Goan Voice UK: Newsletter. Issue 2008-13. March. 27, 2008

NRIs require RBI clearance to buy property in Goa.

26 Mar: Herald. The Goa Assembly on Tuesday was informed that 298 cases of land deals by foreign nationals have been found in contravention of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and have been referred to the Enforcement Directorate for necessary action … The Speaker of the Goa Assembly asked if persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) are allowed to buy land, making specific reference to locals who are settled in Britain and are deemed to be non-resident Indians (NRIs).
The Minister, however, clarified that no foreigners will be allowed to buy land unless they obtain Reserve Bank of India clearances. 304 words.Click here.
[Ed: Do you have property in Goa? Did you obtain RBI Clearance? It remains to be seen if this requirement will be applied retrospectively as with Foreign Nationals]

Marcus D’Mello recalls his sports days in Entebbe

22 Mar: Tanzania Sports. Interviewed by Israel Saria, Marcus Francis D’Mello says: I was born in Uganda and was a civil servant … I was also member of our club, the Entebbe Goan Institute, where I played cricket, hockey, football, volleyball, table tennis and darts. I was most of the time captain of football, badminton and vice-captain for cricket and volleyball and was also sports secretary. I also played cricket, football and hockey for the Entebbe European Club for a number of years, where they made me Honorary Member of the club in 1964 … When I came to the UK in Nov 1972 I continued to play cricket and badminton and even when I broke my middle finger in cricket, I carried on playing badminton in the Barnet and Middlesex league but eventually gave up sports after a knee injury … 810 words. Click here.

The Remarkably Resilient DeSouzas

Click to enlarge

Jan–Feb. 2008. Multihousing Professional. (Pages 30-37). The DeSouzas - (at the back) Dominic Marcellus, Vivienne, Rodney, Olga Maria; (in front) Cal and Frank - founded the Mentor Properties company which is worth $50 million. The family moved to Toronto in 1972 following their expulsion from Uganda and established the Company in 1985 with $5,000. Mentor properties operate in Canada and United States. [Info from Milton Rodrigues.] For text, 3778 words and photographs click here.
For a GVUK profile of the Mentor D’Souzas click here.
For the Mentor website with details of their Toronto and other North American real estate offers click here.

Dr. Vikram Patel: Psychotherapy for all

11 Mar: International Herald Tribune. At a faded one-story medical clinic in Siolim, Goa, people with depression and anxiety talk about all sorts of troubles ... "There is a huge treatment gap for people with depression," said Dr. Vikram Patel of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the psychiatrist who began the Siolim project which is funded by the Wellcome Trust … almost 2,000 patients have been treated … Patel, 43, now splits his time between London and Goa, where he runs a social welfare organization, Sangath, which means partnership … 1546 words. Click here.
For a profile of Dr Patel click here.

Dr Jayant Vaidya: Radiation rethink for breast cancer patients

19 Mar: The Herald (Scotland). Women can be given less radiotherapy and still beat breast cancer … Ninewells Hospital in Dundee took part in the research … Dr Jayant Vaidya, breast cancer surgeon at the hospital, said the findings so far were encouraging. He said: "It makes such a difference to people who are 70 years old to come in and have their operation and radiotherapy in one go." 517 words. Click here.
For the Dr Vaidya website click here.
For the GVUK profile of Dr Vaidya click here.

Video: Goan Association of Paris condoles Scarlett Keeling’s death
24 Mar: Speech condoling the death of Scarlett Keeling. 2m. 41s. Click here.

Corryn Rayney Murder: Police blocked on Rayney files

24 Mar: The West Australian. Six months after police seized hundreds of files from the offices of high profile lawyer Lloyd Rayney, detectives are still being thwarted in their efforts to open them as part of their investigation into the murder of Mr Rayney’s wife, Corryn … Mr Rayney claimed they were client files and carried legal professional privilege. 551 words. Click here.

Dinesh D'Souza talks about race
27 Mar: The Daily Evergreen (USA). Scholar, author and leading conservative thinker Dinesh D'Souza spoke about race issues in America … A former Reagan Policy Analyst, D’Souza is now one of America’s bestselling authors with books like “The end of Racism.” … he said, white and Asian people have higher academic skills than black and Hispanic people, as shown by his research … 542 words. Click here.
For the Dinesh D’Souza website with his bio, photos, videos and more see www.dineshdsouza.com

Tony Fernandes: Air Asia
27 Mar: New Paper (Singapore). Laugh all you want, but one day, AirAsia will be bigger than Singapore Airlines claims Tony Fernandes … Mr Fernandes, who is part Goan and part Malaccan Portuguese, graduated from the London School of Economics and became an accountant. He sprinted up the corporate ladder … 954 words. Click here.
For the Tony Fernandes GVUK profile click here.

Toronto: Joanna De Souza performs 28 Mar.
27 Mar: The Toronto Star. (page E05) Critics Choice: M-DO and inDance Kathak meets Bharatanatyam against the backdrop church St. Stephen-in-the-Field … Chad Walasek will perform Kathak Solo, choreographed by M-DO's Joanna De Souza, with music performed by Ritesh Das on tabla and de Souza reciting and playing harmonium. (8 p.m. until Saturday. St. Stephen-in-the-Field, 103 Bellevue Ave. Tickets: $20 at 416-504-7082 or tablaensemble.com). For text click here.
Joanna de Souza is married to Ian, the son of Norbert and brother of Kevin (Montreal), all from the distinguished Kampala musical family. For a photograph and brief profile of her see GVUK 2006-13.

Canada: Karen Pereira: Davar’s Indo-Jazz studio comes to Brampton
27 Mar: South Asian Focus (Canada). …Brampton has Davar's fourth school in Canada, the others being in Vancouver, Mississauga and Markham. There is also one in Goa … Professional trainers will teach jazz, Afro-jazz, and also Shiamak's Indo jazz and Bollywood jazz movements … “It's very exciting and people seem to be enthusiastic as there is no age limit to learn these jazz movements. I hope it will be very interesting," Karen Pereira, one of the school's teachers, told South Asian Focus … In Brampton, classes will be held Thursday afternoons and Saturday evenings beginning Mar. 29 … Registrations for the classes are now open. For further information contact Karen Pereira at 416-825-0643. 302 words. Click here.

Father Raymond J. de Souza: Start a modified boycott of the Beijing Games

27 Mar: National Post. … The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is desperately trying to ensure that nothing disrupts the Games … the Olympics offer a chance to do something different … The situation is propitious for Canada to take the lead. The Prime Minister should announce that no federal political officials will attend the Beijing Games … 649 words. Click here.
Fr Raymond D'Souza is the son of Greta (ex-Mombasa) and Cedric D'Souza (ex-Uganda and Nairobi) of Calgary, Canada.

Jackie DeSouza: Canadian Olympic officials steer clear of torch protest

27 Mar: Toronto Star. The Canadian Olympic Committee has turned down a request to use its influence to stop the Olympic torch relay from going through Tibet. "We're not a human rights organization," Jackie DeSouza, director of communications for the committee, told reporters yesterday. "We are a sport organization. We are responsible for promoting the Canadian Olympic team and for preparing them for competition in Beijing." 167 words. Click here.
Jackie DeSouza was born in Tanzania, daughter of Felix and Vicky DeSouza and sister of Connie and Natalie. For a brief profile of her click here.

Tickets are Goa going, gone!
18 Mar: Leicester Mercury. Flights to an Indian resort have been a success, airport managers say. East Midlands managers said 99 per cent of seats had been snapped up since flights to Goa started last month

Staying alive in Goa
20 Mar: MSN. In the wake of the recent murder, subsequent arrests and reports of a thriving drug mafia in Goa, here’s how to return home alive (and without getting conned) from the party paradise … 679 words. Click here.

Sun, Sand & Drugs
22 Mar: Times of India. Leader Article: There's a kind of hush all over Goa these days …The hush is more pronounced in Anjuna these days … Tourists bent rules bribing a typically feckless police to take over parts of beaches, putting up 'Indians not allowed' signs to keep away the natives from the parties and raves and nude sunbathing … To talk about making the place more pricey and expensive to mop up more tourist dollars, as many have been saying, is plain silly … 940 words. Click here.

‘Tourism infrastructure in Goa inadequate’
24 Mar: Financial Express. Even as a debate rages on whether Goa is really safe for tourists, the state government, which is trying hard to salvage its brand image of being an idyllic tourist spot after the gruesome rape and murder of a 15-year old British tourist, has more questions to answer. 538 words. Click here.

The Goa drug divide
24 Mar: Daily News & Analysis. Mayank Tewari travels across Goa and finds that while the south is still about beautiful beaches and tourism, the north is where hashish and the hippie make a heady cocktail … 1130 words. Click here.

Goa needs a giant wave to wash off the stains
24 Mar: Economic Times. Goa desperately needs a facelift. It’s not that the one-off murder of a British teenager on a Goa beach will suddenly make tourists apprehensive. But the murder, the alleged police cover-up thereafter, and the shadows of a drug mafia have definitely tarnished the image of Goa, once considered one of the safest places for tourists in India. 567 words. Click here.

Don’t Go to India Without A Visa, Says OCI Holder
25 Mar: Link (Canada). The registration card looks like a passport (which it isn’t), it’s also called the OCI or “Overseas Citizen of India” card … But take that with a grain of salt, and don’t think for a moment that the document alone will suffice to get you through immigration in India. OCI card or no OCI card, better get your Indian visa … 1003 words. Click here.

Surveillance cameras to check terrorism, crimes in Goa
27 Mar: UNI. Suspicious characters will be under the scanner of state-of-the-art security cameras under the ''surveillance project'' envisaged to provide the Goan citizens with safety and security … Finance Minister Dayanand Narvekar told the State Legislative Assembly while presenting the budget for 2008-09. It has also been decided to set up a Coastal Security Police Force … Click here.

Another Day In Paradise
29 Mar: Tehelka Magazine. White girls are easy to bed. They come to Goa for quick fun with no commitments, and men like me give them that,” says Rocky, a cashier at a booze-n-food shack on north Goa’s Anjuna beach, the shore most preferred by foreign tourists for nude sunbathing. 2174 words. Click here.

Goa: Tourism Woes
31 Mar: Outlook. Hippie days are over, Goa gets up close with tourism's dark side ... Shoestring budgets mean tourists running out of money and turning to crime to extend "the holiday". Goa has become a major transit point for the international drug trade. Teenage couriers being used by the international drug mafia to ship drugs out of Goa. Crimes linked to foreigners now include drug trafficking, prostitution and paedophile rackets. Underworld gangs openly operating with political patronage … 980 words. Click here.

Competition: Indian Adventure for 2
23 Mar: Experience India with this prize from On the Go and Jet Airways including tickets for two people on the 13 night Deserts, Palaces and Ganges tour PLUS two return economy airfares to Delhi. Closing date 31 March 2008. For your chance to win click here.

Video + text: Nistha Desai takes on fight against paedophiles in Goa

20 Mar: CNN-IBN. A recent study revealed that along with international tourists, Goa also attracts thousands of paedophiles, each one exploiting about 20 children … “One of the reasons why children are unsafe is because people don't take notice,” said CRG Founder and Director, Nistha Desai. Click here.

Julio Ribeiro calls for police reforms
23 Mar: Herald. Former Commissioner of Police, Mumbai Julio Ribeiro has asked the State Government to ensure that the Goa State Security Commission is fully functional and has called for urgent police reforms to arrest the deteriorating law and order situation. 339 words. Click here.

Spirituality and partying is the Goan way
23 Mar: Asian Age. Pamela D'Mello writes on current Easter celebrations in Goa. 362 words. Click here.

Goa's 400-yr-old Good Friday ritual
23 Mar: Times of India. It's a solemn but eye-catching procession, more than 400-year-old, and probably observed only in Rome and at the Se Cathedral in Goa … Sources say this Good Friday practice may have started any time after February 4, 1557, when the Chapter of the Cathedral was established during the Portuguese era … 384 words. Click here.

We will make Goa a model state, says Kamat
24 Mar: Financial Express. The Goa government is actively considering tapping the private sector to improve health facilities in the state, chief minister, Digambar Kamat, said … Also, the government is planning to launch a universal medical scheme soon … Kamat said his government would work to make Goa a model state with high focus on knowledge and tourism. He requested the Planning Commission for additional support in improving the sewerage system and road network to meet pressure due to increased tourist flow … Click here.

No lack of talent at Mrs Goa-2008 talent contest
24 Mar: United News of India. Model Chinu Grover Kala says she had never expected women in Goa to exhibit such stunning talent, particularly in acting, at the Mrs Goa-2008 talent contest … 33 women, married for four to 20 years, participated in the preliminaries … The grand finale of the contest will be held on March 29 …

River Sal is South Goa’s new garbage dump
24 Mar: Navhind Times. With no proper system in place to dispose of trash, and an equally careless government dragging its feet on the issue, people are using unethical means to do away with their garbage. 434 words. Click here.

Video: Remo uses music as weapon to fight drug nexus
25 Mar: CNN-IBN. Remo Fernandes, always known for his social sensibilities, has come out with an anti drugs drive … He will be re-releasing his two anti-drugs songs in coming days. Remo uses music as weapon to fight drug nexus … 2m. 01s. Click here.
To listen to the songs check the Remo Fernandes website, Click here.

The tourism bubble in Goa has burst
25 Mar: Spero News (Texas, USA). By Averthanus D'Souza. There is no adequate infrastructure of sewerage and waste disposal, potable water and other essential services to attend the surge of gambling and tourism in Goa. The natives are shunted aside for the profit of foreigners ... The Israelis carved out for themselves Special Exploitation Zones (SEZs) and were soon followed by Kenyans, Nigerians and other African “entrepreneurs” who were drawn by the “open” economy of Goa. 1311 words. Click here.

Strict laws for Goa land deals
26 Mar: Asian Age. By Pamela D’Mello. With a new amendment the Goa government proposes this session, purchase of flats/land by foreign nationals will get stricter. Foreign owned companies or individuals will require Reserve Bank of India clearance, finance minister Dayanand Narvekar told the Goa Assembly on Tuesday … A section of local builders and lawyers though have argued that rules permit foreigners resident in India to pick up property, but this is currently in dispute … The Central ministry has since curtailed tourist visas to three and six month visas, while almost completely phasing out entry (X) visas or long term visas. 335 words. Click here.

Land purchased by foreigners under scrutiny: Narvekar
26 Mar: Navhind Times. Goa’s Law Minister, Mr Dayanand Narvekar said that the Govt. was going through the cases pertaining to the land purchased by foreigners and companies in Goa during the last three years … he said that 298 cases of violations of FEMA and the RBI guidelines have been noted. 328 words. Click here.

Biodynamic cashew nuts exported to Germany
26 Mar: Sify. Achal Industries, in association with 31 farmers in Goa, has become successful in producing world’s first biodynamic cashew nuts and delivering the first shipment to an overseas buyer … biodynamics is a natural extension to organic farming … the first consignment of 3.19 tonnes was shipped out to Germany last week with the Demeter label. This will be marketed through the German buyer, Rapunzel Ag … 370 words. Click here.

New Delhi: Goa Property Show attracts 3,000 home seekers
27 Mar: Times of India. …when MagicBricks.com conducted the Goa Property Show ‘Delhi’ 2008 it had a strong 3,000 home seekers thronging the two-day event … Click here.

Remo Fernandes: ‘Goa is going down the drain ’
29 Mar: Tehelka Magazine. Remo Fernandes on how his land has changed … Click here.

Audio: Dating Black
17 Mar: BBC. A look at the difficulties that arise for young British Asians who have black partners. Are Asian parents with an East African background more prejudiced about such relationships? 30 mins. Click here.

Stephen Bennett Murder: family seeks fresh probe
20 Mar: Calcutta Telegraph. The family of British backpacker Stephen Bennett, who was found dead in December 2006 while on a trip to Goa, has cited similarities with Scarlett Keeling’s murder to ask for his case to be re-investigated … 595 words. Click here.

Man kills girlfriend for falling in love with someone else
21 Mar: CNN-IBN. In Mumbai, a man stabbed his girlfriend to death and then attempted suicide … Twenty-year old Samantha Fernandes, a student at the Sophia College, was found with multiple stab wounds in the room of a lodge. Her 35-year old boyfriend Sumit Giri was also found lying beside Samantha's body. He had consumed poison and then stabbed himself … 368 words. Click here.

Qatar: The invisible church prays for a quiet Easter
21 Mar: Globe and Mail (Canada). Qatar's first Christian church has no cross, no bell and no steeple. The idea is to be discreet … Vatican envoy Cardinal Ivan Dias led the five-hour-long inaugural mass on Saturday … "We have been waiting for this for such a long time," said Lourdes Carvalho, a 28-year-old homemaker of Goan ancestry who was born in Qatar and grew up attending underground mass in neighbours' homes every Sunday. "We are tired of pretending we don't exist," she said. 645 words. Click here.

Football: More than a game.
22 Mar: Financial Times. Football is more than capable of doing important work in the treatment and convalescence of people with mental health issues … Albert Dias, a 43-year-old originally from Goa in India, is excited about training. Dias's schizophrenia has led to a life spent in and out of hospital. Without PMAL, he might have spent the day alone, watching television. Lean and bouncy, he has also lost a stone-and-a-half playing football … 993 words. Click here.

South African view of Easter in Goa
23 Mar: Sunday Tribune (South Africa). Even though the Christian population in India constitutes a minuscule 2.5% of the total populace, Easter is celebrated with fanfare and religious vigour. Christians all over the country, especially in Mumbai and Goa make elaborate arrangements for Easter festivities. In Goa, a procession travels the streets and the meal of choice on most menus at some point during the Easter weekend involves lamb stew or roast lamb. Worshippers throng the churches for special prayers and rituals. Easter eggs and bunnies are sold in stores, and people exchange these items. Click here.

Serving Swiss rösti on the beach
25 Mar: Swiss Info. Sandi and her business partner Patrick - both from Zurich – run a small guesthouse and restaurant in Patnem beach, Goa … Initially the locals weren't at all happy: "A gang of about 40 showed up on the first day we opened, armed with wooden clubs and wearing gloves. But Richard and the landlord were able to speak to them and they did a deal that we would only open during the day and close every Wednesday," recalls Sandi. Test, 557 words and photos. Click here.

Goa and Tibet: Kuwait Times readers speak out
27 Mar: Kuwait Times. By Shamael Al-Sharikh: I believe it is only fair to show conflicting views on the Tibetan issue and the Goan identity issue … Please be warned that these letters were written with fervent passion and might offend the sentiments of some nationalities and religions. I have tried to eliminate parts that had racist undertones … Click here.

Fiona, Goa minister locked in a bitter fight
20 Mar: NDTV. Fiona McKeown, the mother of murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling is locked in a bitter war of words with Goa's Home Minister Ravi Naik … She claims that he and the Director General of Police are involved in the murder cover-up. Click here.

Scarlett case: Tests show overdose of drugs
20 Mar: NDTV. It has been proved that a fatal mix of drugs, alcohol and sexual assault killed British teenager Scarlett Keeling. The latest viscera report says Scarlett had double the amount of cocaine, ecstasy and heroine that can kill a teenager. Click here.

Disappointed, Fiona gives up her fight against drug trade
22 Mar: PTI. Almost winding up her crusade against the flourishing drug trade in Goa, Fiona Mackeown, mother of slain British girl Scarlett Eden Keeling, has moved to an undisclosed destination in South Goa fearing for her life, allegedly from the drug mafia. "There is no point in continuing the fight if state police are not interested in cooperating. The men in uniform are busy levelling allegations against me rather than probing what I say," Fiona said from a beach village in South Goa … she says that she would prefer to stay back peacefully in UK, as no one in Goa has come forward to provide support her cause. 281 words. Click here.

Julio Lobo gives his side of the Scarlett Keeling affair
23 Mar: Mail on Sunday. Julio Lobo, the boyfriend who Scarlett's family trusted to look after her, has decided to give his side of the story in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday … he claims Scarlett told him she was 19 – which he believed – and that he had "something special" with her … Photos and text, 2051 words + comments. Click here.

Goa police 'fed drugs to Scarlett Keeling's body to cover up ...
23 Mar: Mail on Sunday (UK). Indian police in Goa tried to cover up the murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling by giving her drugs after she had already died, it has been claimed. ... The pathologist in the case has now decided the cocktail of drugs in her system was not responsible for her death … the police actually added drugs to the teenager's body after she died to try to cover up the crime. 588 words. Click here.

Mother receives Scarlett report
23 Mar: 11:20 GMT. BBC. The mother of British teenager Scarlett Keeling has received a pathologist's report concluding her daughter was forcibly drowned in shallow water … Ms MacKeown said: "I'm just horrified that the police are still covering up my daughter's death. Who are they covering for? It must be someone very important." 481 words. Click here.

Video: Fiona MacKeown’s safety fears
23 Mar: BBC. Fiona MacKeown, the mother of dead teenager Scarlett Keeling, has spoken of her safety concerns. 5m. 49s. Click here.

Goa police 'fed drugs to Scarlett Keeling's body to cover up ...
23 Mar: Daily Mail (UK). Indian police in Goa tried to cover up the murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling by giving her drugs after she had already died, it has been claimed. ... The pathologist in the case has now decided the cocktail of drugs in her system was not responsible for her death … the police actually added drugs to the teenager's body after she died to try to cover up the crime. 588 words + discussion. Click here.

Scarlett Keeling's mother receives police protection
24 Mar. The Telegraph (UK). The mother of the murdered teenager Scarlett Keeling said she has been given Indian police protection following fears for her safety. Fiona MacKeown, 43, said the courts have granted her request for protection after she "stirred up a hornet's nest" by accusing police officials, politicians and local drugs mafia in Goa of a cover-up. Click here.

Third Man Quizzed Over Scarlett Death
24 Mar: Sky News. A third man is being quizzed by police over the death of British teenager Scarlett Keeling in the Indian holiday resort Goa. The man - who owns a beach shack - is being held on suspicion of supplying the 15-year-old Devon girl with drugs. Two other men, Placido Carvalho, who is in his 30s, and Samson D'Souza, 28, remain in custody. 358 words. Click here.

Goa Govt to hand over Scarlett case to CBI
25 Mar: Navhind Times. …the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat and the Home Minister, Mr Ravi Naik told the state legislative assembly that the government would hand over the investigation into the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation … The Chief Minister also said that most foreigners coming by charter flights hardly contributed to state’s economy and that visa procedures needed to be tightened to allow entry only to the well-off and those without any criminal record … 824 words. Click here.

Chief forensic doctor suspended
25 Mar: Rediff. The Goa government has suspended Dr Silvano Dias Sapeco, professor and head of the Forensic Medicine at Goa Medical College and Hospital in respect of the British teenager Scarlett Keeling's rape and murder case … An NGO, Utt Goenkara, had planned to hold a public meeting on Tuesday demanding his suspension … The NGO spokesperson, Aires Rodrigues, had alleged that the doctor had "messed up autopsy" on the body of one Floriano Diniz of Quepem by reporting it as a suicide instead of murder. 198 words. Click here.

Goan police protect Fiona MacKeown
25 Mar: BBC. Four armed Indian police are protecting the mother of murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling amid fears for her safety … she feared her outspoken comments about alleged links between Goan officials and local drug dealers could provoke retaliation. 313 words. Click here.

A post mortem of two autopsies
26 Mar: Herald. By Lionel Messias. The alleged lapses or failure to disclose injuries during the first autopsy of British teenager Scarlet Keeling carried out by Dr Silvano Sapeco has come to the fore during the recent controversy. The question, however, is: Is the autopsy that Dr Sapeco carried out really faulty? The autopsy report did not state the possibility of homicide. But is this in any way suspicious? …A source close to Fiona MacKeown says she intends to ask for a third autopsy in England, soon after the body is taken there … 1328 words. Click here.

Fiona's folly
26 Mar: The Sun. (UK). The mother of murdered teenager Scarlett Keeling has gone into hiding in Goa after a warning from locals. Fiona MacKeown says: "It's very easy for people to get at you around here."
What a pity she didn't think of that before she left her young daughter to fend for herself in such an uncertain climate.

Scarlett's Body Flown Out Of Goa

Scarlett’s coffin

27 Mar: Sky News (UK). Fiona MacKeown was surrounded by camera crews and reporters as her teenage daughter's body was finally loaded into a vehicle on its journey back from Goa to England … Her daughter's coffin was a modest plywood box which appeared far too big for the ambulance which was doubling as a hearse … Scarlett's body has now been taken to Mumbai where it will clear customs before leaving on the same plane as her mother, en route to London and Devon early next week. 671 words. Click here.

Mum Speaks On Scarlett's Death - In Her Own Words

27 Mar: Sky News (UK). On the day Scarlett Keeling's body begins its long journey home, her mother, Fiona MacKeown, has talked openly to Sky News about the murder of her 15-year-old daughter and the criticism fired at her from the UK. She is offering Sky News Online readers the chance to comment to her direct and has promised to reply to as many of you as possible. Read Ms MacKeown, in her own words, and then post your comment to her … 1673 words + hundreds of comments. Click here.

Scarlett's mother reveals that she forced her to go to Goa
27 Mar: Daily Mail (UK). On the day that the body of murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling is being flown out of Goa her mother has poured her heart out in an open letter. Fiona MacKeown reveals that she forced Scarlett, 15, to go to Goa and that she regrets letting her go out on the day of her murder. Ms MacKeown's letter reveals that: • She regrets letting Scarlett go out that day • She thinks she was right to trust Scarlett's Indian boyfriend Julio Lobo •Scarlett's death has made her more protective towards her other children • She says education in England is "too rigid" and that's why she took her children out of conventional schooling •She will sell her family's pets to fund her return to Goa … 1985 words. Click here.

Goan with the Wind
21 Mar: CNN-IBN. …For decades now, Goa has been the victim of a rather perverted caricature: the stereotypical image of the state has been of a lazy, fun-loving coastal community with a weak moral core … the majority of Hindi cinema showed the Goan as the drunk character, a woman on one arm, a whisky bottle in his pocket … If a few years ago, it was fish, feni and football that was considered to be the limit of Goa's vision, its now sex, sin and sand, courtesy the Scarlett Keeling controversy. 1329 words. Click here.

Scarlett Keeling Murder: Don't Punish The Victim
21 Mar: Times of India. … The police had connived with the criminals to cover up the crime and pass it off as an accident … the Goa government should refer the case to the CBI … The media have questioned the parenting of the victim but have they looked into the parenting of the criminal? … We need to support the victim and, in the cases of rape and murder, her family … The role of drug-pushing networks should be investigated. It would be a travesty of justice if judgments on social behaviour impacted on the follow-up of the case. 918 words. Click here.

Locals upset with dent in Goa’s image as tourist hub
21 Mar: The Peninsula (Qatar). Goa is getting into the news for the wrong reasons, and a lot of residents are hot under the collar over the manner in which their state is being projected following the rape and murder of British teen Scarlett Keeling. Oscar Rebello angrily said: “There’s mass hysteria being generated by the press. Goa is being given the image of a place of seedy drug joints. It’s projected as if every Goan is waiting to have sex with any White female.” 331 words. Click here.

‘Ready to reopen any case involving Britons’
21 Mar: The Hindu. The Goa police have offered to reopen any case of suspected death of British nationals for re-investigation on a case-by-case basis provided there is grievance or doubt backed by substantial information or any specific input. 191 words. Click here.

What a scar!
22 Mar: NewIndPress. Media coverage has defined and condemned Scarlett, her mother and Goa as more sinning than sinned against … NDTV 24x7’s We The People illustrates this best … The mother of the slain girl, Fiona, sits alone on bench like the accused in a witness box, listening to the jury of speakers pass judgments on her, her daughter and their morals. Click here.

Murder on the beach
23 Mar: Daily News & Analysis. The Goa chief minister’s remarks in the aftermath of the rape and murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling are illustrative of what could be termed as “pornographic governance” in India. Pornography makes rape look like raunchy sex, and murder like a sexy accident. Pornographic governance fudges rape statistics, obfuscates patterns of systemic violence, and grants impunity to those who sustain such forms of violence to make rape look like sex … Click here.

Deconstructing tourism image of Goa
24 Mar: The Hindu. By Maria Aurora Couto. The immense media focus on young Scarlett Keeling’s death has exposed the degradation that has seeped into the fabric of Goan society … However, her tragic death only points to a disease that has afflicted Goa for more than a decade. It is to be hoped that the sequence of developments will expose a nexus of perpetrators who have raped the pristine beaches, and lured a significant section of the youth into drugs. 1226 words. Click here.

Images in a cracked mirror
24 Mar: Indian Express. What is Goa? If you read Maria Aurora Couto’s elegiac tribute, Goa: A Daughter’s Story, it is a land of red mud and green foliage. A land resonant with the clash and harmony of language, politics, history, multiple communities. A land in which the Portuguese past hovers, like an agonised spirit haunting the damp earth and overgrown vaddos, lurking in the shadows of its whitewashed houses and tugging the heartstrings of its doomed musicians. The picture of Goa that has unfolded across our front pages and television screens these last couple of weeks however is a very different one, more sordid than troubled, sensational rather than melancholy. 904 words. Click here.

In Goa, life’s no longer a beach
24 Mar: Asian Age. By Pamela D’Mello.
A Google search on the Scarlett Keeling murder shows up over 1,200 articles. With its ingredients of rape, sex, narcotics and a homicidal drowning, the incident put Goa in the spotlight as never before. Aside from the tourism region’s trouble spots, it put the region’s policing under a scanner. 604 words. Click here.

The Goa that was...
27 Mar: MidDay (Mumbai). By Peter Colaco. Goa was once one big family. It now attracts criminals and paedophiles. The death of 15-year-old Scarlet Keeling was like the last nail in the coffin of an unsullied, fun-loving place-in-the-sun called Goa. In just 50 years, Goa has reinvented itself. 575 words. Click here.

A Freudian Slip, A Misplaced Outrage
29 Mar: Tehelka Magazine. To deflect the Scarlett Murder Cover-Up by pointing to her mother's alleged misdemeanours is a travesty of justice … Click here.

In last Thursday's composite Goan Voice (UK) a 'draft' item was not included because of uncertainty about a particular source. We can now thank Pamela D'Mello for transmitting an excellent article on cultural imperialism authored by Philip Hensher in the UK Independent newspaper. A brief quote from the article states that "the age of imperialism may have ended decades ago, with the withdrawal of European forces from Asian and African countries and the granting of independence. No sooner had this occurred, however, then the tourists descended like a plague of locusts all in search for an "authentic" experience many ripping up and insulting the host cultures in the name of that bogus authenticity..." This substantial article exemplifies cultural capitalism very well indeed but does it overlook the economic importance of tourism to many developing countries that have to put the idea of cultural imperialism on the back burner, at least temporarily, but organise themselves better and more rigorously?

A new controversy on Goanet seeks an answer to the question "Is Christianity a Religion?" Several believers have argued that Christianity is not a religion at all but only a relationship with Christ. So, do find out much more about this issue with so many posters approaching the discussion from quite unexpected angles.

In an article titled Goan Education--Mission Impossible, Plastino D'Costa raises a number of issues about serious weaknesses in the Goa education system. At heart is his premise that "most of Goa's problems can be solved if Goa focuses more on its human resources by making Goa Education a number one priority." There are ever so many ideas expressed in this article but two have been chosen here to provide a flavour of Plastino's thoughts: a) " the biggest failure of the Goan education system has been that the majority of the Goans have never demanded it, as they have never thought beyond those sailing ships...it has forced them to leave education midway [in their studies]." b) the highly successful educational model in Bombay has much to offer the impoverished system in Goa, including exemplary and popular Catholic schooling in Bombay that is superior to Catholic schooling in Goa.

As a prelude to the International Goan Convention to be held in Toronto, Canada, July 23--27, a series of articles have appeared on Goanet on the theme of ' What Goa means to me.' In this excellent series we get an infinite variety of views about basically what it is to be a Goan.

Maria Aurora Couto, the author of A Daughter's Story has produced an excellent article titled Deconstructing [the] Tourism Image of Goa. Following on from the tragic death of Scarlett Keeling on Anjuna beach Maria examines the contradictory forces in which tourism is boosted at one end but with a tacit understanding that much that is unsavoury will be condoned. Further, that "much of this is happening with the connivance of those in power, the politicians and/or the police." She concludes that: " Goa is in search of an identity that goes with its distinct culture, statehood and language, Konkani." A key point she makes is that "tourism must survive but so must Goan society."

Finally, there have been many limericks appearing on Goanet and here is one by Shanti Doot re Scarlett still in the News.
For the passing away of Anjuna It is now no longer the same as before, one perceives It used to be a haven of tranquillity For those who always lived in a city But now it has become, it seems "a den of thieves"

CHAT SHOW: Night Waves.BBC Radio Three
Thursday 27th Mar. 21:45 to 22:30. (Rites of Spring) As part of Radio 3's Rites of Spring series, Calcutta-born novelist Sunetra Gupta reports from the colourful spring festival Holi, celebrated by Indian communities around the world.

COOKERY: Recipe For Success. BBC 2
Friday 28th Mar. 13:30 to 14:15. Newlyweds Bal and Estrella make fusion Spanish and Indian cuisine.

SITCOM: Goodness Gracious Me. BBC 7 (Radio)
Friday 28th Mar. 22:30 to 23:00. An elephant god's mouse that lives in a hat and the lack of Asian chat show hosts. More award winning comedy.

TRAVEL: Indian Ocean. Thomson TV
Saturday 29th Mar. 09:45 to 10:00. Explore the wonders of Goa and the Maldives.

TRAVEL: Indian Ocean Holidays. Sky Three
Sunday 30th Mar. 06:00 to 06:30. Experience the breathtaking beauty of the Indian Ocean with Sky Travel. Escape to Mauritius, The Maldives, Goa or Sri Lanka.

FILM: Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. Channel 4
Sunday 30th Mar. 22:20 to 00:25. Mira Nair's film, set in 16th century India, tells the story of two young girls, as one learns the art of lovemaking from the Kama Sutra and comes to the notice of a local prince - who is married to her friend.

DOCUMENTARY: Films for a New India. BBC Radio Four
Monday 31st Mar. 23:00 to 23:30. First of two programmes in which Hardeep Singh Kohli explores the world of Indian independent cinema, whose gritty themes and realism contrast sharply with escapist Bollywood. Part 2 in on Mon 7 Apr 23:00 to 23:30

MAGAZINE PROGRAMME: Desi DNA. BBC 2
Wednesday 2nd Apr. 23:20 to 23:50. On set with Gurinder Chadha directing her latest movie, Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging. Adil Ray investigates the Asian obsession with Elvis.

FILM: Koi Mil Gaya. Channel 4
Thursday 3rd Apr. 00:05 to 03:10. Koi...Mil Gaya is India's musical answer to E.T.

Sun 6 Apr. 1pm – 8.30pm. Charity Dance in aid of Osteoporosis Brittle Bone Disease. Venue: Archbishop Lanfranc School, Mitcham Road, Croydon, Surrey CR9 3AS. All proceeds will go to St. George’s Hospital Tooting. Featuring Music by Dimensions Band. Disco by ‘Say One Do One’. Plus Cabaret shows. Admission: Adults - £13 with food; Children (4-10 yrs) - £5 with food. For tickets, please contact: Derrick Pereira – 020 8952 8899; Clare D’Souza – 01784 421421; Irene Mendonca – 020 8767 2762; Hazel Rodrigues – 020 8357 6776; Bernie Gracias 020 8723 1322.

Sun 4 May. 12:30pm- Cortalim Union (UK) 30th Jubilee Celebrating the Feast of Sts. Philip and James at Irish Centre, Pretoria Rd, London N17. Holy Mass followed by the social. Music provided by Nite Life. Also hosting the May Queen and May King. Smart dress essential. For tickets, (includes snacks, meal & desert): adults £12.00; Youth (11-17yrs) =£6 Children (2-10yrs) =£2.50, under 2 free. For further info call Maria 0208-803-5146, Melissa 0208- 888-0393

Sun 11 May. Margao Union UK – Feast of THE HOLY SPIRIT. Mass at St. Boniface Church, 185 Mitcham Road, Tooting, at 1.30pm. thereafter a get-together at the Church Hall. Price including snacks and buffet £ 10.00. Band “DIMENSION”. Contact: Bella-020 8372 1253, Rosalind-020 8767 8652, Lucas-020 8967 7471, Agnela-020 8646 6996

Sat 31 May. 7pm. GOA Anniversary and May Ball. Wandsworth Civic Suite. Crowning of May Queen and May King. Music by Mellow Tones and Nite Life. Further details from Norma Menezes Rahim 020 8771 4457 Rosy De Souza 020 8677 0390 Rose Remedios 020 8658 7769 Claire De Souza 01784 421421 and Bernie Gracias 020 8723 1322. For full details click here.