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Asia
IRIN-AS Weekly Round-Up 54
7 - 13 January 2006


CONTENTS:

IRAN: Year in Review 2005
IRAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events
TAJIKISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events
TAJIKISTAN: Year in Review 2005 - Steady progress in a tough
   neighbourhood
NEPAL: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events
NEPAL: Year in Review 2005 - Conflict grinds on
UZBEKISTAN: The Year in Review 2005 - Growing isolation
UZBEKISTAN: Prominent rights defender on trial amid secrecy
UZBEKISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events
AFGHANISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events
AFGHANISTAN: Year in Review 2005 - Fragile progress, insecurity remains
KYRGYZSTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events
KYRGYZSTAN: Year in Review 2005 -Test for democracy in the region
KAZAKHSTAN: Year in Review 2005 - Energy brings growth and stability
KAZAKHSTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events
PAKISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events Jan-Aug
PAKISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events Sep-Dec
PAKISTAN: Focus on shelter in mountain earthquake communities
PAKISTAN: Enduring freezing temperatures in the quake zone
PAKISTAN: The Year in Review 2005 - Reeling from the South Asian
   earthquake
PAKISTAN: New arrangements for returning Afghans considered
PAKISTAN: Battling the weather in quake zone
TURKEY: UN agencies advocate calm and containment to tackle avian flu
TURKEY: Battling to limit avian flu
TURKEY: No evidence of human-to-human avian flu transmission - WHO
TURKMENISTAN: The Year in Review 2005 - All Turkmenbashi all the time
CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap


IRAN: Year in Review 2005

During 2005, Iran was on a roller coaster ride of earthquakes, disasters, 
major political reshuffles and high-profile human rights cases. And all of 
this overshadowed by an escalating nuclear crisis and a new Islamic 
fundamentalist president. Winning 62 percent of the vote in a second round 
presidential run-off poll, the victory of ultra-conservative former Tehran 
mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June presidential elections marked the 
resurgence of the conservatives and was the end of an era of reformists in 
power. With a return to revolutionary values, and promising economic 
reform and an end to corruption, Ahmadinejad's shock win highlighted the 
stark class divides in Iran.


IRAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events

12 January - Hundreds of Afghans have been arrested by Iranian police in a 
crackdown against illegal migrants, according to press reports. The 
Iranian daily, Iran Emrooz, said on Sunday that legal Afghan refugees have 
also been arrested and that the arrests have been taking place in the 
eastern cities of Zahedan, Zabol, Mashad and Kerman over th e last two 
weeks. The newspaper said those arrested were held in a detention centre 
for up to four days and that some claim to have been beaten, although the 
office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said 
that so far, they could not confirm these reports.


TAJIKISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events

19 January - Training of hundreds of polling station workers is under way 
in Tajikistan, ahead of parliamentary elections in the Central Asia state 
scheduled for 27 February. Mirzoali Boltuyev, head of Tajikistan's Central 
Election Committee (CEC), told IRIN in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, that 
the quality of parliamentary elections depended on preparatory work and 
highlighted the need to train election staff on how to run the poll fairly 
and legally.


TAJIKISTAN: Year in Review 2005 - Steady progress in a tough neighbourhood

Tajikistan, the poorest country in the Central Asian region, continued to 
depend heavily on external aid in 2005, although levels remained 
insufficient to meet the country~Rs needs. Efforts to build a viable 
nation from the division and conflict of the civil war of a decade ago 
proceeded in 2005. This relative stability and progress meant continued 
international donor confidence in the mountainous republic. With the 
country moving from a post-conflict to a development scenario, donors 
continued to redirect aid from food security programmes to development 
projects, concentrating on schemes which target infrastructure, 
agriculture, power and micro-enterprise creation.


NEPAL: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events

10 February - A much anticipated peace rally scheduled for Thursday in the 
Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, ended in silence when the main organisers of 
the demonstration were arrested soon after their arrival. This was the 
first time that a mass demonstration had been organised in the capital 
since King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah declared a state of emergency on 1 
February.


NEPAL: Year in Review 2005 - Conflict grinds on

The year in Nepal was marked by continued conflict and political deadlock 
with significant human costs. Political and human rights observers said 
that it proved to be one of the worst years in the country~Rs history 
after the constitutional monarch, King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, assumed 
direct rule and took over executive powers on 1 February. The king sacked 
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, dismissed his government and declared a 
state of emergency. According to analysts, the king~Rs step has pushed the 
country back to the non-democratic, non-party and pre-democracy era of the 
Panchayat system by forming a council of ministers made up of royalists.


UZBEKISTAN: The Year in Review 2005 - Growing isolation

Significant economic progress was made during 2005 in Uzbekistan, although 
a worsening security environment and increasing Western criticism and 
isolation marred these achi evements. A delegation from the International 
Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed strong economic growth in 2004 and predicted 
the same for 2005. President Islam Karimov~Rs programme of limited 
economic reform and liberalisation, including privatisation, protection of 
business rights, reform of the banking sector and improved tax legislation 
and regulation, were praised.


UZBEKISTAN: Prominent rights defender on trial amid secrecy

A prominent human rights defender and witness to the bloodshed in the 
eastern Uzbek city of Andijan last May, has gone on trial charged with 
defamation and anti-government activities, relatives and a rights group 
said on Thursday. Saidjahon Zaynobiddinov, the founder of the Appeal 
rights group in Andijan, was arrested within a week of the bloodily 
suppressed armed uprising in Andijan on 13 May 2005 after he recounted his 
version of events in the city to some Western media outlets.


UZBEKISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events

6 April - Uzbek authorities have started criminal proceedings against the 
Tashkent office of Internews - an international media support NGO ~V the 
prosecutor general's office said on Tuesday. The announcement came as 
government stepped up scrutiny of foreign and local NGOs promoting 
democracy in the country in the wake of the fall of the government in 
neighbouring Kyrgyzstan. Tashkent is charging the US-based NGO, under 
Article 20 of the Uzbek criminal code, with operating without a licence, 
an official for the prosecution said. ~SInvestigations are under way, but 
at this stage nobody ha s been arrested,~T Svetlana Artikova, spokeswoman 
of the general prosecutor~Rs office, told IRIN, adding that people and 
witnesses related to the case were being questioned.


AFGHANISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events

4 January - More than 100,000 mt of ammunition will be collected from 
across the country under a new programme, the United Nations backed 
Afghanistan New Beginnings Programme (ANBP) confirmed. Although a huge 
programme of heavy weapons' collection, disarmament of militia forces and 
land mine clearance is already under way, the existence of such a sheer 
quantity of ammunition stockpiles is another major challenge for the 
post-conflict country. As part of the programme, ANBP has launched a 
three-month survey to identify the locations of the stockpiles and get 
ready for the actual collection programme.


AFGHANISTAN: Year in Review 2005 - Fragile progress, insecurity remains

There was some significant political progress in Afghanistan in 2005, the 
highlight being parliamentary elections on 18 September that resulted in 
the formation of the country~Rs first democratically elected legislature 
in more than three decades. The historic poll passed off largely 
peacefully and marked an important milestone in the country's transition 
from decades of brutal war and internal conflict, to a stable, democratic 
country where human rights are respected.


KYRGYZSTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events

27 January - A leading rights activist has warned of possible violence in 
the run-up to next month's parliamentary elections in the former Soviet 
republic of Kyrgyzstan. "The people will go to streets to protest," 
Ramazan Dyryldaev, chairman of the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights, told 
IRIN from Vienna on Thursday, warning authorities in his homeland could 
resort to violence. "Kyrgyz opposition and citizens are moving towards a 
Georgian or Ukraine-like revolution. I am getting information on that from 
various sources. At least there is already a move in that direction," he 
said.


KYRGYZSTAN: Year in Review 2005 - Test for democracy in the region

Politics dominated 2005 in Kyrgyzstan with parliamentary polls held in the 
spring and a presidential election in the autumn. But analysts downplayed 
the possibility of another ~Qtulip~R style revolution in the former Soviet 
republic, like the mass public protests that had brought the pro-democracy 
opposition to power in Georgia in 2003 and Ukraine in 2004. However, the 
parliamentary elections in February-March brought reports of electoral 
irregularities which in turn resulted in protests among the electorate. At 
the same time, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe 
(OSCE) said in late February that the polls fell short of international 
standards.


KAZAKHSTAN: Year in Review 2005 - Energy brings growth and stability

There were few major surprises in oil-rich Ka zakhstan this year, where 
Central Asian expects correctly predicted an easy win for incumbent 
President Nursultan Nazarbayev in the 4 December presidential election. 
The 65-year-old leader enjoyed approval ratings over 70 percent and had 
worked hard at liberalising Kazakhstan's economy, despite instances of 
corruption and cronyism.


KAZAKHSTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events

6 January - Warm weather caused the Syrdarya river to burst its banks in 
southern Kazakhstan on Tuesday, although no settlements in the area were 
affected, the emergency agency of Kazakhstan said on Thursday. "Currently 
the situation is under control and routine water discharge [from the 
Chardara reservoir upstream], which is now 700 cu m per second, is under 
way," Kayrat Tarbaev, a spokesman for the emergency agency, said from the 
Kazakh capital, Astana, on Thursday. According to the emergency agency, 
unexpectedly warm weather caused ice to melt and water to wash away banks 
of the Syrdarya river - one of the major water sources in Central Asia - 
in Karmakshin, Zhalagash and Syrdarya districts of the southern Kzyl-Orda 
province. "The washing away of banks was caused by water flowing over the 
ice cover," Tarbaev explained.


PAKISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events Jan-Aug

An outbreak of leishmaniasis, a skin disease caused by the bite of a sand 
fly, has been reported in parts of the southern Pakistani provinces of 
Sindh and Balochistan. "There are so many cases in the Dadu district of 
Sindh alone. The number of cases reported to health author ities has gone 
up from 402 to more than 2,900 in just four days. And we are receiving 
similar reports from the adjoining districts of Sukkur, Jacobabad, Larkana 
and Naushero Feroze," said Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi, director-general (DG) of 
health services in Sindh. He was talking to IRIN from Sukkur district, 
some 480 km from the Sindh capital, Karachi, on Friday.


PAKISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - Chronology of key events Sep-Dec

9 September - Pakistan's leading independent rights body expressed grave 
concern this week over the poor humanitarian situation across remote parts 
of northern Pakistan. A 10-member group from the Human Right Commission of 
Pakistan (HRCP) visited the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA) 
in late August to assess the level of social services and infrastructure 
in this poorly developed part of the country.


PAKISTAN: Focus on shelter in mountain earthquake communities

Muhammad Hyatt, 60, and his brother Muhammad Ashraf, 65, carefully place 
the last bricks to finish their small two-room shelter in the mountain 
village of Kot, around 50 km southwest of Muzaffarabad, capital of 
Pakistani-administered Kashmir. ~SWe~Rve built this shelter on our own and 
we are going to spend the winter under this roof,~T Muhammaad Hyatt said 
in Kot, home to over 400 families in the remote area above the snowline, 
over two hours~R drive up the steep zigzag road from Muzaffarabad.


PAKISTAN: Enduring freezing temperatures in the quake zone

Amid predictions of heavy snow in coming days, relief workers in Pakistan 
expressed serious concerns on Tuesday about the condition of over 3 
million quake survivors in the earthquake zone, many of whom are enduring 
very cold weather in flimsy tents. "The condition and welfare of 
earthquake survivors remains a matter of serious concern for the UN and 
all other humanitarian partners on the ground. But we are vigilant, ready 
and prepared to assist," Ben Malor, a spokesman for the UN quake relief 
operation said in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.


PAKISTAN: The Year in Review 2005 - Reeling from the South Asian 
earthquake

In the last quarter of the year, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on 
the Richter scale ripped through northern Pakistan and 
Pakistani-administered Kashmir, with an epicentre about 100 km northeast 
of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, according to the United States 
Geological Survey (USGS). Pakistan sustained the heaviest death toll and 
destruction in its 58-year history after the 8 October earthquake, which 
devastated an extended area of about 28,000 sq km. More than 80,000 people 
were killed and over 100,000 were injured while nearly 4 million people 
were rendered homeless just weeks before the start of the bitter Himalayan 
winter.


PAKISTAN: New arrangements for returning Afghans considered

Together with the authorities in Islamabad and Kabul, the office of the 
United Nations High Commissioner for Re fugees (UNHCR) is considering 
revising the assistance programme for Afghan refugees returning from 
Pakistan. "UNHCR has been considering revisiting the exit programme [for 
Afghan refugees], with a shift from the current travel assistance for 
returnees to reintegration assistance in the area of return, to facilitate 
sustainable return and also to ensure a more efficient use of resources," 
UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on 
Tuesday.


PAKISTAN: Battling the weather in quake zone

With another cold spell due in northern Pakististan,according to 
meteorologists, aid agencies continue to struggle to better equip 
thousands of survivors against inclement weather by providing winterised 
tents, distributing heaters and relocating people to improved tenting.


TURKEY: UN agencies advocate calm and containment to tackle avian flu

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has said that Turkey's response to 
the outbreak of avian flu in the country, which has so far claimed the 
lives of two people, had been positive and that people should deal with 
the threat calmly. "The worst situation is a panic situation. There is no 
reason to panic," Dr Marc Danzon, WHO regional director for Europe, told 
reporters at a joint press conference with Turkish Health Minister Recep 
Akdag in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Wednesday.


TURKEY: Battling to limit avian flu

With all 14 confirmed avian flu cases in Turkey contracted from infected 
birds, containing the outbreaks of the highly contagious infection among 
fowl became the national priority on Tuesday. "All of the cases confirmed 
by the laboratory are people who had close contact with infected, sick or 
dead poultry. The major point now is to control the outbreak in poultry as 
it is the source of infection in humans," Guenael Rodier, a senior 
specialist for communicable diseases with the World Health Organization 
(WHO), said from the eastern Turkish city of Van.


TURKEY: No evidence of human-to-human avian flu transmission - WHO

World Health Organization (WHO) officials said on Monday that the 14 
people confirmed with avian flu contracted the deadly disease through 
contact with infected animals rather than infected humans. "Now there are 
14 cases confirmed and because we have different locations it is clear 
that it~Rs poultry that are infected around the country," Luigi Migliori, 
head of the WHO mission in Turkey, said from the eastern Turkish province 
of Van. "It seems that it is from animal to human [transmission]," 
Migliori added. The first cases of the infection came from the province of 
Van last week.


TURKMENISTAN: The Year in Review 2005 - All Turkmenbashi all the time

There was precious little change in the one-party state of Turkmenistan in 
2005, where authoritarian President Saparmurad Niyazov continues to 
dominate the politics and economy of the nation. Under the weight of his 
13-year-old dicta torship, social and economic conditions in Central 
Asia's most reclusive state continued to stagnate or worsen over the past 
12 months. Niyazov maintained tight control over political life in the 
largely desert state, responding to outside international pressure only 
occasionally.


CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap

The World Bank on Thursday endorsed US $500 million in aid to help 
countries deal with avian flu, ahead of next week's meeting in Beijing 
where additional funds will be sought. Kyrgyzstan will be the first 
country to benefit from the new funding and will receive about $5 million 
to prepare for bird flu.


Copyright (C) IRIN 2006


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