By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China –

The Chinese government has decided to relocate over 9,000 villagers from their homes in Guizhou province as it continues to build the world’s biggest radio telescope. The telescope is designed in part to observe signs of extraterrestrial life but will also gather significant amounts of data on space phenomena.

The relocation of the villagers, who live in one of the poorest provinces in China, was announced on Tuesday. 2,029 families are being moved in order to ensure an optimal electromagnetic environment for the telescope. The people being moved are those who were within a three mile radius of the telescope location in Pingtang and Luodian counties in Guizhou. Villagers do not appear to be resisting the move at this point.

Chinese authorities plan to compensate each person being moved with $1,800 from its eco-migration bureau. This is not the first forced mass relocation ordered by authorities to make room for a project, and there have been many complaints among citizens about the move and the compensation offered by the government. Millions have been displaced to make room for infrastructure or “poverty alleviation” projects. Work on the Three Gorges Dam displaced more than a million people living on the Yangtze River, for instance.

Work on the telescope is set to conclude in September of this year. Chinese authorities say that the location of the telescope in an isolated area of Guizhou make it an ideal place to receive extraterrestrial messages. The telescope is just one piece of China’s plans in regard to space exploration. China has also aspired to put an astronaut on the moon and a space station in orbit as part of its space program.

Wu Xiangping, director-general of China’s Astronomical Society told state-run news source Xinhua that the telescope will help scientists to “search for intelligent life outside of the galaxy”.

For more information, please see: 

HNGN – China Telescope To Be World’s Largest, Will Displace 9,000 – 19 February 2016

Business Insider – 9,000 Chinese villagers are being displaced to build this massive radio telescope in search of alien life – 17 February 2016

The New York Times – China Telescope to Displace 9,000 Villagers in Hunt for Extraterrestrials – 17 February 2016

The Guardian – China Uproots 9,000 People for Huge Telescope in Search for Aliens – 16 February 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DELHI, India –

Protesters from the Jat community in India have damaged equipment in the Munak canal, leading to Delhi authorities setting strict water rationing rules. Delhi schools are closed on Monday because water supplies in the area are in danger of running dry. Seven out of nine water treatment plants have closed due to the protests. Irrigation engineers are currently attempting to restore water to the area.

Violent demonstrations are ongoing, with protestors violating curfew rules and forcing the closure of roads and railways. India has deployed its army to quash the protests, which is reported to gave opened fire on them in some areas. At least 12 people have been killed by security forces, with another 150 sustaining injuries. Protesters have continued to throw rocks at security forces, attack vehicles and set buildings and other public property on fire.

Delhi’s government has sought out assistance with the water shortage from the Supreme Court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is also in the process of forming a committee to consider the protesters’ demands.

The Jat protesters are campaigning for guaranteed jobs within India’s caste system. India’s constitution incorporates an affirmative action program in which the lower castes in its system have reserved and protected opportunities in education, employment, and government.

There are three categories of lower castes: the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and the Other Backward Castes (OBC). The Scheduled Castes, called Dalits, are the lowest in the caste system. The Scheduled Tribes generally live in remote areas. The OBCs are disadvantaged but are not as excluded from Indian society as the other two groups. They are essentially considered to be those in the lower castes who are considered backward simply because they did not belong to the upper castes.In 1989, benefits were extended to those in the OBC category.

In March 2014, India’s government announced that it planned to recategorize the Jats as falling into the OBC category, which would entitle the Jats to be part of a government quota system for jobs. India’s Supreme Court recalled the plan in 2015 because in its view, the Jats are not entitled to OBC status.

The Jats believe that the Supreme Court’s decision places them at a disadvantage because they are not entitled to the same job quotas as those in the other lower castes.

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Deadly North India Protests Lead to New Delhi Water Shortage – 21 February 2016

BBC News – Water Crisis Fears in Delhi Over Jat Caste Unrest – 21 February 2016

The Economic Times – Jat stir: Delhi Reels Under Water Crisis; Schools to be Shut on Monday – 21 February 2016

The Sydney Morning Herald – Delhi water crisis: Schools, Factories Close as Indian Army Deploys to Quell Protests – 21 February 2016