CENTRAL ASIA: IRIN-Asia Weekly Round-up 104 covering the
period 23 – 29 December 2006
29 Dec 2006 14:08:36 GMT Source: IRIN
ANKARA, 29 December (IRIN) - CONTENTS:CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap
NEPAL: Neglect over the issue of female combatants
in the arms management process
NEPAL: Maoists continue to violate peace agreement – activists
NEPAL: Government steps in to stop Nepalganj violence
NEPAL: UN monitoring of arms and armies to
begin
PAKISTAN: UN prepares to feed thousands of malnourished children in Balochistan
PAKISTAN: Humanitarian groups condemn landmine plan
PAKISTAN: Afghan registration deadline extended until 19
JanuaryCENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrapThis week opened with the funeral of Turkmen president Saparmurat Niyazov on Sunday, one of the region's most authoritarian leaders, who single-handedly ruled
the Central Asian state following the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991. Niyazov – who styled himself as the Father of All Turkmen or Turkmenbashi - died on 21 December of heart
failure, leaving many outside observers worried over possible political instability in the largely desert, but energy-rich nation.http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56873 and
SelectRegion=Asia and SelectCountry=CENTRAL_ASIANEPAL: Neglect over the issue of female combatants in the arms management processIn the remote village of Dasrathpur in Surkhet district, nearly 700
km west of the capital, Kathmandu, senior Maoist commander Dipak has the tough task of ensuring the well-being of his battle-hardened soldiers confined in the cantonment camps. Since November,
following the signing of a historic peace agreement to end a decade-long conflict between the Maoist rebels and the Nepalese government, the process for the management of the Maoist combatants and
their weapons has been under way.http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56837 and SelectRegion=Asia and SelectCountry=NEPALNEPAL: Maoists continue to violate peace agreement – activistsThe Maoists' continued violation of Nepal's peace agreement is a serious concern, say human rights groups. In November, the Maoist rebels and interim government signed a historic peace agreement to
end a decade-long conflict that had killed more than 14,000 people. The agreement, which took five months to negotiate, followed a mass uprising that ended King Gyanendra's direct rule in April.http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56846 and SelectRegion=Asia and SelectCountry=NEPALNEPAL: Government steps in to stop Nepalganj violenceNepal's government has stepped in to help ease
tensions after two days of violent clashes between rival groups in the western city of Nepalganj. Nepalganj, nearly 600 km from the capital, Kathmandu, has seen violent clashes between the Madhesi and
Pahadiyas people. The Madhesi are the original inhabitants of Nepal 's southern Terai plains, while the Pahadiyas migrated there from the hills 50 years ago to earn a better living.http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56864 and SelectRegion=Asia and SelectCountry=NEPALNEPAL: UN monitoring of arms and armies to beginThe United Nations will launch its first arms
monitoring operation in Nepal beginning on 7 January to implement its support to the peace process as requested by the Maoists and the interim government of seven national parties, which signed a
historic peace agreement in November ending the decade-long armed conflict that had killed over 14,000 Nepalese people. The first group of UN arms monitors, six of them, arrived in the capital,
Kathmandu, on Thursday from Canada, Guatemala, Indonesia, Jordan, Uruguay and Yemen, where they will join four military advisors from Finland, Norway and Switzerland, Ian Martin, personal
representative of the UN Secretary-General, said.http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56877 and SelectRegion=Asia and SelectCountry=NEPALPAKISTAN: UN prepares to feed thousands of
malnourished children in BalochistanThe United Nations (UN) is launching an operation to help improve the nutrition of thousands of women and children in the southern province of Balochistan,
officials said on Wednesday. The child nutrition programme, set to start in January, would initially cover communities in the districts of Quetta, Naseerabad and Ja'afarabad, where 30,000 children had
so far been identified as malnourished. It would later spread to Kharan, Awaran, Musakhel and Chaghai.http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56859 and SelectRegion=Asia and
SelectCountry=PAKISTANPAKISTAN: Humanitarian groups condemn landmine planThe Pakistani government's plan to lay landmines and build a fence along its border with Afghanistan has been condemned by
humanitarian groups. It follows criticism from Kabul and the US that Pakistan has not been doing enough to stop pro-Taliban militia from crossing into Afghanistan. Pakistan's military has been
ordered to survey what is needed to lay landmines in "selected places" and build the fence along the 2,400 km border.http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56858 and SelectRegion=Asia and
SelectCountry=PAKISTANPAKISTAN: Afghan registration deadline extended until 19 JanuaryFollowing a heavy turnout, Pakistani authorities on Friday announced they would be extending a nationwide
Afghan registration campaign for another three weeks to register as many eligible Afghans as possible. The US $6 million exercise, which began on 15 October, was scheduled to conclude by the end of
December, will now continue until 19 January. The drive is aimed at providing millions of Afghan refugees living in the country with official identification for a three-year period validating their
stay in exile.http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56878 and SelectRegion=Asia and SelectCountry=PAKISTAN
