To: Mohan Marette
From: JPR
Friday, Jul 24 1998 6:40PM EST
-Preview-
Mohan, Raj and Ravi:
Double standards:
Excerpts from India Today page 24C July 27 1998
Nuclear Hollow Cast -- Rhymes with Nuclear Holocaust
New Clear Bum Rap --Rhymes with Nuclear Bomb
Chidambaram's exclusion has another rub to it. In the 1970s, when South Block
refused visas to Israeli and South African scientists wanting to attend conferences in
India, the Indian scientific community was chastised by their western counterparts who
threatened to boycott conferences held in India. The principle of free movement of
scientists without regard to their creed, colour, sex or political beliefs was raised as an
argument against the Indian government's decision. This is the basic creed of the
International Council of Scientific Unions of which the IUC is a member. Indian
scientists say they will take up the denial issue to this body which comprises some
23 international scientific unions and 92 research councils.
Chidambaram, when asked whether Britain's decision will affect research in India, said,
"It hardly matters. We do not have any contact with them on atomic research."
"But how far will the US go in preventing exchanges?," asks a scientist in Mumbai.
"Will they ban export of journals? Prevent Indian Americans from visiting parents who
may be involved in the Indian defence programme, or marrying sons and daughters of
such persons?"
-Manoj Joshi
JPR |
