Central Asia

by Amal Jayasinghe Wed Jul 2, 2008

COLOMBO (AFP) - Hundreds of Sri Lankan reporters and cameramen staged a protest outside President Mahinda Rajapakse's home Wednesday demanding an end to a wave of killings, abductions and assaults against journalists.

Media workers' associations peacefully demonstrated outside the main access to Rajapakse's Temple Trees residence while dozens of unarmed police stood behind yellow iron barricades.  read more »

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA,Associated Press June 20, 2008

KATMANDU, Nepal - Students attacked several government vehicles and blocked traffic in Nepal's capital Friday to protest sharp rises in fuel prices, bringing transportation in the city to a standstill.

The students also demanded a 50-percent discount on public transportation fares.

It was the second day of violent protests pressing the government to immediately withdraw fuel price increases and reverse a recent decision that let public transport fees jump by as much as 35 percent.

College students in Katmandu walked out of classes and blocked major streets in Katmandu on Friday. They erected roadblocks and threw rocks at government vehicles.  read more »

By NOOR KHAN and JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press June 14, 2008

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - U.S. and NATO troops aided Afghan forces with reconnaissance in a hunt Saturday for 870 inmates who escaped prison after a sophisticated Taliban assault that even NATO conceded was a success for the militants.  read more »

By VIBHUTI AGARWAL and KRISHNA POKHAREL
May 30, 2008 Wall Street Journal

NEW DELHI -- Clashes between Indian authorities and a group seeking preferential treatment in government hiring spilled into the capital, hampering business and paralyzing traffic.  read more »

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA, Associated Press May 11, 2008

KATMANDU, Nepal - Police detained more than 600 female Tibetan protesters, including many Buddhist nuns, on Sunday after breaking up several demonstrations against China's recent crackdown in Tibet.  read more »

May 10, 2008

MARCO, Afghanistan (AFP) - At least one person was killed and several wounded in Afghanistan Saturday when police opened fire to disperse a protest accusing US-led soldiers of killing civilians, witnesses said.

The clash erupted in the eastern province of Nangarhar as demonstrators tried to block a road to demonstrate against the killing of three men in a military operation overnight, witnesses said.  read more »

By TINI TRAN, Associated Press April 29, 2008

BEIJING - A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced 30 people, including six monks, to jail terms ranging from three years to life in prison for their alleged roles in deadly riots in the Tibetan capital last month, state media reported.

The Intermediate People's Court of Lhasa announced the sentences at an open session, state media reported. The trial was the first since the mid-March riots.  read more »

By ASHRAF KHAN, Associated Press April 9, 2008

KARACHI, Pakistan - Clashes between government supporters and opponents set off rioting in Pakistan's biggest city Wednesday, leaving seven people dead in the worst outburst of political violence since a new government took office.  read more »

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA, Associated Press April 9, 2008

KATMANDU, Nepal - Police opened fire on rampaging protesters in western Nepal on Wednesday, killing at least one a day ahead of a landmark election to chart the country's political future, a police official said.

The protesters, enraged by the slaying of a candidate a day earlier, began smashing stores and vandalizing buses in the mountainous Surkhet district, prompting police to fire at them with live ammunition, said the area's police chief, Ram Kumar Khanal.  read more »

by Claire Cozens March 19, 2008

HONG KONG (AFP) - Worldwide protests over China's crackdown in Tibet are spreading, putting pressure on Beijing's Communist leaders just months ahead of the  read more »