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Asia-Pacific Daily ReportAugust 8, 2003

Afghanistan

Pakistan and Afghanistan exchange fire along the eastern borderAccording to the Pakistan-based PakTribune, Afghan militias attacked aPakistani Army check post in the border area of Anargi Kand and Yaqubi inMohmand Agency (also spelled Mehmand) in the semi-autonomous FederallyAdministered Tribal Area (FATA), along Afghanistan’s eastern border. Accordingto reports, Afghan forces unleashed heavy weaponry at the Pakistani check post.The Pakistani army reportedly responded to the attack using heavy artillery.There were no reports of casualties. The reason for the alleged attack by Afghantroops remains unknown. The alleged attack comes only days after a tripartitecommission was formed to resolve an ongoing border conflict between the twocountries. The current border row with Afghanistan erupted in June whenPakistan deployed military troops in the Mohmand Agency near the Pak-Afghanborder to monitor the 37-mile (59 kilometers) border frontier to stop cross-borderinfiltrations to and from Afghanistan. The dispute over setting up security poststurned into border clashes between security forces on both sides and subsequentallegations of infiltrations. The relations between the two countries have beenstrained since the opposition Northern Alliance, with the help of the UnitedStates, ousted the hardline Taliban regime in 2001. The Tajik-dominated Afghangovernment of President Hamid Karzai remains wary of Pakistan, which oncesupported the Taliban.http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=34582

Britain to hold donor's conference to raise funds to combat Afghan drugtradeBritain, which is responsible for leading the international coordination of the waragainst the drug trade in Afghanistan, is reportedly planning to call a donorsconference in November this year to raise additional funds to curb opiumproduction. The conference would examine alternative livelihoods for poorAfghan farmers who are attracted to the profitable opium market. The conferencewould bring together major agencies including the United Nations, the AsianDevelopment Bank, the World Bank and the European Union, as well asindividual countries. British Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell, who has justreturned from his trip to Afghanistan, told the UK-based daily Guardian heexpects to see an insignificant reductions if any, in this year’s poppy harvestdespite a ban on poppy cultivation by Afghan President Hamid Karzai sinceJanuary 2002. Rammell said it would take a long time and financial contributionsfrom more countries to bring a planned 10-year drug eradication program to

success. Afghanistan currently supplies some 70 percent of the world’s heroinand some 90 percent of the heroin in Britain comes from Afghanistan. Rammellsaid without a sufficient and capable police force, Afghan authorities wouldcontinue to struggle with law enforcement. He added that in a country where theannual income barely reaches GBP 106 (US$170), farmers could earn up to$6,500 a year by growing poppies. A report entitled “Global Illicit Drug Trends2003,” released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) onJune 25 noted that opium production in Afghanistan has risen from 12 percent in2001 when the ousted Taliban regime banned the crop, to some 76 percent ofthe world’s opium today. The surge in poppy cultivation is seen as a threat topeace and stability in Afghanistan where factional militias often use drug moneyto fund their private armies.http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1013642,00.html

India

At least 26 killed inflashfloods at north Indianski resortFlashfloods at a ski resorttown in Solang Valley in thenorthern state of HimachalPradesh have killed at least 26people, police said today. Aheavy downpour causedconsiderable damage to themain town of Manali andsurrounding areas in Kulludistrict yesterday. Most of thevictims were migrant laborersfrom nearby Jharkhand stateand Nepal who were workingon the Rohtang tunnel whenthey were hit by the floods.Last month, at least 100people were reportedly killedwhen a laborers’ camp near amassive power project werehit by a flashflood in the samedistrict. The victims were alsomostly migrant laborers fromnearby Bihar state and Nepal.However, aid workers said

that the real number of casualties may not be known as construction companiesare reluctant to pay compensation to the victims’ families and may have coveredup their employee records. Heavy flashfloods have also hit mountainousDarjeeling region in West Bengal state. Cloud bursts, sudden heavy rainstorms,are common in India's mountainous region. More than 12 million people havebeen displaced and 912 people killed in heavy flooding in South Asia in this

year’s monsoon season, which began in June.http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap08-07-221020.asp?reg=ASIAhttp://www.terradaily.com/2003/030808121035.30p9rryl.html

Violence mars student protests in Kerala; Nine separatists reportedlylynched, Northeast separatist groups to boycott Independence DayAccording to the Press Times of India today, at least 15 police and 10 studentswere injured when protest rallies held by leftist students turned violent in severaltowns in the southern state of Kerala. The protests were held in Thalassery,Kannur, Taliparamba, and Thiruvanathapuram towns after alleged policeexcesses during a student protest held yesterday against the state’s educationpolicy. Kerala Tourism Minister K V Thomas was also reportedly attacked byprotesters in Kozhikode today but was unharmed. Meanwhile, 9 members of theleftist rebel People’s War Group (PWG) were publicly lynched in a village innearby Jharkhand state. Officials said that rebels from the northeastern states ofBihar, West Bengal and Orissa were among those killed. Police said the militants

may have arrived at the villagein revenge for a previous clashwith village vigilantes, in which3 PWG rebels were killed.Finally, at least 11northeastern separatist groupson Wednesday (August 6)called for a strike on India’sIndependence Day on August15. According to a statement,the boycott will cover 6 ofIndia’s 7 northeastern states,except Mizoram.Independence Daycelebrations in India’s restivenortheast have often beenaccompanied by attacks onstate government employeesand property. More than 50rebel groups operate in theregion.http://www.irna.ir/en/head/030808095102.ehe.shtmlhttp://www.expressindia.com/print.php?newsid=23770http://www.ptinews.com/createframes.asp?main=Indian&val=1&ID=http://www.ptinews.com/createframes.asp?main=Indian&val=1&ID=

Supreme court ordersGujarat riots case papers,stray violence during strike;Ayodhya excavations endThe Indian Supreme Court

has ordered the federal and Gujarat state governments to submit records of acontroversial riot case in Gujarat as part of a petition filed by the Indian NationalHuman Rights Commission (NHRC). The NHRC has asked for a retrial to be heldoutside Gujarat, after Hindu suspects in the burning alive of several Muslims in abakery during last year’s communal riots, were acquitted last month. About 30witnesses said they had retracted their original statements after they wereharassed and intimidated by defendants and police. State authorities have beenaccused of either encouraging or doing nothing to prevent the almost three-month long riots in which 1,000 mostly Muslim civilians were killed. Yesterday,the Gujarat government had appealed against the acquittal in what observers sayis a move to distance itself from allegations of complicity after the appeal to theSupreme Court. Today, members of India’s and Gujarat’s ruling Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) staged a protest against the NHRC. Meanwhile, the government-based Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has completed 5 months ofexcavations at a controversial site in the temple town of Ayodhya. In 1992,nationwide communal riots killed nearly 3,000 people when Hindu extremistsdestroyed the 16th-century Babri mosque at the site, claiming it was the originalsite of an ancient Hindu temple. However, the Times of India reported this weekthat so far no evidence of a temple has been found. “There is no evidence of atemple,” said an archaeologist who declined to be named. “In fact, as we godeeper, we are seeing more evidence of Islamic influence.” The archaeologistshave unearthed more than 1,350 artifacts as well as ancient floorings.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/3133713.stmhttp://www.sunnt.com/news/national/national.asp?id=13862http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/3134107.stmhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=115221

Japan

Typhoon Etau kills three insouthern JapanAt least 3 people were killedtoday when Typhoon Etau,which had winds of up to 136miles-per-hour (218 KPH) hitsouthern Japan today. Policesay that 3 other people weremissing on Shikoku island.Dozens of other people werereported to have been injuredby Etau. Japan’sMeteorological Service saidthat Etau hit the coast ofJapan’s southernmost islandof Kyushu, then increased inintensity before striking theother main islands of Shikokuand Honshu. Latest reportssay that the storm was oversouthern Tokushima state and

the fringes of the storm are expected to affect Tokyo. Japanese broadcaster NHKreported that several thousand people were evacuated and hundreds of homeswere flooded or damaged by debris. The meteorological agency said that thestorm could dump up to 28 inches (61 cm) of rain over the region over the next24 hours and also warned several states, some as far as 24 miles (38.6km)away, to prepare for gusts of more than 55 mph (88 kph). The storm wasexpected to pass over Fukui prefecture located along the Sea of Japan coastlineby tomorrow morning (August 9). Etau was the 10th big storm to hit Japan thisyear.http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap08-08-081126.asp?reg=PACRIMhttp://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1399513,00.htmlhttp://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000101&sid=aa7.9ao0pclw&refer=japan

Papua New Guinea

Landslides leave1,000 homeless inremote area ofPapua New GuineaLandslides triggeredby heavy rains leftaround 1,000villagers homeless inthe Konos area onNew Ireland in PapuaNew Guinea (PNG)earlier this month.Food gardens andpersonal belongingswere also reportedwashed away by thelandslide thatoccurred August 1 inthe remote area.“Right now, thepeople are in acomplete state ofdestitute, withvillagers foraging around the jungles for food and shelter. All forms ofcommunication in the area have also been destroyed and school classes havebeen suspended and the children sent home,” says provincial official PatimosLanamau. He only today arrived in the provincial capital of Kavieng in west NewIreland to notify officials of what happened. According to Lanamau the area isonly accessible by helicopter or by trekking through the jungle. Agence France-Presse reports that officials from Kavieng were reportedly traveling to the remotearea to do an assessment. New Ireland has a population of 120,000 spreadacross some 3,800 square miles (6116 square kilometers).http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/6686f45896f15dbc852567ae00530132/8b692a1a3c6b294a49256d7c00176c46?OpenDocument

Philippines

All evacuation centers closed in Pikit, North Cotabato, new DSWD centeropens in Koronadal cityDepartment of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary CorazonSoliman said in a press conference held in Koronadal City in central Mindanaothat all evacuation centers for IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) from therecent rebel conflict have been closed. At least 45,000 IDPs in the surroundingarea, including nearby Maguindanao province, fled to the area’s 26 evacuationcenters after violence broke out between the military and the Moro IslamicLiberation Front (MILF) in February in Pikit, North Cotabato. At least 200 peoplewere killed in the fighting before a ceasefire was declared in June. Soliman said

the federal government has reportedly given 53.4 million pesos (US$975,000)worth of assistance, while the local government units and NGOs havecontributed 5.6 million pesos (US$102,000). Soliman was speaking on theinauguration of the new regional DSWD office in Koronadal city, which wastransferred from Cotabato city to better serve Central Mindanao. Soliman addedthat soldiers “embedded” within civilian communities in Pikit and Pagalungantown, Maguindanao would be withdrawn this month. Earlier this week, agrassroots NGO, Bantay Watch, had recommended that soldiers be withdrawnas it put civilians in the danger of crossfire should skirmishes erupt again andprevents them from returning back to normal life. However, the NGO had saidthere were no indications of human rights abuses by soldiers. Soliman said thatshe would ask for the retention of “salaam” (peace) soldiers if their presenceproved to be positive for the communities.http://www.mindanews.com/2003/08/06nws-pullout.htmlhttp://www.mindanews.com/2003/08/07nws-mangundadatu.html

Other World News

Liberia

Taylor says will resign Monday; Aid workers take advantage of break infighting while humanitarian situation worsensLiberian president Charles Taylor said that he would resign this Monday (August11), and hand over the reins of power to his vice-president Moses Blah. Taylorhas been under intense international pressure to resign, especially from the USand West African nations as the capital Monrovia is under siege by anti-government rebels and more than 1 million civilians are facing a worseninghumanitarian situation. Taylor said that he would go into asylum in Nigeria butonly if enough foreign peacekeepers were in Liberia and if war crimes charges bya UN tribunal were dropped. However, that is unlikely as US Secretary of StateColin Powell says that Taylor would not be able to get out of the charges. Rebelssay that they would not accept a Taylor ally holding power but would observe aJune 17 ceasefire pact for Monrovia. Taylor came to power in a 1988-1996 civilwar that killed some 100,000 people. A two-month long battle in the capital,Monrovia has left hundreds dead--many of them civilians--and left the 1.3 millionpeople in the city short of food and water. The International Red Cross andMedecins Sans Frontieres reportedly used a break in the fighting to cross thefront lines for the first time since July 19 when the rebels began their siege ofMonrovia. The aid groups took medical supply kits to hospitals in rebel-heldterritory. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that they hoped bothsides would open up war lines for humanitarian aid and refugees. Meanwhile,reports say that fighting was raging in several parts of the country betweengovernment and rebel forces, and peacekeepers reportedly seized a weaponsshipment from Libya headed for government troops in violation of a UN embargo.West African leaders have said they would provide a 3,250-strong peacekeepingforce that is planned to eventually be replaced by a stronger UN force.http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap08-07-232420.asp?reg=AFRICAhttp://hindustantimes.com/news/181_332935,00050006.htm