Party committee on sovereignty claims "misunderstood", says PM
Responding to international criticism of the Raktavani National Party's annual conference to set up a committee to examine extending Malivia's territorial claims on the surrounding region, Prime Minister Ravi Ranganekary has complained "our system of democratic government, and the Raktavani National Party's system of internal party democracy, is being profoundly misunderstood and misrepresented by people abroad". He continued:
What they do not seem to understand is that we are a lively, pluralistic democracy, and the Raktavani National Party is a lively, pluralistic and democratic political party. Different points of view are expressed. Arguments are considered and weighed, and then, through due democratic process, decisions are made.
This seems very difficult for some of our friends abroad to understand. Perhaps it is because we are more democratic and more open to debate in Malivia than they are where they come from.
The question of extending the territorial claims is being considered at the internal level of the Raktavani National Party. It is not being considered at a government level. There have been no Cabinet discussions about any of this, for example. We have no plans to change our policy. The policy is the same today as it was before.
In due course, the committee will report its findings at annual conference. Then there will be an opportunity for discussion. That is all. There is no need for the world to assume something has happened which has not even happened.
Pressed as to whether he believed Malivia's territorial claims should be extended, he replied "This is not something on my to-do-list and not something I have expended much thought on; there are other priorities I am focusing on right now". He added he "would read the report carefully, when it is published, and follow the ensuing debate".
Vascanian base "a step towards a more stable region" says Roychaudhuri
Defence Minister Daksha Roychaudhuri has hailed Vascania's setting up of a military base in Dušanpur as "representing another positive development in Malivian-Vascanian co-operation" and "a step towards a more stable region".
Dušanpur has long been a city with a significant Deltarian cultural influence, and opinion there is mixed. Whilst the local economic activity the base will likely bring is generally welcomed, there is still much nostalgia and affection for the Deltarians who used to run a base in the very same area.
There is a small temple in the city devoted to Czar Dusan, after whom the Deltarian base had been named, and who some locals have adopted as a saint or a god. A special ritual is about to be held there, which the priest says "is to appease the spirit of Czar Dusan, so he won't be angry at us for his base being taken over by these other people". He also said he has asked for permission to enter the military base itself and perform the ritual there as well, since "if we do it there, it will be more powerful", but he says he does not yet know whether this permission will be granted.
However, the city's mayor, Daas Mandalik, has responded positively to the arrival of the Vascanians, saying the council "looks forward to working with our new guests, who we and the whole city want to make as welcome as possible".
Unity TV to bring "Greater Malivian culture and history to all parts of Greater Malivia"
Education & Culture Minister Sita Kamath has unveiled a project to establish a new satellite television channel, funded partly through public funds, which will be broadcast across the region free of charge, and made available on the internet, where it will be free to download programmes.
The new station, Unity TV, will "bring the culture and history of Greater Malivia to all parts of Greater Malivia". It is hoped to attract viewers particularly from Narikaton-Darnussia, Hobrazia, Keymon and Selucia, all countries claimed to rightfully belong to the Greater Malivian Empire.
Adivasis in uproar over Criminal Tribes Act
To the horror of Adivasis (OOC: Indian tribals) and civil liberties campaigners, the government has proposed a Criminal Tribes Act which would allow the authorities to restrict the movement of Adivasis, and to detain them indefinitely without trial.
Internal Affairs Minister Ajatasatru Marwah says the legislation is necessarily to "protect mainstream Malivian society from the habitual criminality and disruptiveness of a significant minority within our tribal communities".
Protests are being held across the country. Most have been peaceful so far, although there have been violent clashes between police and protestors in some places, particularly in Modalin, the capital.
Dhuleep Haradas, Adivasi holy man
Dhuleep Haradas, a charismatic Adivasi sanyasi (OOC: Gerajan ascetic or holy man) has emerged as the apparent leader of the latest wave of protests. He has denounced the Criminal Tribes Act as as "an attempt to strip our community of all its rights and dignity" and vowed "we shall not submit to this law: we will not give up our struggle".
Raktavani National Party supporters, including some of its Lok Sabha members, have taken to posting "Hang Dhuleep Haradas" memes on social media. Daksha Roychaudhuri, the Defence Minister, commented in an interview that "Haradas should go back to his primitive hut in the forest where he belongs and do as he is told".
Adivasi crocodile killers arrested by police in temple
Two Adivasis from the River Washe area have been arrested and detained after killing a crocodile which attacked them whilst they were fishing illegally. Police had descriptions of the men, and caught them by planning an ambush at the Sacred Cobra Temple, some 10 miles away from where the crocodile incident occurred. In local Adivasi tradition, when certain animals are killed, including cobras, crocodiles and tigers, a special offering needs to be made at a temple and a ritual undergone in order to seek forgiveness from the dead animal's soul. This way, it is believed, the animal's soul will not haunt the person or bring misfortune on them.
The Sacred Cobra Temple is well-known for conducting this ceremony. As soon as the two men arrived there, plainclothes police officers seized them.
This has caused considerable controversy, because temples are sacred places where all persons - even outlaws - are owed a duty of hospitality. It is almost unheard of for arrests to take place in temples, and the Sacred Cobra Temple's trustees have submitted a complaint to the police, stating they were not informed in advance of the police operation and arguing it was inappropriate.
