Mammoth CA news roundup Aug 5 - 15 2005
The perils of a week or so away from the internet... quite a backlog of stories to cover since the last post (and this is where the purpose of this blog - to help me keep a record of events in the region and especially Kyrgyzstan accounts for covering what it, technically speaking, old news), so without further ado:
Regional
Regional
- In the wake of the July 7 bombings in London, the UK government has decided to ban the Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahrir, reports the BBC. This decision is likely to be welcomed by Central Asian governments who view to organisation as a terrorist group, despite the fact that it claims not to advocate violence to achieve its aim of establishing an Islamic caliphate. Asia Times also has an article on HuT in the region.
- On the subject of religion, Muslim Uzbekistan has posted a report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom that is highly critical of the Uzbek and Turkmen regimes.
- Great Game reports continue apace with the Trumpet.com's article discussing the implications of America losing its foothold in Central Asia.
- Meanwhile Eurasia Daily Monitor is more circumspect in one article, noting that America is reviewing its options in the region, before a second piece a couple of days later emerged with the title "Moscow's Central Asian Friends Campaign Against US Bases".
- And just to complete the spectrum of views, MosNews has a piece asserting that the US is planning to remain in the region after its withdrawal from Uzbekistan, citing a "highly-placed Moscow-based defense official" source from Interfax.
- The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is the object of scrutiny meanwhile for FrontPageMag.com, who considers the SCO's objectives, positing that it is akin to a modern-day Warsaw pact that is seeking to counter US influence. And off we go again on the Great Game theme...
- Staying with the SCO theme, RIA Novosti has a comment piece on the SCO entitled "Spirit of Shanghai" - worth reading as well as the FrontPage Mag one, just for a bit of balance.
- And just to make sure that we get all of the usual cliches and stereotypes out of our system in one go, RIA Novosti also has an article asserting that radical Islam is the main threat in Central Asia. Nothing like picking an easy scapegoat rather than looking a little deeper...
- Worryingly, the Moscow Times reports that bird flu has been found in two more regions of Kazakhstan, though it is not the same strain as the more dangerous one found in Novosibirsk. Even so, there are concerns that the virus appears to be spreading in northern regions of the country and that it could mutate and affect humans.
- RFE reports that archaeologists from the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavonic University have found the remains of a 14th Century monastry built by Armenian Christians on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul. It is thought the remains of the apostle Matthew are buried near the site, and efforts will continue to find the burial place, according to an Interfax report.
- Kyrgyzstan's Development Gateway has a brief article on progress to repair Osh's airport. Work should be completed today.
- ITAR-TASS had a short report last week about a helicopter crash near the Inilchek glacier on August 6, noting that no-one was seriously injured.
- Development Gateway also reports on the launching of a 2-year programme to protect snow leopards against poaching in the republic sponsored by the International Finance Corporation.
- Perversely, this project is launched at the same time as the State Forestry Service has approved quotas for foreign hunters, according to Development Gateway. Admittedly the quotas are low - 26 Marco Polo argali, 230 mountain goats, 26 deer and 5 wild boars - but this is not exactly the type of tourism many would like to see developed.
- There is speculation from some quarters that Kyrgyzstan may follow the example of Uzbekistan and request the withdrawal of US troops from the republic after elections in Afghanistan. Interfax quotes the head of the Kyrgyz International Institute for Strategic Studies, Valentin Bogatyrev.
- Ferghana.ru has an article on Hizb-ut-Tahrir, whose members claim the outlawed organisation is being harrassed for "active participation in the presidential elections" as observers and canvassers for Tursunbai Bakir.
- Acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev was officially inaugurated as President of the Kyrgyz Republic on August 14, as reported by KazInform, the New York Times, the Turkish Press.com, and the International Herald and Tribune, among others.
- The mood in Kyrgyzstan following the inauguration is primarily one of expectation, according to an article by RIA Novosti, tempered with optimism as some experts gave a positive assessment of Bakiev and Kulov's chances of improving conditions in the country.
- However, amidst all the hopeful reports of improved stability and economic growth comes a more cautious take on conditions in the republic from Media Monitors, entitled "Little change likely in Kyrgyzstan after election of Kurmanbek Bakyev". Citing the background of the new government, many members of which worked under the old regime at various points, the article speculates that people may be quick to take to the streets if conditions do not improve.
- Similarly, an article taken from Vechernii Bishkek posted on Development Gateway's site suggests that acting Prime Minister Feliks Kulov's stated intention to "protect industry from unnecessary trouble" may not have had the desired effect, particularly as efforts to clamp down on fake and contraband goods are likely to hit consumers hard.
- KazInform has a short piece on US Ambassador Steven Young's comments on his two-year term in Bishkek. He is to be replaced by Masha Iovanovich in mid/late August. ISN also noted that he indicated that the Ganci airbase would take over some of the duties of the Khanabad base in Uzbekistan that is scheduled for closure, information also reported by Kyrgyzstan's Development Gateway via Associated Press sources.
- The OSCE has denied reports that it is opening a regional office in Jalal Abad, saying that the reports merely referred to activities of the local coordinator, according to Kabar (via Development Gateway).
- RedNova reported on August 10 that members of the Youth Human Rights Organisation had joined railway workers and Gulnara Kerimbayeva to pressure the government to take action to help solve the railway workers' complaints by protesting outside the White House. Several railway workers have been on hunger strike for around 2 months demanding the resignation of Kyrgyz Railway's MD, and Kerimbayeva was threatening to commit self-immolation at the presidential inauguration if her demands were not met.
- Kyrgyzstan has officially cancelled daylight saving time, reports Gazeta.kz. It was the only Central Asian republic still observing the annual time switch.
- Osh has a new mayor, Jumadyl Isakov, following a vote by members of the Osh City Kenesh on August 10.
- AlertNet reports that around 10,000 Tajiks have been granted citizenship in Turkmenistan. They were among the 13,245 people granted citizenship in a decree signed by Turkmenbashi on the grounds of being of ethnic Turkmen origin.
- Ferghana.ru has posted an article written by arrested journalist Igor Rotar that was published in the jounral Russkii Newsweek entitled "Islam Karimov may fall victim to his own religious policy".
- Kavkaz Centre has a report that Russian troops are preparing to take over the Khanabad airbase once the US has departed, although unsurprisingly the claim has not been confirmed by any officials.
- Uzbek authorities are preparing to re-establish a frontier post on the Osh-Batken road, according to Muslim Uzbekistan. The post was originally dismantled 3 years ago in agreement with the Kyrgyz authorities.
- Continuing the whirlwind of cliches and historically realist thinking seen in the regional section, MosNews has an article by Anders Aslund about Russia/US relations/reactions entitled Putin's Decline and America's Response. Still, they say that stereotypes exist for a reason, so maybe I'm being too hard on the realists. Hope not...
- RFE/RL has a 4-part series on Islam in Central Asia that makes for interesting reading. Part one looks at the region returning to its Muslim roots, part two considers efforts by the regions governments to control Islam, part three is on the radical Islamist challenge, and final fourth part discusses the revival and role of religious schools or madrasahs.
- RFE/RL regular Daniel Kimmage has also written a piece on the phenomenon of Jadidism in Central Asia (Central Asia Report Vol 5 No. 30, Aug 11), which has attracted the attention of Blogger Balkan Analysis.
- IWPR's Reporting Central Asia No. 401 part 2 and 402 are available.
posted by CXW @ 3:10 pm
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