Article

2005-11-04 Afghanistan-Pak-India

Indo-US air exercises on despite Communist protests

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Posted by john 2005-11-04 07:34|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 The CPI-M should be thankful the exercises don't include a program of live fire strafing runs with the 20mm.

Posted by Mike 2005-11-04 09:17|| 2005-11-04 09:17|| Front Page Top

#2 Two hundred years ago the East Indian Company used Bengali troopers to subjugate India. Later, Bengali soldiers were used by the British to humble China in the Opium wars.

Now, as testament to decades of communist misrule

Bengal boys not fit to fight

There was a time when officers from Bengal made the army proud. But today, the land that gave us youth icons like Col Suresh Biswas, Air Marshal Subrata Mukherjee, Gen Jayanta Nath Chaudhuri, Admiral A.K. Chatterjee and Gen Shankar Roy Chowdhury doesn't have much representation in the armed forces. Blame it on the state's youth, who're just not fit enough to don the fatigues.

An internal study by the defence ministry has found that in 2004-2005, only 17,596 of 76,102 applicants cleared the initial screening during recruitment to the Eastern Command. "Their failure has been attributed to lack of physical endurance, poor health conditions and unsatisfactory performance in the written tests," sources said. They added that such conditions were found across the country too but not to such an extent.

"During medical examination, over 9,500 (54 per cent) applicants were declared unfit. They were suffering from several deficiencies. Around 33 per cent had skeletal abnormalities or conditions like flat feet and scoliosis. Ten per cent were declared unfit during ENT exams.

Several were diagnosed with colour blindness, defective vision, conjunctivitis squint and other conditions. While some were found suffering from abdominal infections, others had Caries' teeth, malocclusion. Some had cardiac complications," sources said. Poor nutrition, unhygienic living conditions and poor personal hygiene were cited as the main reasons by the study.

Posted by john 2005-11-04 09:31|| 2005-11-04 09:31|| Front Page Top

#3 Airforce authority busy with preparations of exercise in Kalaikunda

Kalaikunda, West Bengal: Undeterred by CPI(M) demonstration in front of the air base here yesterday, the Air Force Authority remained busy with its normal schedule of holding joint exercise with American counterpart (COPE- 05) from November Seven.

''The 250 strong American Air Force contingent with one squadron of F-16 Fighter Aircraft have reached here yesterday led by Colonel Cobat Nelson from American Airbase in Miswa Air Base in Japan. The custom clearance of the US contingent have been completed,'' spokesmen of Air Force Authority said here this morning.

Asked as to whether there is any plan to stop or reschedule the joint exercise in view of the CPI(M) agitation, which starts here from November Seven, the spokesmen said, ''As of now they have received no such message from the Central Government.'' Meanwhile Dipak Sarkar, District CPI(M) secretary made an on-the-spot study of the place of demonstration in front of Kalaikunda airbase this morning for deciding the strategy of holding the main demonstration on November Seven when the joint exercise starts.

Later in a press conference, he said, ''At least one lakh party members and common people will demonstrate in front of Gate No.2 on the airbase in Kadua Village near here for three hours in the morning when the joint exercise starts.'' ''We love our country. We donât want it to sell its independence to the US. The security of the country will be jeopardised because of this joint exercise. We also consider that the so-called independent foreign policy of the UPA government is nothing but a hoax,'' Mr Sarkar alleged.

Posted by john 2005-11-04 09:41|| 2005-11-04 09:41|| Front Page Top

#4 Several were diagnosed with colour blindness, defective vision, conjunctivitis squint and other conditions.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Posted by BigEd 2005-11-04 16:03|| 2005-11-04 16:03|| Front Page Top

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