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Asia
IRIN-AS Weekly Round-Up 108
22 - 28 January 2007


CONTENTS:

AFGHANISTAN: Girls and women traded for opium debts
AFGHANISTAN: Returnees need urgent assistance
AFGHANISTAN: Doctors advocate using Afghan opium for medical purposes
ASIA: Bird flu "under control" but increased alert for lunar New Year
NEPAL: Humanitarian concerns following strike in south


AFGHANISTAN: Girls and women traded for opium debts

Poverty and the absence of lucrative alternative livelihood is
forcing many farmers in Afghanistan to continue growing opium poppy.
When they fall in debt to drug dealers who bankroll them they are
often forced to give away their daughters or sisters to the dealers
to settle their debts. Many of the give-away brides are treated badly
and in some cases reportedly commit suicide. In Afghanistan women are
at the bottom of the global poverty scale. The country is the fourth
lowest in the world for living standards and third lowest in gender
disparities, according to the United Nations.


AFGHANISTAN: Returnees need urgent assistance

Thousands of Afghans uprooted by the war against the Taliban in southern
Afghanistan have begun to return home, although many returnees find life
in their devastated villages very hard. According to the United Nations,
90,000 people fled Panjwayi and Zhari districts in Kandahar province in
September 2006 when NATO-led forces launched a military operation against
Taliban fighters. Afghan authorities say in recent weeks about 28,000
people have returned to the two districts. Local officials say that many
of returnees lack shelter, food and other basic facilities. Some returnees
fear that anticipated increase in the Taliban insurgency in spring-summer
would bring more fighting and force them to displace again.


AFGHANISTAN: Doctors advocate using Afghan opium for medical purposes

The British Medical Association (BMA) suggested utilising Afghan opium to
produce diamorphine (otherwise known as heroin) - pain killers, the BBC
reported on 23 January. The BMA says there is a shortage of diamorphine in
British hospitals, where it is prescribed to relieve pain after operations
and for the terminally ill. But the UK and Afghan governments reject using
the poppy fields to address the UK's diamorphine shortage. Backed by
international donors, the Afghan government banned the production of
illegal opium and has stepped up efforts to curb it in the country.
Afghanistan is the world's top producer of opium, accounting for around 90
percent of global opium supplies.


ASIA: Bird flu "under control" but increased alert for lunar New Year

Outbreaks of bird flu in Asia appear to be "under control", thanks
to significant improvements in the region's livestock surveillance and
disease detection system. But there is need for continued vigilance, say
UN agriculture officials. In recent weeks, many Asian countries -
including Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and South Korea - have reported fresh
outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, otherwise known as bird
flu, in fowl populations, leading to fears that the virus was returning to
countries that were thought to have made considerable progress in stamping
out the virus. According to the World Health Organization, as of January
2007 bird flu killed 159 people worldwide. The cases were mainly
registered in Asia.


NEPAL: Humanitarian concerns following strike in south

There are concerns over humanitarian access in southern Nepal following
clashes between an ethnic group and the authorities. The Madheshi ethnic
group in the Nepalganj and Lahan southern areas say they are being
discriminated against and demand better representation in parliament, as
well as the removal of hill dwellers from important local jobs. They
called an indefinite strike several weeks ago to put pressure on the
government, which has resulted in violent clashes. At least five people
have been killed and dozens injured, according to local newspaper reports.
The violence comes at a time when the government and Maoist rebels, which
waged an insurgency between 1996 and 2006, signed a peace agreement in
November.

On 26 January, the International Committee of the Red Cross called on the
security forces and the demonstrators to "exercise restraint" and allow
medical staff, ambulances and aid workers to carry out their tasks. People
needing routine treatment were unable to reach hospitals last week, the
ICRC said. Madheshis are a mixture of Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. Many
prefer speaking Hindi to Nepali. They make up 33-45 percent of Nepal's
population of 27 million.
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Integrated Regional Information Network

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Fax: +92-51-2211 450
e-mail: irin@irin.org.pk


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