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Asia
IRIN-AS Weekly Round-Up 152
26 November - 2 December 2007


CONTENTS:

AFGHANISTAN: Kabul facing "unregulated" urbanisation
AFGHANISTAN: Children increasingly affected by conflict
AFGHANISTAN: Swiss aid to continue despite military withdrawal
AFGHANISTAN: Red Crescent calls for closer cooperation with UN, donors
BANGLADESH: Top military official criticises cyclone relief
   distribution
BANGLADESH: Concern over diarrhoea outbreak remains in cyclone-hit
   areas
NEPAL: It's okay to talk about sex on the radio
NEPAL: Rising communal tensions fuelling displacement - rights
   activists
PAKISTAN: Twice-displaced still waiting for government help
PHILIPPINES: Unprecedented typhoon preparedness almost certainly saved
   lives
SRI LANKA: "Groundless" allegations could threaten aid work - UN official


AFGHANISTAN: Kabul facing "unregulated" urbanisation

Kabul is the victim of a "rapid, unregulated and unequal" urbanisation, 
according to Yusuf Pashtun, the minister of urban development, and 
Pietro Calogero, a PhD researcher on urban development at the University 
of California.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75508


AFGHANISTAN: Children increasingly affected by conflict

Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) estimates that 
over 1,400 Afghan civilians have lost their lives and hundreds of others 
have been wounded in armed hostilities, aerial strikes, suicide attacks 
and improvised explosions in the past 11 months. Children are believed 
to be among the main victims.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75530


AFGHANISTAN: Swiss aid to continue despite military withdrawal

Switzerland will maintain its humanitarian and development assistance to 
Afghanistan despite a decision by Bern to pull out its two army officers 
in northern Afghanistan by March 2008.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75554


AFGHANISTAN: Red Crescent calls for closer cooperation with UN, donors

The growing humanitarian needs of Afghans must come ahead of political 
and strategic priorities and the UN and other international donors ought 
to "better recognise" the pivotal role of the Afghan Red Crescent 
Society (ARCS) when dealing with humanitarian emergencies in 
Afghanistan, Fatima Gailani, president of the ARCS, told IRIN on 29 
November.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75581


BANGLADESH: Top military official criticises cyclone relief distribution

A senior member of Bangladesh's military has criticised relief efforts 
for victims of Cylone Sidr, citing poor coordination and mismanagement 
in the distribution of relief supplies.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75501


BANGLADESH: Concern over diarrhoea outbreak remains in cyclone-hit areas

Diarrhoea continues to remain a source of concern in cyclone-affected 
parts of southern Bangladesh, with private TV channels showing patients 
receiving intravenous saline fluid in the districts of Borguna, 
Patuakhali and Bagerhat.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75545


NEPAL: It's okay to talk about sex on the radio

Nepalese are supposed to be too shy to talk about sex, but judging by 
the popularity of a groundbreaking radio show, Saathi Sanga Manka Kura 
('Chatting With My Friend'), they don't mind hearing about the subject.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75568


NEPAL: Rising communal tensions fuelling displacement - rights activists

Nepal's human rights workers are concerned at the increasing number of 
displaced families in the country's Terai region where ethnic tension 
between the Madhesi and Pahade communities is rising, activists told 
IRIN on 29 November.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75573


PAKISTAN: Twice-displaced still waiting for government help

Quake victims who once lived along the line of control (LoC) separating 
Pakistani- and Indian-administered Kashmir - displaced first by 
political tension and again by the 2005 earthquake - have appealed to 
the government for assistance.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75315


PHILIPPINES: Unprecedented typhoon preparedness almost certainly saved 
lives

With the devastation of last year's Typhoon Reming (international code 
name: Durian) still fresh in their minds, the people of Bicol Region, 
central Philippines, quickly headed for evacuation centres last week 
when word came that another potential super typhoon was headed their 
way.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75577


SRI LANKA: "Groundless" allegations could threaten aid work - UN 
official

"Groundless public accusations can seriously compromise our ability to 
carry out humanitarian and development work and are also putting the 
safety and security of UN staff and non-governmental organisation (NGO) 
partners at risk," Neil Buhne, the UN resident and humanitarian 
coordinator in Sri Lanka, said in a recent statement released by the UN 
Inter Agency Standing Committee (ISAC) country team.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75543


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