08 May, 2004; NOW! 1

C M Y K

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KATHMANDU, 07 May: Nepal Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa resignedamid mounting protests and violent clashes between supporters of the five po-litical parties and police in Kathmandu.

Thapa announced his resignation during a message to the nation this after-noon. The Nepal PM’s resignation is expected to pave the way for politicalparties to meet the King for dialogue to end the political crisis. The five partieshave been demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Thapa terming his gov-ernment as unconstitutional.

The Nepal PM, in his televised address said: “In order to pave the way fornational consensus for the protection of constitutional monarchy, multi-partydemocracy and in the greater interests of the national interest, I have decided tohand in my resignation letter to His Majesty the King today.”

In his 10 minute long address, Prime Minister Thapa said despite his effortsto involve the political parties, he was unable to do so.

“In order to seek cooperation, I had maintained a very small cabinet size aswell as personally made all possible efforts to secure dialogue, support and coop-eration. But because of the stand taken by the agitating political parties no progresscould be made. Instead the difference and conflict escalated,” Thapa said.

Thapa said King Gyanendra remains very concerned and sensitive over thesituation and remains committed to handover the governance to an elected gov-ernment. Thapa said his belief in multi-party democracy and constitutional mon-archy still remains unshaken and elections must be held in order to protect theconstitution and democracy. But he added that national consensus was neces-sary for this.

Thapa was appointed as a Prime Minister by the King on 04 June, 2003following the resignation of the then Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand.

NEPAL PM RESIGNS

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 May: Formerpresident of the BJP State unit andone of the signatories of the May 8,1973 Tripartite Agreement, KCPradhan, who had to suffer throughyears of ridicule branded as one ofthe “desh bechuas” for his role inthe 1975 Merger until recently hon-oured by the State government as ademocrat along with the other mem-bers of executive council of the time,in a message released on the eve ofthe historic day has called on all“concerned people and political par-ties” that issues concerning the Stateshould be debated upon within theparameters of the May 8 Agreement

and Article 371F of the Constitution.In his appeal issued here today to com-

memorate the 31st anniversary of the sign-ing of the Agreement, Mr. Pradhan, who isalso the former president of the SikkimJanata Congress, stresses that some of thepertinent issues concerning the Sikkimesepeople, such as “political safeguards of theminority Bhutia-Lepcha communities andNepalese of Sikkimese origin,” and safe-guard of the “democratic values andSikkimese unity and Article 371F” must bedebated and settled politically

“Today, after 31 years of signing theMay 8 Agreement, Sikkim is goingthrough a grave and multifaceted crisis inwhich the goals formulated in the Agree-ment and Article 371F, as well as themeans for attaining them have lost much

Sikkim’s concerns should be debated within the parametersof May 8 Agreement and Article 371F, says KC Pradhan

of its sheen. There is, there-fore, a need to examine criti-cally the situation in order tofind goals which are in tunewith the basic aspirations ofthe people who have contrib-uted to the establishment ofthe democratic order in

Sikkim,” he writes.Mr. Pradhan said that the idea

of unity among the Sikkimese peo-ple, which was so pervasive in theirminds, has become “weak as a re-sult of the recent development ofcaste-based politics.”

“This trend will have disastrous

consequences for those who wishto work for the greater unity of theSikkimese people,” he added.

It was the “democratic urge andtaste for freedom” that made the Tri-partite Agreement possible, Mr.Pradhan contends. “It is an irony of

SIGNATORY SPEAKS OUT ON THE 31ST ANNIVERSAY OF TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT

inside

THE GODDESS RESIDES IN HER, SO DOES A CHILD DETAILSON pg 3

turn to pg 6

‘BUDGET ALLOCATION’

HAS BEGUN: KAZI TURN TO pg 5

2; NOW!; 08 May, 2004

C M Y K

Artist, filmmaker, keen photographer, columnist withinternational magazines... It’s hard to pin Twan Yangdown. Born to a Chinese father and Tibetan mother, hegrew up in Kalimpong and worked in Sikkim. NOW!serializes Twan Yang’s autobiography, Houseboy in India...

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

Nepal was so close to apolitical resolutionWednesday

The immediate political fu-ture, it seems, depends onwhom King Gyanendra

chooses to meet. After a series ofconfabs earlier with Panchayat eranames and some others, the kingalmost met Girija Prasad Koirala onWednesday. There was electric an-ticipation in the capital. But thenhe didn’t.

When the king invited the lead-ers of political parties for consul-tations after six months of not talk-ing, there were great expectations.A resolution to the nation’s politi-cal crisis, set in motion by the royalmove of 4 October 2002, seemedwithin grasp. With the king and theparties in one corner, the Maoistwould also come to the table—thatwas the hope.

Inexplicably, the string of royalaudiences began with the politicallyinsignificant Badri Prasad Mandal,a former ‘pancha’ and latter-dayking’s minister, and several minorplayers. Slighted, the leaders of thefive agitating parties turned downthe king’s invitation when the callfinally came from the office of prin-

-49-

Now, in all my life I hadnever had a birthday because I did not know when

I was born. One day in May, 1937,my sahib asked me how old I was.I replied I thought I must be eight-een or nineteen. “Don’t you knowexactly?” I replied.

“No, master, I can only guess,”I replied.

“Well, at least you know onwhat day of the year you wereborn,” he said. But I did not knowthat either.

“Then tell me what is themeaning of your name, TwanYang,” my sahib continued.

“Master, please excuseme, I know nothing aboutthat. I can only say it is re-ally Twan Yang.”

“Can you write it in Chi-nese letter?”

“Yes, master,” I said, forI had learned this in the shoe-maker’s shop. My masterlooked carefully at the twocharacters I wrote and thentook down a Chinese dictionary. Hefound that Twan came from WuYueh Twan, the name of the Chi-nese feast of the fifth day of thefifth moon, which is known as theDragon Boat Festival. I had evi-dently been born on the day of thatfestival. Then my master wrote toMr. Tharchin in Kalimpong to seeif the church records would showin which year I had been born. Asmy father and mother had beenChristians, there was indeed suchan entry, and I had been born in1919. Then my master looked upthe Chinese almanac and found thatin 1919 the fifth day of the fifth

Chinese month fell on the secondof June.

When June 2 arrived, my mas-ter’s kindness gave me my firstbirthday in my life. He bought somebooks for me as birthday presents.He also gave me a holiday and somemoney to spend. With Mr. TrinChen I went to Chinatown to theChinese restaurant, and afterwardto a picture. This was the first birth-day I ever celebrated and I was hap-pier than ever before in my life. I

will never forget it allmy life long.

In many waysmy coming to Mr.

Van Manen’s house proved to bethe beginning of a new life for me.It was as if my mind was really bornfrom that time. My master gave methis new life by opening my eyesand brain to reading and writingthat language of the Western Worldwhich is called English. He nowalways spoke English with me in-stead of Tibetan, for he had learnedthat it was no use to speak with amule like me proper Tibetan. I usedmy Pidgin English instead. Doingthis every day, I soon made muchprogress. He was delighted to seehow much I learned within a fewmonths. So he said to me one day.

“Twan Yang, I see that your Eng-lish is improving day by day. Nowyou must learn to read and write;then you will learn English prop-erly. You are already a different manfrom the boy who came to me a fewmonths ago. You must go on andcomplete the change.”

Then he made me buy a copyof the first of the King’s Readers.He gave me a lesson every eveningand during the day as often as I hadno work to do in the house. I al-ready knew the alphabet from thedays of my childhood and hadnearly forgotten it, but I could stillrecognize the letters from A to Z in

capitals and I also knew howto pronounce a few shortwords like “box” and “pot”but that was almost all Iknew. When my sahib beganto give me his lessons everyday, I learned to spell allkinds of small words. Hetaught me the joining of let-ters b-a, “ba”, b-e, “be”, b-I,“bi”, b-o, “bo”, and in thisway I learned to pick up the

sound of words and to read fromspelling, which I had not knownbefore.

During the lesson my masterwould say, “Now, Twan Yang, besensible boy and do not make a mis-take.” I would understand thewhole sentence excect the word“sensible” which I had never yetmet, so I asked what it meant. Thatwas the way in which I used tolearn. I always wanted to knowthings and asked him kindly to ex-plain. With any other master itwould have been impossible to dis-turb him while he was having his

The first few English lessons

lsewhereeNEPAL

cipal private secretary PashupatiMaharjan.

Even though the continuousmonth-long agitation against ‘re-gression’ has been likened by onewag to a ‘leaking pressure cookerthat leaves the daal undone’, theparties were energised by the sup-port of non-political professionalgroups. Even the RastriyaPrajatantra Party [RPP], formerlytermed ‘royalist’, entered the fray.The international community [do-nors and diplomats] added ‘democ-racy’ to their own list of demands,in addition to ‘human rights’.

Suspecting the royal palace ofwanting to appoint a prime minis-ter of its choice rather than their’syet again, the five parties made aconditional offer to the king: firstrelease all the detained party work-ers and lift the prohibitory order ondemonstrations. To keep up thepressure, the parties organised ral-lies in the capital, even as the gov-ernment hosted the Nepal Devel-

the very day that Koirala andMadhab Kumar Nepal were ar-rested from their homes to preventthem from leading rallies. The pro-hibitory order was lifted and alldetainees were released, other thanfive student leaders. Nepal and

Koirala were now in a mindset tomake the Narayanhiti visit, al-though there was some disagree-ment between the two on the levelof flexibility to exhibit. Nepal wasfor the resignation of Prime Minis-ter Surya Bahadur Thapa as a pre-condition.

With a senior cardiac specialistand a retired banker acting as em-issaries between the parties and thepalace, Koirala was asked to pre-pare for the royal rendezvous onWednesday. He cooled his heels till2PM, and when no summons came,he left for Biratnagar. He demandedthe release of the five student lead-ers from there.

The conspiratorialists amongthe politicians believe that the gov-ernment’s conciliatory gestures andthe king’s meetings were merely toensure that the NDF did not getderailed. Now that the meet hasended ‘successfully’ and the pow-erful development czars are gone,

ALMOST THERE AND BACK

opment Forum [NDF].The government’s concessions

came on Monday, incongruously

turn to pg 3

turn to pg 3

When Arguments Fail,Unleash Pamphlets

Campaigning for the ensuing elections closes officially today. An elec-tion campaign is normally the time when politicians and the politicaloutfits they are aligned to go to the people with their roadmap for thefuture. In Sikkim, too, the campaigning began on an earnest notewith manifesto release functions and elaborate press briefings onhow each party intends to shape Sikkim’s future. The facade disin-tegrated soon. Public meetings degenerated into platforms to launchpersonal attacks, criticise, threaten. Where one would have expectedseasoned leaders to seek the people’s mandate through civiliseddebates, the audience was often treated to discomforting excessesof bad-mouthing rivals. Even if one were to excuse the vile allega-tions and foul language as tools neccessitated to express activism,there is no defense for the absence of a serious debate on ideology.Control over the next five budgets should demand a more matureapproach to electioneering than we have seen from certain quartersin the recent past. It is not important to take names here, since thatwould deflect attention from the issue at hand - the continued disre-spect shown to the intelligence of the masses by leaders who be-lieve that strong language, paranoia inflicting statements and com-munal calculations are enough to win elections in Sikkim.Another example of this attitude expresses itself in the sudden surgein the number of “pamphlets” making the rounds. Pamphlets, due tothe anonymity they offer the writers almost always brings out thedevil in the person. They are peppered with arguments and threatsthat no sane person will make in public. That does not discount thefact that many people hold such beliefs in private and that is theconnection that these pamphlets seek to strike. Most people believethat pamphlets are acts of mischief produced to tarnish the namesof the people or organisations they are ascribed to. While that mustbe one of the aims, these pamphlets also seek to play on the suspi-cions that some harbour against such organisations/ people. Butbecause these pamphlets are anonymous, they are seldom takenseriously and hopefully don’t represent the mentality of any sizeableor influential group. Till such time that they remain anonymous andunderground, Sikkim has little to fear [a lot to be embarassed about,but not to fear as yet]. It is when the same arguments start gettingraised in public that the situation could get tricky. A taboo would havebeen broken and once the line is crossed, there is no saying wherethe next will be drawn. People are best advised to trash anythingthat reaches their tables in the garb of anonymity. If an issue is sodistasteful that even its proponents don’t want to be associated withit upfront, then why should we suffer the insolence of its contents?

08 May, 2004; NOW! 3

C M Y K

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food, but Mr. Van Manen told menot to be afraid and to ask him any-thing that I did not understand atany time.

I soon finished the first book ofthe King’s Readers, and then I wasgiven the books of the New MethodReaders, in which were storiesabout boys and animals and otherthings. These books I learned with

there is less pressure on both thedarbars, Narayanhiti and Singha.The parties now ask: could it be thatthe government’s softened stancehad little to do with them and eve-rything to do with the NDF?

While the authorities may feelsmug for having tempered the inten-sity of the movement, this may forcethe political parties to resort to evensharper slogans on the street.

As we go to press, the possi-bilities of talks between the kingand the politicians has not been ex-hausted. A country waits.

courtesy: Nepali Times

great trouble and by giving them allmy attention, asking explanationsfrom my master and memorizingthe words to myself for hummingsentences while I worked, like this“There was an old woman who hada cat…there was an old womanwho had a cat….” it was a very oldcat….” In this way I read the wholefirst book of the New MethodReaders while I was doing myhousework.

Contd from pg 2

The first few English lessons

Contd from pg 2

Almost there...

ANAND OBEROI

Syari seems to have becomethe new budding ground for‘Matas’. A week after a lo-

cal weekly reported on 11-year-oldDeepika Sunwar, believed to be a‘Mata’ by many, a new ‘Mata’ hasbeen discovered here. Coinciden-tally both the girls are 11-years-oldand students of Deorali Girls Sen-ior Secondary School. Both arebelieved to be blessed with super-natural healing powers and bothhave a following.

While Deepika Sunwar is saidto be having a temple built by herfollowers outside her home,Poonam Chettri, the new “Mata”from Lower Syari is dazzling be-lievers with her accurate predic-tions and healing skills.

Born to Mohan Chettri andBinita Chettri of Darjeeling, thisyoung ‘Mata’ is the eldest of thefour daughters and one son born tothe family. She was studying inclass II in Deorali Girls Senior Sec-ondary but dropped out of Schooldue to the pressures that being a“Mata” entail.

According to her mother, BinitaChettri, this Guru Purnima com-pleted one year since Poonamstarted being visited by variousmanifestations of the Goddess.

“She started asking for litera-ture and Holy Scriptures that shehad never even heard of,” disclosesher mother.

On the auspicious day of Bud-dha Jayanti, Poonam was initiatedinto the mystifying world of“Matas’ by ‘Tadong Mata,’ who

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boulderNAYA BAZAAR: A child heredied when a boulder fell on himin the fields outside his home. Theincident occurred on 06 May atabout 7 in the morning. The boy,Kushal Rai, a 6-year-old residentof Suntaley was seriously injuredand rushed home by his parentswhere an hour later he suc-cumbed to his injuries.

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seems to be quite well known tomany people. She went through theprocess of “Guru Batti,” imbibingin herself 108 flames blessed by theGoddess. ‘Tadong Mata’ who alsohappens to be Poonam’s “GuruMata,” conducted the ceremony.

Poonam’s mother tells us thateven before Poonam’s birth,Tadong Mata had told her that herfirst child would have God livinginside her Body.

During her entire pregnancy shefelt as if God was trying to com-municate something specialthrough her. This became clear on“Holi Purney” last year whenPoonam got up in the morning, had

a bath and then sat in the pujasthanin the house and transformed intosomeone who was not her. “Shestarted trembling, asking for all thedetailed ornaments, weapons, her“Singha Aasan” [her seat, the Lion],a mandir and all things related toMa Durga,” Binita says.

The family then took Poonam tothe mandir of Guruji at Tibet Road,where Guruji confirmed that Poonamwas indeed an Avatar of the Goddessherself and predicted that Poonamwould be a great Mata with her ownMandir. He also said that Poonam

should have a “Guru Mata,” whomshe found in Tadong Mata.

The family then took Poonamto Kopchey Guruji in Sudunglakhawhere Kopchey Guruji confirmedthat god had a home in the body ofthe child. Poonam stayed under thevigil of the Guruji for two days. Hetold them that Poonam had MaDurga residing in her body but dif-ferent gods would visit her on“Purney” [Full Moon].

The 11- year-old Mata, whofasts for the entire 9 days on DurgaPuja [during Dasain] retires into“Gufa” [meditation in caves] in‘Sawan’ for almost one and halfmonths without any contact withthe outside world.

The locals and some of thedevotees who come for her“Darshan” maintain that the pre-dictions made by her come trueand her “Phooknu” [curative blow-ing] has already cured many pa-tients who come here in groups of3-4 every day. The neighbours alsoinform that the young Mata is sodedicated that she even treatsdevotees with ailments at oddhours of the night.

Being designated a ‘Mata’ not-withstanding, Poonam, as any 11-year-old is playful, naughty and in-quisitive. The only thing that setsher apart is the red colors she donsand the long strands of beads thatshe wears. It is only when the‘Mata’ visits her that the differencebetween her and other children be-comes clear, it is said.

This little ‘Mata’ is happy tooffer her cures to anyone who needsthem. Believers can ask for thehouse of Driver Mohan Chettri, atLower Syari, just below the Gov-ernment Quarters to find her.

THE GODDESS RESIDES IN HER, SO DOES A CHILD

Deepika [extreme right], seen here playing with her siblings andfriends, is like any other 11-year-old, inquisitive, playfull andnaughty. But she is also different, she is an ordanined Mata.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 May: A websiteon election related information hasbeen started by National InformaticCentre, Mangan.

According to LP Sharma, DIO,NIC, all the relevant informationwill be provided by NIC, includ-

ing profiles of all the candidates.You can access the informationfrom http:/www.election.nic.in

On the counting day NIC willbe installing computers at ZillaBhawan, North. You can get elec-tion related information includingmaps of polling booths from http:ceosikkim.nic.in/maps/map.html.

Northern polls on the net

write NOW! Democracy does not only allow a person the liberty of holdingan opinion, but also expressing it publicly. If you feel strongly about some-thing that has been reported in NOW! or have an opinion on some recentdevelopment, then share it with a wider audience. While the LETTERS sec-tion will carry responses to articles and news carried in NOW!, ACTIONMAIL is about complaints and grievances. Wherever possible, NOW! shallalso search out a response to the Action Mail. If not, then at least a com-plaint would have been filed in the public domain. write to: NOW!, GairiGaon, Tadong, East Sikkim. Or email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

4; NOW!; 08 May, 2004

C M Y K

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Former prez.,gen. secy deny

hand in inflammatorypamphlets

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 May: A highly in-flammatory pamphlet, purportedlyissued by an organization called the“OBC Apex Committee,” is currentlymaking the rounds of the State. Thepersons to whom the pamphlets havebeen ascribed to have denied any in-volvement in the publication or cir-culation of the distasteful literatureand yesterday filed an FIR with theSikkim Police demanding that theperpetrators who have used theirnames as signatories to the “highlyobjectionable content” of the pam-phlets be arrested and taken to task.

The two former office bearersof the said Association also happento be government officials and apartfrom denying any hand in the saidpublication, have also clarified thatthey do not subscribe to the con-tents of the said pamphlet.

Issued in the names of former of-fice bearers of the organisation, AndrewRai [former president] and MB Gurung[former General Secretary], the pam-phlet appeals to all OBCs of the Stateto “join hands and rise.”

Titled “Utha Ab Pheri Jaaga PuranaOBC Banduharu,” the pamphlet con-tains some highly inflammatory andvolatile remarks against certain sectionsof the Sikkimese society.

Speaking to NOW!, Mr.Gurung, who is employed with thePower Department, said that both heand Mr. Rai are not associated withthe said organization any more andadds that even the organisation doesnot go by the said name any more.

“This so-called OBC Apex Com-mittee, responsible for the circulationof this pamphlet is not even in exist-ence any more. This is obvious proofthat the pamphlets are a work of mis-chief with evil designs,” he said.

Mr. Gurung revealed that hewas with the organization at thesaid post about seven years back,but no more, He has also appealedto all politicians [the pamphletswere obviously triggered with theensuing polls in mind] to stop drag-ging names of government servantsto serve their political ends.

CONFIDENT NAKUL SAYSAGENDA AS MP WILL FOLLOW

PARTY GUIDELINES

SARIKAH ATREYA

GANGTOK, 07 May: The rulingSikkim Democratic Front [SDF]has welcomed China’s latest movein formally recognizing Sikkim asa part of India.

Former Chief Minister and po-litical adviser to the Chief Minister,BB Gooroong, while welcoming themove of the Chinese Governmentto expunge reference to Sikkim asan independent country from itsworld map, said that this decisionwould “improve the Indo-China re-lationship for all times to come.”

“After 29 years of its mergerwith the Indian Union, China hasformally recognized Sikkim as anintegral part of the Indian Union.This decision has been welcomed bythe Sikkimese people and could nothave come at a better time,” Mr.Gooroong said here today.

With the Nathula scheduled to

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 May: Althoughstill premature, SPCC [I] spokes-person, Jigme N. Kazi today said:“We are planning to hold celebra-tions all over the state when wewin.” He was responding to a queryon what Cong [I] plans to do shouldit win in the polls.

“As far as Gangtok is concernedwe will open MG Marg throughoutthe day as it will be in the interest ofall,” he said. He felt that the certainpeople, the business community inparticular were being inconvenienced

open for trade from July this year, thismove by the Chinese Government hassent a wave of excitement through theState Government circle.

“This will certainly give greatimpetus to the development of tradeand tourism in the State in the nearfuture,’ Mr. Gooroong said.

China, for the first time, has offi-cially shown Sikkim as a part of India.The world map in the just-publishedWorld Affairs Year Book - 2003/2004,an official Chinese publication, whichwas released yesterday, has stoppedshowing Sikkim as a separate countryin Asia and does not mention Sikkimseparately in its index of countries.

“This significant move could goa long way in improving bilateral re-lations between India and China. ThePrime Minister, Atal BehariVajpayee’s historic China visit in Junelast year, paved the way for this sig-nificant move by the Chinese Gov-ernment. We whole-heartedly wel-

come it.” Rajya Sabha MP and SDFspokesman, PT Gyamtso, added.

The latest Chinese move to for-mally accept Sikkim’s Merger withIndia in 1975 is the second step takenby China since Mr. Vajpayee’s meet-ing with his Chinese counterpart,Wen Jiabao during which both lead-ers agreed to find an early solutionto pending problems in bilateral ties.

The move is significant sinceit involves recognition of thepresent Sikkim-China borderwhich is part of the Mcmahon linewhich Beijing has never acceptedas constituting the boundary be-tween India and China.

The formal change of Chinesemaps will also seal the commitmentimplicit in the trade agreementsigned during Mr. Vajpayee’s visit,when the two countries agreed thatborder trade would be conductedthrough the Nathula Pass.

The SDF leaders also expressed

their optimism that with the reopen-ing of Nathula for trade, it would alsolead to the development of trade andtourism in not only the State, but alsothe entire Eastern Himalayan region.

“There is a possibility by whichan alternative route to the LakeMansorovar could be opened viaNathula. This famous pilgrimagedestination would be much moreconvenient from here than the presentroute that goes from Uttaranchal. Wewould be certainly looking at this as-pect,” Mr. Gyamsto said.

Earlier, the SDF had alsomooted the idea of a Gangtok-Lhasa bus service, on the lines ofthe Delhi-Lahore bus service.

“This is also one of the possi-bilities that we are looking at. Withthe further normalisation of the re-lations between the two countries,and now that the formal recogni-tion of Sikkim has come about, whynot?” Mr. Gyamtso said.

SDF LEADERS WELCOME CHINA’SACCEPTANCE OF 1975 MERGER

due to present rule of disallowingvehicles into the area after 5 PM.

The Congress’ further plans forGangtok include better drainage, clean-liness and proper electric circuiting.

“Just look about and you can seethe electric wires all mangled anddangling dangerously from above.We will certainly smarten up thewiring system and ensure properconnectivity,” Mr. Kazi said.

“We will ensure there is enoughcash flow in the streets and shops.Today only a few are pocketing theprofits,” he further informed. Hesaid that his party would ensure

“there is enough money in the pock-ets of locals.” He however did notspecify how.

He said that the Congress partyhad plans for the beautification ofthe capital town as well as for solv-ing the parking problem here.

Further plans for Gangtok he saidincluded the introduction of mini-buses. “This will facilitate the trans-port of government employees wholive in the suburbs to the town. Thefare will be very cheap. Today peo-ple have to commute in taxis as thereis no other option. The taxi fares, too,are very expensive,” he explained.

Congress’ plans for Gangtok

PURAN TAMANG

JORETHANG, 07 May: The lastcampaign meeting of KN Rai, SDFcandidate from Jorethang constitu-ency was held here today at NayaBazaar. The final meeting was at-tended by about 2,000 people.

At the gathering the local peo-ple of Jorethang, Naya Bazaar, pre-sented their constituency candidatewith their demands which includedprovision for midday meal atschools, a dispensary at Naya Ba-zaar, allotment of land for the lan-dless locals and establishment of apost office. They also demanded thelifting of tax on local businessmen.

Mr. Rai while addressing thepeople said that he would fulfil alltheir demands. He accused the Con-gress of using money power to in-fluence voters.

“They have no agenda and aremisguiding the poor people,” healleged. He also said that the peo-

ple of Sikkim would never allowthose with dictatorial tendencies toassume power.

Saying that the SDF was a partyof the poor, Mr. Rai said that withthe victory of the SDF the poor ofSikkim would benefit.

Bina Rai, an active party leaderand one of the Jorethang tickethopefuls, in her address claimedthat the Congress was trying to cre-ate fissures in the SDF party by rais-ing the issue of her being sidelinedby the SDF high-command in thedistribution of tickets.

“The decision of the SDF highcommand was the demand of the situ-ation for the well being of the peopleas well as the party,” she clarified.

Similarly, another ticket hopeful,Binod Rai, in his speech accused theCongress of distributing pamphletsin Jorethang to instigate the peopleagainst the SDF party.

An umbrella procession is to beheld at Jorethang Bazaar on 08 May.

KN Rai ends Jorethang

campaign traila NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 May: The SikkimDemocratic Front [SDF] candidatefor the lone Lok Sabha seat, NakulDas Rai, is confident that he willmake it to the Lok Sabha with ahuge margin and that he will ad-equately represent the hopes andaspirations of Sikkim in New Delhi.

Speaking at a luncheon hostedby the SDF here today, Mr. Rai saidthat his agenda will always be in ac-cordance with the party guidelines.

“I will work according to theinstructions of my party presidentand will do all that is beneficial toSikkim and its people,” he said.

Mr. Rai said that he would takeup all the political demands of theState, as laid down in the party mani-festo in earnest. Some of the majordemands of the SDF, such as reser-vation of seats for the Limbu-Tamang and the Nepalese in the As-sembly; increase of seats in the State

Assembly as well as the Lok Sabhaand Rajya Sabha seats for the Stateand tribal status for the Gurung, Rai,Mangar, Sunuwar, Thami, Jogi,Dewan and the Yakha communities.

“Seats for the Limbu-Tamangsand increasing of the Assembly seatsfrom the existing 32 to 40 and in-creasing the Lok Sabha and RajyaSabha seats to two each will certainlyfeature in the first list of things to doonce I get elected,” Mr. Rai said.

08 May, 2004; NOW! 5

C M Y K

� POWERPLAY

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 May: A hugepublic meeting of the SDF partywas held at Rewa today. Rewa fallsunder Pathing constituency in EastSikkim.

The SDF party president andchief minister, Pawan Chamlingwhile addressing the people ex-pressed regret at the Congress’ op-position to the reopening ofNathula to trade.

He explained to the people thatthe reopening of the trade routewould not only be beneficial to thestate of Sikkim but was also in theinterest of the entire country.

He accused the Congress partyof going against the national eco-nomic policy by protesting thecommencement of trade throughthe pass and said that by holdingon to such a stand the Congress

SIBLAC condemnspamphlets circulated

using its namea NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 May: SikkimBhutia Lepcha Apex Committee[SIBLAC] has condemned the mas-termind behind the distribution offake leaflets in its name.

In a strongly worded press re-lease, SIBLAC has asserted that cir-culating of these inflammatorypamphlets was another attempt ini-tiated by “anti-Sikkimese forces” to“disintegrate the peaceful anddemocratic movement of SIBLACon restoration of political rights ofindigenous minority Bhutia Lepchapeople as per Article 371 F.”

SIBLAC has also condemnedthe attempt to tarnish the image ofTseten Tashi Bhutia, formerSIBLAC convener and Congresscandidate from Pathing constitu-ency by dragging his name into theleaflet controversy.

Remarking on the coincidence ofthese leaflets being circulated whilethe election process is on, the state-ment alleges that the obvious motivebehind this is to influence the votingof the people “while taking recourseto a disinformation campaign”.

It asks for an immediate enquiryinto the incident by the Chief Elec-toral Officer and action againstthose involved in writing, printingand circulating the fake leaflets inthe name of SIBLAC.

Calling the presence of such leaf-lets a sign of frustration in the campof those who are ‘inimical to the in-terest of Bhutia Lepcha people,SIBLAC appeals to the people to ig-nore such leaflets and work for the“greater unity of Sikkimese people.”

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GANGTOK, 07 May: SPCC [I]spokesperson, Jigme N. Kazi, hasalleged that the “budget allocation”had begun in the SDF camp.

“Today, the ruling SikkimDemocratic Front is all out distrib-uting money to the people to inducethem to vote for the SDF,” Mr. Kazialleged. He further said this formof buying of votes was typical ofthe ruling party and “the only waythey could regain power.”

The SDF is not alone in the hec-tic lobbying bid as only the last fewhours of campaigning are left. Whilethe SDF president Pawan Chamlingreturned to Pathing today, his SPCC[I] counterpart, Nar BahadurBhandari started last-minute cam-paigning for himself at CentralPendam today after completing a

whirlwind tour of west and southSikkim the day earlier. Mr. Bhandarieven bypassed the public meeting atRhenock, his constituency in the lastterm and is reported to have sent ataped address in lieu.

At the press briefing today, Mr.Kazi informed that 18 youthfromArithang, led by TsheringGyamtso Ethenpa and RamjiShivakote crossed over from theSDF and joined the Congress roday.

Mr. Kazi also informed of asimilar case of floor crossing atRegu constituency where he said 17erstwhile SDF supporters hadjoined the Congress. Incidentally,most of those who had crossed overwere Gurungs, he informed.

Mr Kazi further alleged thatthere was in-fighting within theSDF camp with certain SDF partyleaders actually working for the

Congress on the sly.“With the announcement of the

SDF list of candidates there wasopen revolt by a section of SDFleaders. There is still another sec-tion within the party which hasbeen denied tickets and it is thisgroup which is actually siding withthe Congress,” he claimed.

Such ‘on-the-sly’ campaigningfor the Congress by SDF leaders wasbeing done in constituencies in Southand East Sikkim, Mr. Kazi revealed.

The Congress spokesperson alsospoke on the ‘acceptance’ of Sikkimas part of Indian territory by China

as deduced by a recent world mapprinted in an official Chinese publi-cation which for the first time didnot include Sikkim as an independ-ent country, but as a part of India.

“We welcome it but it has come29 years too late. Sikkim has beena part of India since 1975 and wedon’t need Chinese certification toprove that,” he retorted to the news.In this context he said that now thegovernment should expedite meet-ing the demands of the Sikkimesepeople and open the Nathula traderoute to strengthen the relationsbetween the two countries.

‘Budget Allocation’ has begun: Kazi

would be depriving the country andthe people the opportunity of par-taking in international trade and theresultant profits.

He further accused the Congressof denying Sikkim and its people oftrade benefits by opposing the pro-posed trade route through Gangtok.He also blamed the Congress fordivisive politics which he said hadsown the seeds of communalismamong the people.

The SDF party he said had al-ways worked for the progress anddevelopment of Sikkim ever sincethey formed the government in1994. He also added that thePanchayats had now become theformulators of policy at the villagelevel where they were the true ad-ministrators. This was possible be-cause they had been accorded ad-ministrative powers along with eco-nomic powers.

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GNLF and PDF, unsure partners in their support to CongressLOLAYGOAN, Kaffer, 06 May: Kaffer, about 45 kms from Kalimpong, isalso known as “Hara Killa”. [Green Bastion, Owing to the presence of massiveGNLF hardcore supporters]. The GNLF held a campaign meeting here on 6May for the Cong [I] Lok Sabha candidate Dawa Norbula. Reacting to state-ments that a Congress victory would also mean victory of the PDF, TsheringSherpa, Vice President of GNLF, Kalimpong Branch said, “We do not careabout Dawa Norbula or the PDF. We are supporting the Congress because theyare the only party which seems to understand the feeling of the Gorkhas andtheir demand of a separate state”. When asked about the possibility of an alli-ance between the PDF and the GNLF as both are supporting the Congresscandidate from the Darjeeling constituency Mr. Roshan Rai – general secre-tary, Kalimpong Branch said, “There is a dim possibility of such a happening.We are always ready for an alliance if one approaches with a good will.”

6; NOW!; 08 May, 2004

C M Y K

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Anteysthi KriyaAnteysthi Kriya of Late Mrs. Aita Maya Rai, (101 yrs), wife of late DhaneyRai of Assam Lingzey, East Sikkim who passed away on 30.4.2004falls on 8.5.2004. All relatives, friends and well wishers are requestedto join us at our residence at Assam Lingzey (Below ALSSS), EastSikkim and offer prayer for the departed soul.

We take this opportunity to thank all relatives, friends and wellwishers who stood by us at the time of our bereavement and regretour inability to thank them individually.

Rai family

Mr. & Mrs. Birkha Man: Chhora/Buhari; Mani Kr./Bhim Sur/Ganga Ram/Prem Raj:

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Kutse SheguThe 49th Day Kutse Shegu of lateSonam Kingay Bhutia who left forhis heavenly abode on 24 March,falls on 08 May 2004. All friends,relatives and well wishers are re-quested to join us in offeringprayer for the departed soul at ourresidence Tinkitam Lall Kothi,South Sikkim. We would also liketo take on opportunity to thanksall who attended them help in ourbereavement.

Mrs. Tshering Choki Bhutia (wife)Mr. Namkha Wangdi Bhutia (son)

Mr. Ugen Gyatso Bhutia (son)Mrs. Kinchen Bhutia (daughter)

Kutse SheguThe 49th-day Kutse Shegu of late Tshering Wangmo [steno, Roads& Bridges Dept], who left for heveanly abode on 26th March 2004falls on 13th May, 2004. All friends, relatives and well-wishers arerequested to join us in offering prayers for the departed soul at ourresidence at Middle Sichey, Gangtok. We would also like to takethis opportunity to thank all those who extended their help in ourhour of bereavement.

Ama Dithi(mother), Khilook Bhutia (brother-in-law), Pema Bhutia(sister)

Khedup Tshering(brother-in-law), Pasang lamu(sister), Karma Dolma(neice),

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NOTICE

All Sikkim Student’s Asso-ciation (ASSA) registeredwill be holding it’s 1st Gen-eral Meeting on 08 May,2004, at TNSS School Au-ditorium at 1 pm.Two prefects from eachsecondary and seniorsecondary school are re-quested to attend themeeting positively.

BUY THERE,

COLLECT HERE

There is always a way to beat thesystem. This is what lottery

winners across the country havediscovered, sending companies likePlaywin into a mad scramble to sortthings out before the scam gets big-ger. It’s quite simple really. If youare a Sikkimese and win thePlaywin Jackpot you have to pay10 per cent as tax, but a non-Sikkimese will have 40 per cent cutoff as tax. Now what is happeningis that people who are winning theJackpot outside the state are com-ing here and having a local collectthe money for them, thus saving al-most 30 per cent of the money. Andwhen you’re talking crores, that’sa whole lot of money. The localpartner-in-crime obviously gets acertain amount of money and all arehappy. Except of course, Playwinand to some extent the Sikkim Lot-tery department. According to thosein the know, a watchdog depart-ment has already begun investigat-ing the racket.What do we care!

ELECTION DO’S AND

DON’TS

Election times are strange. We’vesaid that before and we’re sayingthat again. You have to be extracareful of everything you say or do,lest it be perceived wrongly. A ho-tel in Gangtok which often hostsmeetings for a certain politicalparty, made a bad judgement call

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATIONOF SIKKIM, a leading Charitable Non-Govermental Organisation in the field ofEducation recipient of the national Awardfor Child Welfare 2002,invites applicationfor the following post:Senior Administrative cum Mananger to run thehead Office and the overall finance and day today administration of the organization.Requirement for the position- Post Graduate or graduate with overallexperience in administration and financemanagement of an organization (either in a profitor non profit organization)- accounting and budgeting skills- excellent skills in English language- high social and human competencesDuties and responsibilities- Secretary to the Board of Trustees- Management and supervision of office staff- Management of day to day administration of

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by renting out its premises to therival party too. The hotel staff whowas only thinking profit and wasnot at all clued in to the politicalramifications of this simple book-ing error has been sacked, the littlebird tells us. Can you blame theGangtokians for being extra care-ful of stating their preferencesanymore? Ask anyone whom theywill vote for and they clam up tight,

or make a joke or just change thesubject. No one will ever replytruthfully to that question, makingthe capital a nightmare for buddingpsephologists.

THE POLITICAL BEAT

Covering the election campaign,you might think, is a great trip

for the media. You get ferried to andfrom election meetings, get hotmeals wherever you go, sometimesoffered money carefully folded inbrown envelopes [often pocketedquietly, let me add] and are gener-ally taken care of by candidates andtheir supporters. But not all cam-paign trails are so cushy, as a youngreporter discovered recently. Askedby a candidate to cover his meet-

ing in some village, he enthusiasti-cally agreed, only to undergo astrenuous 2-hour uphill walk toreach the spot. Here, as he sat hun-gry and tired, he listened to dullpromises being made to a sparseaudience. Can you blame him forwanting to opt out of the politicalbeat after all? The media also madequite a fool of themselves the otherday at the Raj Bhawan. After all thenoise that a section of the press hadmade about political trapeze artist

Pende having been abducted andkilled, it was really funny to seethem arrive for the press conferenceand wait for the CEC to turn upeven as Pende sat quitely in a cor-ner. After all the reams that hadbeen written about him, one wouldhave expected him to get mobbedby the media. Interestingly, evenafter he was recognised andinterveiwed by some, others pre-ferred to sit and seethe in jealousenvy at not having been picked forthe exclusive. Pende, for all his re-cent infamy, must have left the RajBhavan quite upset that he was notmobbed by the local paparazzi.

MUST WIN SEAT

Not Gangtok and not CentralPendam, the constituency that

is seeing the Big Fight this electionis Pathing. Both the SDF andSIBLAC, I mean the Congress,have decided to fire all their am-munition to ensure victory fromhere. How important and symbolicthe constituency has become is ap-parent from the fact that the SDFsupremo held two public meetingsat the constituency in the last weekof campaigning.

Both the parties accuse eachother of throwing in huge amountsof money to get the swing voters totheir side. Although the constitu-ency was considered to be a sureshot for the Congress earlier, whichis perhaps why the former SIBLACconvenor shifted there from his tra-ditional seat, it remains to be seenhow much of Bhandari’s vote-bankremains comfortable with his can-didate’s SIBLAC connections.

�

history that today, democracy is be-ing repeatedly raped in the State. Thedemocratic aspirations of the peoplehave been badly let down by the in-creasing use of money and musclepower by the political parties. Theshow of such power is more acute inthese elections,” he contends.

Article 371F, Mr. Pradhan be-lieves is being “consistently di-

luted against the wishes of theSikkimese people.”

“Except for the usual rhetoricaloutbursts, the issue has been neverseriously debated in the State Assem-bly to check its dilution,” he claims.

Mr. Pradhan believes that thereis no reason anyone’s “patriotic cre-dentials” will be questioned if he/she initiates a serious re-evaluationof how the Sikkimese have beenserviced by Article 371F.

Contd from pg 1

SIGNATORY SPEAKS OUT...

08 May, 2004; NOW! 7

C M Y K

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Anarchy, one of the most tal-ented and sought afterbands in the region will be

playing their special brand of mu-sic on Friday, 16 May at PNGSSSchool at a Charity Show. Pro-moted as a no-holds-barred explo-sion of Rock, Anarchy is slatedto entertain with a hard and heavymusical load. The band consistsof Pramod Tamang, rhythm gui-tarist, Ugen Tamang, lead guitar-ist, Girish Pradhan, bassist andvocals and Yogesh Pradhan, thedrummer.

All of them have been play-ing music from an early age andare completely self taught musi-cians. They came together inMarch 2002 and swear by bandslike Iron Maiden, Black Sabbathand Judas Priest. Isn’t that likeancient? Why don’t they do morecontemporary stuff? ‘That is whatthe crowd wants here and that isthe kind of music we really enjoyplaying,” they chorus. They ofcourse have their own originalstuff too and it shouldn’t surprisethat their theme largely revolvesaround war and Satan, etc. Forthose who want to hear authenticHard Rock, the place to be nextFriday is the Auditorium atPNGSS School. Don’t miss it.These guys are fabulous.

- a NOW REPORT

Anarchy Strikes Back Jet Airwaysto fly to

KathmanduKATHMANDU, 07 May: Jet Air-ways, one of the leading Indian pri-vate Airlines has announced to oper-ate daily flights in New Delhi-Kathmandu route beginning 14 May.

Jet Airways is one of the twoairlines - other being Air Sahara -that has been allowed by the IndianGovernment to operate interna-tional flights from India. The deci-sion of the airlines to operate inNew Delhi-Kathmandu sector fol-lows the Indian Government per-mission to operate flights inSAARC region. Kathmandu is thesecond foreign destination afterColombo that has been opened toprivate operators in India.

Along with the Jet Airways,another Indian private airlines, AirSahara is also mulling to start itsflights in Kathmandu.

People protest fellingat 27 Mile

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 07 May: The HillSocial Welfare Society, an NGOhere, has taken up the cause of theenvironmentalists protesting the cut-ting of trees particularly at the 27Mile area. Incidentally, the NHPCis preparing to construct a hydel damproject in this region. The Societyhas submitted a number of memo-randums to the DM along with theDivisional Forest Officer.

The initiative for the trees wastaken up by the Society on the ap-peal made to them by the residentsof Nazok Busty and the surround-ing places of 27 Mile. The residentshad complained that the ForestDepartment had been clearing treesfor approach roads and to clear thesite for the dam construction.

“We have taken such a step tak-ing into consideration the generaldiscontentment of the inhabitants.This is also to stop the possibilityof any untoward incidents with en-suing elections,” said Binay Khati,secretary to the Welfare Society.

According to sources, nearly3,500 trees have been chopped. Thepeople have sought that the cutting oftrees be stopped till the advent of themonsoons. As this is the dry seasonthe drinking water sources being usedwould soon dry up with the cutting oftrees causing scarcity, feel locals.

The memorandum has also beenforwarded to the Chief Conservatorof Forest, West Bengal and to the En-gineer in-charge of the NHPC project.

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C M Y K

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Darpan Publications Pvt. Ltd, Siliguri. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Executive Editor: Mita ZulcaNow! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

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ARIES: Financial position will be sound.

Professionals will be busy. New clients will

be introduced. You may purchase a vehi-

cle. Support from friends and relatives will

continue. Speculation will yield an income

TAURUS: This will be a smooth and suc-

cessful period. Auspicious functions will be

performed. You may take a loan to develop

your business. You will receive good news.

Long drawn litigations will be over.

GEMINI: Things will move briskly. Those deal-

ing in iron and steel, and glassware will do

better. Textile businesses will be profitable. Un-

expected bulk orders can be expected.

CANCER: Your business is likely to expand.

Tensions will be reduced. You will receive

good news. You will enjoy sound health. You

may purchase immovable property.

LEO: Understanding with your life part-

ner will be good. Life will be peaceful. You

may have a minor health problem. Ten-

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1794: US Post Officeestablished1886: Atlanta pharmacist JohnStyth Pemberton invents CocaCola1895: China cedes Taiwan toJapan under Treaty ofShimonoseki1902: Mt Pele erupts, wipes outSt Pierre, Martinique1945: V-Day; Germany signsunconditional surrender, WW IIends in Europe1959: 3-deck Nile excursionsteamer springs a leakpanicking passengers whocapsized ship. 200 drown justyards from shore1967: Muhammad Ali isindicted for refusing inductionin US Army1970: Beatles release “Let itBe” album1971: Joe Frazier beatsMuhammad Ali at Madison SqGarden1984: USSR announces it willnot participate in LA SummerOlympics

VIRGO: Unexpected speculative gains will

be enjoyed. You may travel abroad. Finan-

cial position will be maintained. Politicians

will do better. Happiness will prevail.

LIBRA: There will be a sudden growth in

business. Domestic happiness is indi-

cated. Those dealing with paint, varnishes,

ceramic, hardware and chemical busi-

nesses will find improvement. Software

professionals will have a greater chance

to go abroad. Businesses will be profitable.

SCORPIO: Politicians will have a tough

period. Export businesses will pick up.

You will be satisfied with your children’s

education. You will enjoy good health. You

will have the support of your life partner.

You will do well in business.

SAGITTARIUS: New ventures are indi-

cated. Overseas travel will be beneficial.

Health will be good. You may acquire a

new vehicle. Political life will be profitable.

Businesses will see an average cash flow.

Students will have a successful career.

CAPRICORN: You may gain through an-

cestral property. Worries will be over. Poli-

ticians will enjoy popularity. Dancers and

musicians will get good recognition. Wor-

ries are indicated. Your studies may take

you out of town.

AQUARIUS: A change of environment

will cheer you up. You will purchase a new

vehicle. Long drawn litigation will be over.

You may enjoy an easy cash flow. Last

two weeks will tight. Your business part-

ner will support you.

PISCES: Encouraging news will be re-

ceived. Litigations will be in your favour.

Support from life partner and family mem-

bers will continue. usinesspersons will

take a new decision. Medical expenses

will go down. You must watch you’re your

parents’ health carefully.

NAOMI TRUMPS TABLOID

Catwalker Naomi Campbell has emerged victorious from a legalcatfight. Campbell triumphed over Britain’s Daily Mirror Thursday

in an invasion-of-privacy appeal against the tabloid, which reported onCampbell’s drug counseling complete with pics of her leaving a Narcot-ics Anonymous meeting.

Britain’s highest court, the Law Lords, ruled 3-2 that Campbell’s pri-vacy had indeed been invaded and reversed a lower court’s decision thatordered her to cough up more than $600,000 for the newspaper’s legal fees.

Campbell made a personal court appearance in February as part of herbid to reverse an October 2002 Appeals Court ruling that the Daily Mir-ror’s tell-all tale was “justifiable in the public interest” because Campbellhad previously passed herself to the media off as a drug-free beauty.

“Miss Campbell is delighted by today’s verdict,” her lawyer KeithSchilling told reporters. “This not only vindicates her personally, but moreimportantly, it represents a real advancement for the rights of people tomaintain important elements of their privacy, particularly when relatingto therapy.”

It was a shocking turn of events for the tab and its ink-stained coun-terparts, who have traditionally enjoyed lenient privacy laws and minimaldamages under English law.

SAN JUAN: Ricky Martin’sformer manager has filed a $63.5million lawsuit against the singerfor breach of contract.

Angelo Medina claims the 32-year-old pop star failed to live upto terms agreed upon when theyended their contract in September.Medina claims he was to have con-tinued managing Martin’s career inPuerto Rico but not internationally,but the singer broke all ties.

Edgardo Cartagena, a lawyerfor Martin, said Thursday the alle-gations are “not too well-organ-ized.”

“There was an agreement to ter-minate the relationship,” Cartagenasaid. “We reject the allegations.”

FALLING IN LOVE - AGENDER-BENDING

EXPERIENCELONDON: Falling in love - thatcrazy, blissful feeling - causes gen-der-bender changes in men andwomen’s testosterone levels.

A study by an Italian researchershows that when couples fall in lovetheir testosterone levels alter. It fallsin men and rises in women so theybecome more like each other.

“Men who were in love hadlower levels of the male sex hor-mone testosterone - linked to ag-gression and sex drive - than othermen,” New Scientist magazine saidWednesday.

“Love-struck women, in con-trast, had higher levels of testoster-one than their counterparts.”

Donatella Marazziti, a scientistat the University of Pisa in Italy,made the discovery after studying24 people in love.

“It’s as if nature wants to elimi-nate what can be different in menand women, because it’s importantto survive at this stage,” she said.

Not all scientists agree withMarazziti’s interpretation of theresults and some say changing tes-tosterone levels could be a resultof increased sexual activity.

FORMER MANAGER SUES RICKY MARTINJudge Oscar Davila agreed

Wednesday to hear the case. Mar-tin didn’t attend the hearing.

Medina filed the lawsuit in re-sponse to a $2.5 million lawsuitMartin filed against him in NewYork. Martin is demanding thatMedina return advance paymentsfor services allegedly not given.

The next hearing in Medina’slawsuit is 13 August.

Medina, who said he partedways with Martin to spend moretime with his family, has expresseddismay over being sued by the star,whom he considered “a son.”

Martin’s hits include “SheBangs,” “Shake Your Bon-Bon”and “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

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