<It's almost as mesmerising to stop and stare a[t] the men and women that come to sun bathe, as it is to look at the water turn gold in the sun. Take that away and you could be on Colaba, or Marina beach or a stretch of sea in Chennai or most any other beach in the country. Yes, they all have their own ways of enticing you. **But none of them allow you to live your free-est, most uninhibited self. Not the way Goa lets you be...**>[Revati Laul via Self] http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showcolumns.aspx?id=COLEN20080045622 <In the face of accusations of inefficiency, corruption and incompetence, the Goan police decided they had to Do Something. The result: a draconian 'crackdown' that would be seen as unacceptable in any free society. In the name of 'improving safety' on Goa's beaches, police will be 'strictly enforcing [an] 11 o'clock music curfew and all beach shacks should be closed by midnight. Anyone found loitering after beach shacks have closed will be questioned and if necessary searched.' The inspector general of police, Kishan Kumar, promised to be 'ruthless'. He said: 'If there are people sitting in a beach shack after the curfew, then we will ask them what they are up to.' (2) The attempt virtually to turn Goa into a police state has been defended as a security measure, even as a natural reaction to a gruesome murder. But the response has been grossly disproportionate...One particularly shrill commentator claimed that 'Goans simmer as they see their beautiful land being taken over by the dark forces'. But they - and the tourist board - should be more worried about the illiberal forces taking over Goa. > http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/4939/
