Jewish Times Asia April 2014
Jewish Times Asia
India’s Army Chief visits Israel
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General Bikram Singh, Chief of the Army Staff of India, arrived in Israel on an official visit on 21 March for a four day visit. The IDF Honour Guard formally welcomed General Singh at Camp Rabbin (Kiriya) in Tel Aviv. The military general met with the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Benjamin “Benny” Gantz and the Commander of IDF Ground Forces, Major General Guy Tzur. These meetings focused on the close military cooperation between the two states. The military chief also toured Israeli military bases, where he was briefed on the operational procedures of the Ground Forces. General Singh discussed ongoing defence projects and ways of further strengthening military ties. The issue of delays in the completion of the mediumrange surface-to-air missile systems was expected to come up
Israel’s Embassy in New Delhi was under a security threat after a 35-yearold man was arrested last month from outside the embassy premises.
General Bikram Singh, middle with IDF Chief Lieutenant General Benjamin Gantz on the right
for discussion during the talks, a spokesperson for India’s Army official commented. Israel is one of the major suppliers of weapon systems to the Indian armed forces including critical equipment such as assault rifles for the Special Forces.
Major General Guy Zur had visited India last year and discussed the security situation in and around the region with the top military and political leadership. Israel has been building strong military-to-military rela-
tions with India in recent years and has emerged as the second largest defence supplier to India behind only Russia in the last decade-and-a-half. During his stay, General Singh also visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he laid a wreath in memory of Holocaust victims. He also laid a wreath in the Indian War Cemetery in Jerusalem in honour of Indian soldiers.
Anne Frank book suspect arrested After conducting an investigation Tokyo police have reportedly arrested a city resident in connection with the vandalism of hundreds of copies of Anne Frank related books in the Japanese capital’s libraries. The suspect, identified as an “unemployed man in his 30s,” in a statement admitted to some involvement in the vandalism of the books in February. Police arrested the man on 7 March for entering a bookstore in the Ike-
bukuro district to hang a poster without permission. It is not known what the posters said.
Footage from the store’s security cameras reportedly showed the same man wandering back and forth inside the same bookstore through sections dealing with the Holocaust, including the day that some of the damage occurred.
Police spotted the man in security footage from other locations where vandalism occurred. They confiscated his
cell phone and computer. The police have yet to establish a motive and are trying to find out if he was behind all the incidents of vandalism which have taken place in libraries in western Tokyo since February. As reported in the last issue of Jewish Times Asia, Israel’s embassy in Japan has donated 300 Anne Frank-related books to Tokyo public libraries to replace those that have been vandalized.
Nepal to reduce fees to climb Mount Everest
Nepal will cut climbing fees for Mount Everest to lure more mountaineers to the world’s highest peak, already overcrowded during the peak climbing season.
Every year, around 20,000 Israeli backpackers travel to Nepal, mostly to embark on treks in the Everest and Annapurna mountain ranges. Joining other climbers, each paying thousands of dollars, they
Israel’s Embassy in India in security threat
flock to the 8,850-metre (29,035 feet) Everest summit during the main climbing season stretching from March to May.
cial Tilakram Pandey said each climber will be charged $11,000 starting next year to end the practice.
Under existing rules, Nepal charges US$25,000 per climber as a licence fee, or royalty. But a group of seven people can secure a permit for US$70,000, a practice officials say encourages climbers to form big groups.
“The change in royalty rates will discourage artificially formed groups, where the leader does not even know some of the members in him own team,” Pandey said.
Tourism
Ministry
offi-
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“It will promote responsible and serious climbers.”
The Times of India reported authorities arrested a man after the mission informed police of a suspicious person holding a parcel and trying to enter the premises. According to the report, the man was injured during a chase by police and embassy guards and, as such, has been rendered unable to provide an explanation for what he was doing. The package parcel reportedly found contained an idol of the Hindu deity, Ganesha. The incident came two years after a car bomb exploded and injured an Israeli embassy worker in the Indian capital.
Experts looking to reduce water pollution A team of experts from Israel are in Bhubaneswar the capital of the Indian state of Odisha to study groundwater pollution in the city. The Chilika Development Authority (CDA), managers of the wetlands at Chilika, is facilitating the team’s visit. The team will conduct a study called phytoremediation, use of plants for the removal of pollutants from contaminated soil or water. “We have selected wetlands near the Biju Patnaik Airport for the study. The Odisha Wetlands Development Authority and the Department of Forest and Environment along with CDA will help the team promote eco-friendly technology to reduce water pollution,” said chief executive of CDA Ajit Pattnaik. He said the study would go a long way in restoring the quality of water in urban water bodies.
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