PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK (PDMIN) 1 Jarrett White Road MCPA-DM, Tripler AMC, HI 96859-5000 Telephone: 808.433.7035 · [email protected] · http://www.coe-dmha.org Asia-Pacific Daily Report January 26, 2004 Afghanistan Polio vaccination campaign underway in Afghanistan Today, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), launched a three-day polio vaccination campaign aimed at vaccinating some five million children across the country up to age five. MoPH has deployed some 40,000 volunteers, mainly women who are traveling from village to village and house to house across the country who would cover every district in the country with the exception of few areas that are inaccessible due to heavy snow. The vaccination campaign is part of the United Nations Global Polio Eradication Initiative spearheaded by WHO, UNICEF, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Rotary International. Afghanistan is among the seven countries, including Pakistan, India, Niger, Nigeria, Egypt, and Somalia, where polio is still endemic. According to Afghan MoPH, Afghanistan has made considerable progress in fighting the crippling disease. Last year only eight cases of the disease were recorded. Officials hope to eradicate the poliovirus in Afghanistan by the end of this year. http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39126&SelectRegion=Central_Asia&SelectCountry=AFGHANISTAN http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/6686f45896f15dbc852567ae00530132/e6c10eeae1596a2e49256e2700192a56?OpenDocumen t

Afghan President Hamid Karzai signs country's new constitution into law Today, Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed Afghanistan’s new constitution into law in a ceremony attended by his ministers, foreign dignitaries and military officials at the foreign ministry in the Afghan capital Kabul. The 162-article document that was ratified by a constitutional Loya Jirga (grand assembly) earlier this month (January 4) paves the way for nationwide presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled in June this year. The new constitution gives the president sweeping powers that include the appointments of cabinet ministers, the attorney general, the Supreme Court chief justice, judges and ambassadors. Under the new constitution, the president also acts as the commander-in-chief of the military. In a statement, US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad called the enactment of the new constitution a “turning point for Afghan nation.” http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20040126_243.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/3428935.stm

Asia Asian health officials say bird flu outbreak spreading rapidly across region Asian health officials say that the bird flu outbreak is spreading fast across the region and has now hit Pakistan, bringing the amount of countries affected to eight nations. At least 7 people have been confirmed dead from the disease, including the latest victim from Thailand. The other six confirmed deaths were all from Vietnam, which is the country that so far has been worst affected by the outbreak. Bird flu has so far hit Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia. Health officials so far say that they believe that there has been no evidence of human-to-human transmission. However, experts have been warning that if the disease mutated enough to allow transmission that way, it could become a bigger health threat than Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The World Health Organization (WHO) says that a vaccine for the disease is at least some 6 months away because the virus appears to keep mutating and because it also appears to be resistant to cheaper anti-viral drugs used to treat regular influenza, CNN reports. Meanwhile, Thai officials say that the country will host a meeting this Wednesday (January 28) of senior health and agricultural officials on bird flu. Asian countries so far affected by the outbreak will send representatives, while Hong Kong, Singapore and the European Union, will also send officials as well. http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/01/26/bird.flu/index.html http://asia.news.yahoo.com/040125/afp/040125111742int.html

Cambodia Political activist shot dead in latest of political killings, human rights groups warn of growing atmosphere of fear An activist from Cambodia’s royalist FUNCINPEC party, Meach Youen, was reportedly shot dead today in the southwestern region, the fifth murder this month of people linked to the Alliance of Democrats. The Alliance was formed between the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and FUNCINPEC last July, following inconclusive national polls in the same month. The Alliance has been negotiating unsuccessfully for several months to form a three-party government with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). “For some in the ruling party, political killing is the default method for eliminating stubborn but peaceful opponents,” said Steve Heder, a Cambodian specialist at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. The killing follows the assassination of a top union leader, Chea Vichea, last week. Vichea was the outspoken leader of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, which is affiliated with the SRP and is Cambodia’s largest independent union with about 30,000 members. More than 10,000 people attended his funeral yesterday. Human rights groups in the country have warned that the string of assassinations of the political opposition has created an atmosphere of fear as no arrests have been made. A number of activists affiliated with FUNCINPEC and the SRP were also killed in the run-up to and after, last year’s July polls. “I think that the killings here are sending a message of threats,” said Pa Nguon Tean, a spokesperson for the independent Cambodian Center for Human Rights, adding that more rights violations were likely if nothing was done. The US-based NGO, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the US State Department and the Brussels-based International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) have all criticized Vichea’s assassination. Other assassinations in the past three months included a radio journalist and a popular singer. The CPP took power in 1979 after a Vietnamese invasion ousted the ultra-leftist Khmer Rouge, which is suspected of killing at least 1.7 million Cambodians during its 1975-79 rule. http://www.atimes.com http://www.abc.net.au/ra/newstories/RANewsStories_1031871.htm http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22104 http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/01/25/2003092476

India 60,000 Indian troops deployed in northeast India as rebels strike on Republic Day According to news reports today, at least 60,000 soldiers were deployed to India’s restive northeast as at least 9 separatist groups called for a 17-hour strike to protest India’s Republic Day today. The strike was called in 5 of India’s 7 northeast states, except for Mizoram and Nagaland states. Mizoram’s main insurgency has been resolved, while Nagaland’s rebel groups are observing a ceasefire with New Delhi. At least 16 people, including 8 paramilitary soldiers and 8 civilian loggers, were killed in the past week in violence in Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur. Rebels in Assam and Manipur claim that they have killed 24 security personnel since January 10. However, army personnel said that no other major incidents of violence have been reported. Militants in the region have long boycotted India’s Independence (in August) and Republic Day celebration to protest New Delhi’s rule in the region, which is rich in oil, timber and other resources. There are about 50 rebel groups and 200 ethnic groups in the northeastern region. Approximately 50,000 people have died in the insurgency since Indian independence in 1947. http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidType=RIN&hidRecord=0000000000000000000198 http://www.keralanext.com/new/index.asp?id=24753

Kashmiri separatists may drop demand for UN plebiscite; Violence kills 4 civilians as strike called for Republic Day Maulana Abbas Ansari, leader of the main Kashmiri separatist political alliance, has reportedly said that he would call for the end of a UN plebiscite for Kashmir, a decades-old demand of Kashmiri separatists and Pakistan, should peace talks succeeed. “If India, Pakistan and Kashmiris resolve the issue of Kashmir to the satisfaction of all three parties, we will ourselves go to UN and urge it to drop all Kashmir-related resolutions,” said Ansari, speaking for the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). Shortly after the 1947 partition, a UN resolution was made for a Kashmiri plebiscite to choose between merging with India, Pakistan or independence, which India has long denied. In an unprecedented move last November, Pakistan had said it would consider dropping the plebiscite demand, which paved the way for landmark talks earlier this month and an agreement for India-Pakistan talks next month. The statement also comes after the APHC held unprecedented talks with Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani last week. New Delhi has long refused to talk to Kashmiri separatists, saying that they do not represent the Kashmiri people and had long contended that Kashmir is a part of Indian territory, not a dispute. Separatist hardliners have criticized the peace moves and rebels have vowed to continue their armed struggle. According to the Kashmir Times today, a high-level US delegation is expected to meet informally with Ansari as well as with Indian-controlled Kashmir (IcK) Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, to discuss recent peace moves. In addition, Advani is expected in IcK tomorrow to evaluate the security situation along the disputed Line of Control (LoC), where an India-Pakistan ceasefire has held since last November. Meanwhile, a strike was called by the hardline faction of the APHC, which broke away last year and is led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, to protest India’s Republic Day today. Three militants and 1 soldier were killed over the weekend, while a Hindu civilian in southern Rajouri district, a Muslim woman in Poonch, a civilian in Anantnag and a Muslim man in Pulwama, were shot dead by militants in their homes. http://asia.news.yahoo.com/040124/afp/040124141553int.html http://www.dailyexclesior.com http://www.dailyexcelsior.com http://www.khaleejtimes.com http://www.kashmirtimes.com/jktoday.htm http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/445363.cms http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/445719.cms http://www.kashmirtimes.com/news10.htm http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/445396.cms

Indonesia At least 7 suspected Aceh separatist rebels killed in ongoing violence in province The Indonesian military reported that at least 7 suspected Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels have been shot dead over the weekend in separate clashes with the military. Provincial military spokesperson Asep Sari says that troops killed 2 men during clashes with rebels yesterday, while 5 others were killed on Saturday (January 24). Ishak Daud, a rebel commander in East Aceh, told Agence France-Presse that the military over the weekend was continuing a mortar attack on areas where they believe the GAM has bases, but so far he says the GAM has experienced no casualties. The military has reported that more than 1,300 rebels have been killed since an all-out military operation began in May 2003 and that only 67 police or soldiers had been killed. Additionally, more than 2,000 GAM had been allegedly captured or surrendered. In late December, Aceh police chief Bachrumsyah Kasman said that some 500 civilians have been killed in the war-torn province since the military began a major operation against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels in May. The police chief did not say who was responsible for the killings and said that police were still “investigating who carried out the shootings and their causes.” In September, the military put the death toll for civilians killed in Aceh at 304. Some 40,000-security troops are in the province to fight an estimated (pre-operation) 5,000 GAM fighters. Over 12,000 people have been killed since the GAM began fighting for independence in 1976. http://asia.news.yahoo.com/040126/afp/040126085835asiapacificnews.html http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3A524F51-2A0F-43F6-A4C4-14A294B8F56C.htm

Sri Lanka Japanese envoy says international donor countries still committed to backing peace process Japanese special envoy to Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, says that despite a political standoff between Sri Lanka’s President and Prime Minister, and a stalled peace process between Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels and the government, donors are still committed to backing the peace process. On Friday (January 26), representatives of 11 donor countries and international aid agencies, which included the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, met to discuss the stalled peace process and the political crisis. He says that international donors who pledged some US$4.5 billion at a donors conference in Tokyo in June last year still want humanitarian aid to war-affected areas of the country to continue. “All of us are anxious that humanitarian and rehabilitational assistance should continue to reach the north and east, particularly with the view to making the people enjoy the dividends of peace,” he says. “The donor community expressed deep concern over the events, and hoped that the political deadlock surrounding the president and prime minister should be resolved harmoniously as soon as possible…I think there is a perception that the LTTE is not responsible for the present political deadlock in Colombo. Why should it be punished by it?” Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have been at political loggerheads since early November when Kumaratunga took over 3 key ministries: the defence, interior and information. Kumaratunga accused Wickremesinghe of giving too much to the LTTE. Wickremesinghe in turn, has refused to do anything about the stalled peace process because he says the president has control of the defence ministry. The standoff between the two has prevented any progress in the peace process between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who have both been observing a ceasefire that has lasted since February 2002. The rebels backed out of peace talks in April 2003, but the nearly 2-year-old truce has largely held. It is the longest period that a ceasefire has held between the government and LTTE and observers say it is the best chance that the country has towards a lasting peace. http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/6686f45896f15dbc852567ae00530132/d440605564b1f4e049256e27000fc03c?OpenDocument Thailand Two Buddhist monks, 2 police officers and 1 villager killed in latest communal attacks on civilians in Thailand’s southern region Two Buddhist monks have been hacked to death just two days after another one was killed last week, the latest in a highly unusual trend of attacks on religious figures in Thailand’s Muslim-dominated south. The monks were attacked by two men on motorcycles wielding machetes as they left a temple to collect alms near the major city of Yala on Saturday (January 24). A third monk escaped with injuries. Yesterday, a Buddhist police officer was shot dead in front of his home and an elderly Buddhist villager was hacked to death, while a Muslim policeman was also shot dead in Pattani town late on Friday (January 23). Last Thursday (January 22), a monk was also stabbed to death by assailants on motorcycles while collecting alms in Narathiwat province. The killing had followed the brutal murder of a Muslim teacher earlier last week. The incidents have prompted the closure of schools and warnings for monks to stay in temples. Civil authorities, as well as community leaders, have condemned the attacks saying that they are meant to incite religious tensions. “It is a ploy to distract police efforts since we are getting closer to the masterminds of the violence,” said Interior Minister Wan Muhammad Matha. The government had imposed marital law in Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala provinces following a series of attacks beginning January 4, which killed 6 people and were the largest since a separatist movement was neutralized through government amnesty in the late 1980’s. Deputy Prime Minister Chavlit Yongchaiyudh said that cold-blooded attacks on monks were too unusual to be the work of locally-trained rebels. Religious figures and properties are rarely attacked, even during times of unrest, in Thailand, which is 94 percent Buddhist and 4 percent Muslim. Thailand has deployed additional troops to the region in the wake of the violence last week. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has defended marital law in the region saying that local leaders are not cooperating, despite an appeal to end the clampdown from the national spiritual leader of the Muslim community in Thailand. Local community leaders say the security clampdown has fuelled resentment in the region. http://www.khaleejtimes.com http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/27Jan2004_news12.html http://www.bangkokpost.com/260104-News/26Jan2004_news08.html http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/27Jan2004_news11.html http://asia.new.yahoo.com/040124/3/1bdy2.html