Round-up of regional news

Afghanistan
Fight and flight
RAs US-led forces in Helmand province are in the midst of Operation Moshtarak (Pashto and Dari for 'together'), battling in the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, another significant large-scale military-related move is in the works. According to President Hamid Karzai, the government is looking at the possibility of making military service compulsory for Afghans. The embattled leader broached the issue at a recent conference in Munich, which brought together top defence officials from across the world to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. At the gathering, US General Stanley McCrystal, who heads NATO forces in Afghanistan, said that the Afghan National Army would strengthen to some 134,000 troops over the coming year, up from the current 92,000. Ultimately, he added, the force should be aiming for around 240,000 members as soon as possible. These are ambitious numbers indeed, and it is reported that Washington is putting pressure on the Karzai government to deliver.

Defence strategists in Kabul thus appear to be looking to conscription as the solution. Addressing the Munich conference, President Karzai justified a possible draft as a means to get the country to shoulder the responsibility of protecting its people as independently as is practical. Afghanistan no longer wants to be a "burden" on the international community that currently supports it, he said. A number of Afghan community leaders have reportedly urged the president to consider conscription for the same reason. A presidential spokesman, however, clarified that Karzai had only raised the issue in the form of suggestions which had come to him from groups of elders. Just a week before the president spoke in Munich, his defence minister, Abdul Rahim Wardak, said there was no need for conscription because the Afghan Army was not suffering from a shortage of recruits. Wardak also said that conscription would be difficult to implement in the absence of any country-wide      census that would provide the numbers and age of youth in the desired age group.Clearly the disagreement does little to settle the debate on whether conscription is actually necessary in today's Afghanistan, though it does demonstrate the civilian government's communication problem. Ultimately, the political shortcomings are going to be far more damaging than personnel shortages in the armed forces.

India
Up, up and away
The space market, a multi-billion-dollar affair worldwide and still growing, has a vibrant new player. India recently rocketed its way up, as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced a plan to launch its first piloted mission to space in 2016. If all goes well, India will become only the fourth country in the world to do so after the US, Russia and supposed arch-nemesis China.

Work on the mission's space module will take place over the next four years, including identifying two astronauts to participate. Once chosen, the two will prepare for their extra-terrestrial voyage in a cutting-edge facility to be set up in Bangalore. Ultimately, the twosome will spend seven days in space during the course of the project, which is estimated to cost some USD 2.7 billion.

This will not actually be India's first foray into space, however. Last year, the country's Chandrayaan-I 'moon vehicle' made news by confirming the presence of water molecules on the lunar surface, an achievement that now renders the country in a prominent position when it comes to space exploration. This breakthrough had come only a month before the mission, India's maiden one to the moon, had to be abruptly shelved following a communication glitch. ISRO officials maintained that the Chandrayaan-I was a "95-percent success".

Subsequently, in September 2009, India dispatched seven satellites into space in one go, with a view to tracking monsoons and cyclones, and also to spot good fishing spots by keeping track of oceanic temperatures. It is now reported that Chandrayaan-II will be going into orbit in early 2013 as a preamble to the piloted mission three years later.

Ambitious records and plans, one might think. But India has even bigger things in mind – hoping to put together a mission to Mars in 2030. This would be a collaborative effort, including the US and a consortium of space-faring agencies from Europe, in a global endeavour to get to know the 'red planet' better. With the US having recently dramatically scaled back its own space-exploration programme, there will be many celestial corners to look into.

Sri Lanka/India
Powering up
For a few years now, reports of Colombo and New Delhi collaborating on a power-plant project on the island have been appearing sporadically in the media. But they never seem to have been implemented. Now, the news has resurfaced, and it seems something is actually going to get done. With President Mahinda Rajapakse again safely ensconced in the seat of power, a 500-megawatt coal power project in the country may soon get the thumbs up, a collaborative effort between the public sector NTPC, India's largest power generator, and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

New Delhi and the NTPC have already gone over the necessary paperwork, and are said to be merely waiting for the Sri Lankan attorney general's office to weigh in. As soon as that green signal is given, the path should open up for the joint-venture agreement, which could take place as early as the end of February. While NTPC and the CEB had already signed an initial agreement back in 2006, the parties were yet to decide on the nitty-gritty of payment mechanisms and site selection. All that is now in place, with a site at Sampur, in Trincomalee District, having evidently received the final nod – with the decisive defeat of the LTTE, who formerly wielded great influence in the district, there is no longer a security-related barrier to the plan. The requisite coal, meanwhile, is to be brought in from either Indonesia or South Africa.

There are, however, other civilian concerns regarding the power-plant's construction. Indeed, with Sampur very conducive to agriculture, the government is facing criticism for going ahead with the plant without even talking to the local community. Then again, considering the overarching powers the Rajapakse government is currently bestowing on itself, such concerns do not look likely to obstruct the project from finally going forward.

Region
Energising the fleet
With many Southasian governments adopting a war mentality on combating 'terrorism', most states are keen to foster allies for the battle. Along these lines, the capitals of India and the Maldives are currently in the process of strengthening and formalising their counterterrorism agreements. Fearful of the longstanding rumours that Pakistan-based extremist group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) is attempting to establish a base in secluded parts of the Maldives – indeed, India's Intelligence Bureau claims that around a thousand LeT operatives are already active in the atolls – the two countries have decided to join hands in an attempt to prevent future attacks.
With this fact in mind, New Delhi officials have deemed intelligence-sharing with their Maldivian counterparts a must. On the other side, Mohamed Zuhair, press secretary to President Mohamed Nasheed, maintains that while the idea of a thousand operatives in the atolls might well be an exaggeration, he does not categorically rule it out. As things stand, the two countries are gearing up to sign a memorandum of understanding in April to seal the deal.

According to the currently available details, the Maldives will key-in information – through networks being established between coastal radars in the islands of both countries – about suspicious vessels seen at the oceanic-entry points to India. This plan has already been seen to work in recent cases, though perhaps in a slightly different way than what is now being discussed: in recent months, a number of poaching vessels have been detained after information from fishing boats gave them away.

India's monumental coastline is clearly susceptible as far as security is concerned. In this context, potential surveillance by 1500 Maldivian fishing vessels could come in very handy.

The Maldives/India
Prison yoga
Seeing the bright side of things might not be an option for those behind bars in the Maldives, but they could be finding some solace in the news that the 'dull side' is scheduled for a polish. There has been some good news hinting at jail reform. Recently, a high-level delegation from the atolls paid a visit to Delhi's Tihar Jail, India's largest prison complex, and came back eager to replicate a number of the reform-and-recreational activities in place there.

Maldivian prisons have been notoriously problematic, suffering from overcrowding, lack of basic sanitation, and poor provisions for clean drinking water, ventilation and timely medical assistance. Beyond logistics, the Maldivian legal system has also been criticised for meting out excessive sentences even for petty crimes. Violence and riots in the prisoners are also fairly regular occurrences.

Reacting to these issues, a presidential message addressing the country's prisoners was released recently, promising to look into the situation in the jails. Some sentences are to be lightened, with a more overarching jail-reform effort purportedly on the way. Now, some of the programmes in place at Tihar – including yoga and meditation facilities, as well as art classes – will likely be replicated in Maldivian prisons. These intentions are, of course, commendable. But the focus on providing clean drinking water and better ventilation should not be lost in the excitement to implement what some would call hi-fi reforms.

Bhutan
Through the ceiling
A controversial issue everywhere in Southasia, Thimphu's new attempt to revisit landholding limits is sure to be a bumpy ride. Recently, the country's National Land Commission (NLC) announced that it intended to implement a policy that would remove the maximum landholding ceiling, currently placed at 25 acres. Not surprisingly, the plan has attracted extensive criticism.
Defending the planned reform, NLC officials argue that the policy is aimed at increasing food production and employment opportunities, as exemptions will only be granted to those who use the excess land for commercial farming. Unconvinced, many in Bhutan are emphasising the negative fallout likely to emerge from such a move.

To begin with, land prices are likely to rise dramatically. And even as the wealthy line up to purchase large plots of land, the not-so-well-off looking to acquire smaller plots will almost certainly be sidelined. Furthermore, some question the wisdom of encouraging large-scale commercial farming in the first place; as those with resources undertake this method of food production, it will cramp the earning of smaller farmers. As such, the policy is likely to widen the already sizeable gap between the rich and the poor in Bhutan.

Land reform has also been practised in other Southasian countries. In India, a degree of this process occurred in the first five-year plan after Partition, while more extensive reforms took place in the 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile, land reform took place in 1972 in Sri Lanka. Revisions to the laws of the lands are common, though, with amendments and exemptions on ceiling legislations having been made time and again.

In Thimphu, meanwhile, NLC officials are asserting that the existing upper limit on landholding was never really well-scrutinised in the first place. Reportedly, families have owned more than 25 acres of land in the past, bringing into question the efficacy of the currently imposed ceiling. That may well be true, but is hardly a good reason to make a change that is being so widely derided.

Nepal/India
Of tar and tracks
When it comes to rail and road projects in Nepal, nearly every major construction work has been carried out in collaboration with another country. Of late, Chinese participation in these projects has been particularly significant. But another country is now making a renewed effort in this regard – India. Last involved in building the East-West highway of Nepal in 1997, India is now back to dole out some INR 17 billion on an initiative to be launched in Nepal's southern Tarai plains.

Of this, New Delhi is dispensing INR 8 billion to upgrade 660 km of all-weather roads in the area, with an eventual vision to work on some 1400 km of roads. Concurrently, there are prospects of an integrated checkpost in Birgunj, a major border point. Meanwhile, India is also keen to work on connecting Bihar with Biratnagar and Janakpur in Nepal through railway tracks.

While trains are a major mode of transport for both passengers and cargo in India, tracks are virtually non-existent in Nepal, with the exception of some lines in the India-Nepal frontier. Now, a significant extension of Nepal's first tracks is on the official bilateral agenda. In mid-February, travelling to New Delhi for his maiden international visit, President Ram Baran Yadav presided over the signing of a pact on India building railroad tracks in the Nepali Tarai, among other agreements.

Burma
People's power
If there is any doubt about the fact that global criticism has little impact on the Burmese junta's conduct, here is further evidence. In a plan that has been brewing since 2005, the Burmese military government and the China Power Investment Company are gearing up to build the Myitsone dam in the northern Kachin state, with a view to generate 3600 to 6000 megawatts of electricity by 2017.
If, or rather when, the dam is built, it will sit in the heart of a rainforest that spans northern Burma and the Indian Northeast. Most likely, it would also inundate around 300 square miles of Kachin state, submerging close to 50 villages, as well as harming an immense range of biodiversity. Kachin residents currently live in constant fear of the dilapidated dams that are already in existence, recounting previous incidents of dam collapse that have resulted in loss of lives and agricultural fields.

Perhaps as egregious, the electricity that will be generated at the cost of these homes and property will not be going to Burmese consumers. Rather, it is the citizens of Yunnan, in China, who will be the beneficiaries. Furthermore, construction jobs have also been reserved for Chinese labour, much to the displeasure and annoyance of the locals. Of course, there is a bright side for the junta: it will earn an estimated USD 500 million per year from the export of electricity. 

Bangladesh
Slow-moving
Home to an amazing 700 rivers, these waterways are an essential, though often destructive, part of life in Bangladesh. Extending some 2400 km within the country, the rivers play a critical role in transporting people and goods across the length and breadth of the country. Worryingly, however, the waterways have slowly become sluggish, clogged by the 2.4 billion tonnes of silt brought by the annual floods, which cannot be worked away by the reduced dry-season flow due to canal extraction upstream. Incredibly, the Ganga-Brahmaputra accounts for almost a fifth of the silt received across the planet each year.

Today, less than half of Bangladesh's rivers are traversable, warns the country's Inland Water Transport Authority (BITWA). With this in mind, BITWA officials are now set to dredge 300 Bangladeshi rivers, to ensure the faster and more economical passage of cargo and passenger vessels. The organisation will implement an eight-year project costing some USD 1.7 billion.
An initial lack of funds delayed the first phase of this project, which will purportedly start within a few months. While government money is to be used at the beginning, BITWA officials say they are looking to procure foreign aid as the effort gathers steam. Furthermore, four more projects for waterway development and enhancement, estimated to cost about USD 723 million, have been suggested by the Water Resources Ministry.

Enormous as the costs are, the funds will be considered well spent if all goes according to plan, considering the increased navigability, more efficient circulation of agricultural products, better irrigation and ecological conservation that is likely to emerge.

Bhutan/Bangladesh
Limestone into energy
Continuing on the path of strengthening bilateral trade ties, Dhaka and Thimphu are now even better friends than before, especially economically speaking. Commodities from Bangladesh can now make their way across the Bhutanese border free of tariff, following an offer made by Bhutan's economic and trade-affairs minister, Khandu Wangchuk, at a mid-February meeting in Dhaka. Interestingly, Bangladesh is Bhutan's second-largest trading partner.

Similar commercial concessions were agreed upon during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Bhutan last November, with a new trade agreement also signed. That document paved the way for a new trade route to boost commerce in the largely isolated eastern region of Bhutan. Keen to take advantage of Dhaka's eagerness to do business, Thimphu has also been organising annual single-country trade fairs at home, with an eye to familiarising its people with Bangladeshi products.

Currently, Bhutan's main exports to Bangladesh include fruits as well as minerals such as limestone. In the other direction go processed items such as garments and packaged foods. But the nature and scale of trade in both directions could well be ramped up in the future. With massive construction currently underway in Bangladesh, Dhaka is keen to import rocks from Bhutan. Similarly, considering the significant power shortages that regularly plague Bangladesh, tapping into Bhutan's immense hydropower resources must surely be attractive to Dhaka.

Sri lanka
Preferred no more
Though the once-again President Mahinda Rajapakse is riding on a wave of victory, the question mark on his government's humanitarian credentials remain. The country – its trade sector, more specifically – is now getting a blow courtesy the European Union, in the form of temporary suspension of preferential trade benefits it had been enjoying.

Sri Lanka, one of 16 international beneficiaries of the EU's Scheme of Generalised Tariff Preferences – commonly referred to as GSP+ – is the only Asian country on the list. Yet recently, it was found guilty of not abiding by UN principles of civil, political and child rights, among others. Back in October 2008, the EU decided to launch an investigation into whether or not Sri Lanka qualified to receive certain benefits that come under the GSP+. Following an exhaustive year-long investigation regarding the execution of human-rights conventions in Sri Lanka, the EU has now come to the conclusion that there has been some serious breach of commitments. EU representatives have thus stated that the country will lose the trade benefits in question after six months.

Sri Lanka's exports to the EU mostly involve garments and textiles, and those industries will have the roughest ride once the decision comes into effect. Not surprisingly, Colombo has been critical in its response to the announcement, vowing to take steps to have the decision reassessed. For its part, the EU says it is open to dialogue with government officials, and will keep an eye on any relevant progress that Colombo might make in the coming half-year.  Region
An Indian education
Education in India will now be less of a burden for Southasian pockets. Kathmandu's request to New Delhi for fee reduction for its students in Indian universities recently drew a rather overwhelming response. The Indian University Grants Commission (UGC) has agreed to do away with the discrepancy between the charges applicable to Indian students and those of other SAARC countries.

Already a highly favoured destination for SAARC students, India can now hope to bring in students in even larger numbers. In 2008-09, India drew close to 3500 foreign students, with Afghanistan accounting for the largest chunk at some 1600. This despite the much higher fees: while Indian students pay an average of INR 25,000 for a semester at a UGC-recognised university, their SAARC counterparts shell out INR 45,000 for the same time period.

Meanwhile, the cost for non-Indian SAARC students remains high at other institutions outside the ambit of the UGC. For instance, high fees have been a major deterrent for foreign students at the IITs and the IIMs. But these institutions too are said to be contemplating a fee reduction. Along the same lines, the IITs and IIMs are considering allocating extra seats for foreign students.