EU team’s Orissa visit back on track

(January 30, 2010) A European Union delegation’s trip to Orissa will now go ahead after an apparent climb-down by the government. The 12-member EU team scrapped early plans after the government barred it from visiting Kandhamal district, the epicentre of anti-Christian violence in 2008. The group will visit the state next week, officials said. There is a question mark, however, on what the diplomats will be allowed to ask. They will not be able to act as a fact-finding mission and “they cannot publish their report, nor can they speak to media about their findings,” Father Ajay Singh, a priest in the Cuttuck-Bhubaneswar archdiocese. Father Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Church, confirmed the trip was back on. “The delegation is set to visit the state from February 2-5,” he said.“Naturally, the team has to inform the government of the details of its plan such as the villages they want to visit and the place of their night’s rest,” Father Joseph said. But he said “that is a security need, not a limitation.” The EU delegation was originally due to travel to the state on January 27. It was cancelled just hours before it was due after the government confined the visit to Bhubaneswar, the state capital. The delegation said it was not worth visiting only the capital. Media reports say the state government changed its mind after pressure from the federal government. Father Joseph questions why, if the government has nothing to hide, “should it be shy about people visiting people.” He wanted the government to be transparent on issues of human rights. Father Joseph said Christians are happy about the EU delegation’s visit, which shows the European nations’ concerns about violations of human rights and religious freedom in the country.