAN INDIAN TO BE TRIED FOR SEDITION
Despite more than six decades of independence of India, opportunities for higher education for girls are very limited especially in the rural areas. Also, culturally, parents do not like to send their daughters for education outside of their communities.
A Malaysian Indian leader who published a letter addressed to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on a website two years ago will be tried for sedition by a Sessions court in Malaysia. According to the Sessions Court order, the three-day trial of P. Uthayakumar will begin Sept. 28.
Uthayakumar is the legal adviser of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), a banned body that claims to speak for Malaysia's two million ethnic Indians, a bulk of them Tamil Hindus.
In December 2007, Uthayakumar had claimed trial for the alleged letter in which Hindraf blamed the former British colonial power for the plight of ethnic Indians in present-day Malaysia and demanded compensation.
The government pressed the sedition charge against him and four other Hindraf leaders -- S. Kengadharan, Ganabatirau, Vasanthkumar and M. Manoharan -- who had organised a protest rally here in November 2007.
Detained under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA) for two years, they were released before completing their jail terms earlier this year by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who said it was "a gesture of conciliation".
A court had returned Uthayakumar his passport to enable his travel for medical reason.
NO MORE COOKS FROM INDIA IN MALAY INDIAN RESTAURANTS
Malaysia's Human Resources Minister S. Subramaniam has said that Indian restaurants will mostly have Malaysian, and not Indian cooks. He said there has been an encouraging response from locals to being trained as cooks under a ministry program.
"We hope to reduce the number of cooks from India in stages, especially in Indian restaurants, once the first batch of locally-trained chefs graduate," said Subramaniyam after visiting the CQ Tec College. The college received its first batch of 25 trainees for an intensive, six-month program in June.
|GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION
GOPIO is a non-partisan, non-sectarian global organization with chapters in several countries, actively promoting the interests of people of Indian origin worldwide by monitoring and addressing current critical issues of concern, and by enhancing cooperation and communication between groups of Indians living in various countries.
GOPIO Individual Life membership is open to all who believe in the mission of GOPIO. The one- time fee is $5,000 for Platinum Life Membership, $2,500 for Gold Life Membership and $1,500 Silver Life Membership and half the amount for each category for those from developing countries and India.
GOPIO is looking forward to opening chapters in all major cities of the world so as to network people of Indian origin all over the world. If you do not have chapter in your city, please visit GOPIO website (www.gopio.net) and get details of chapter initiation (visit http://www.gopio.net/chapter_initiative.htm). Process involves sending a letter of intent to start a chapter by a committee of five people or more. For more information, contact:
GOPIO President - Inder Singh, Tarzana, California, USA, Tel: 818-708-3885, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
GOPIO Executive Vice President - Lord Daljit Rana, UK, Tel: +44 28-9807-8787, Email: email@example.com
GOPIO Secretary General - Ashook Ramsaran, Fresh Meadows, New York City, Tel: 718/939-8194, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
To become a Life member of GOPIO, visit http://www.gopio.net/membership_form.htm, print and fill up the form and send it with a check to: GOPIO, P.O. Box 1413, Stamford, CT 06904, USA.
Chief Editor: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO (Stamford, CT, USA)
Editors: Ashook Ramsaran, GOPIO General Secretary (New York, USA); and Munish Gupta, GOPIO Media Chair (Los Angeles, Calif)
Webmasters: Prashant Gupta (Hyderabad, India) and Abu Thomas (New Rochelle, NY, USA)
Contributors of this issue: Sangeeta Ahuja (USA)
GOPIO NEWS welcomes NRI/PIO related stories from all over the world. Be a volunteer correspondent or reporter. Contact Dr. Thomas Abraham, Tel: 203-329-8010, E-mail: email@example.com