According to the International Crisis Group (ICG), Uzbekistan is a serious threat to itself and Central Asia.

The non-governmental organization (NGO) claims that the human rights situation is grave and the government severely persecutes its critics. Citizens who seek to leave the country live in constant danger of attempts to return them forcibly.

An ICG report says that the Uzbek government has almost eliminated civil society and the independent media; foreign news journalists face threats and persecution.

President Islam Karimov’s term ended in January, but he has not yet left office, and there are no signs that he plans to do so. His eventual departure could lead to a power struggle.

The government justifies its policies by citing the dangers imposed by radical Islamist groups. However, according to ICG, there is no evidence that these groups pose a clear threat.

The European Union recently renewed sanctions imposed in 2005 after Uzbek troops fired on protesters.

The ICG is an (NGO) that works to prevent and resolve conflicts.

For more information, please see:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6959934.stm

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/08/13ab3d10-5598-487e-91f8-3f6331a7c97a.html

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5027&l=1

Dhaka University students burned a military van and damaged at least 50 vehicles yesterday. The students also burnt effigies of army leaders. The students were protesting the army’s presence on the campus during a soccer game.

In response, police used teargas and rubber bullets to break up the crowd. More than 100 students were injured. The police also ordered a curfew on Dhaka and five other cities.

A military-backed interm government took power in January following months of political violence. Since then, the government has banned protests and street assemblies. Also since then, army troops have been camping in Dhaka Univerity’s gymnasium.

The students seek an immediate dismantling of the army camp on the campus. They retaliated against the police with sticks and stones. There are 40,000 students there. The Dhaka University Teachers Association supports the students’ demands. Some teachers have joined the protesting students.

The Dkaka and five other Bangladesh universities have been indefinitely closed.

For more information, please see:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest_of_World/Students_clash_with_securtiy_forces_in_Bangladesh_dozens_hurt/articleshow/2296863.cms

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2011415.htm

http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/administration/afp-news.html?id=070821120034.dtfeurpo&cat=null

President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev’s governing party won every seat being contested in Kazakhstan’s weekend parliamentary elections.  The opposition has rejected the results, saying they were manipulated; international observers, including the US, have criticized the results and deemed the vote flawed.

Gonzalo Gallegos, a spokesman for the US State Department said Sunday’s election fell short of international standards.

President Nazarbayev’s Nur Otan (Light of the Fatherland) party received 88% of Saturday’s vote, and no other party cleared the 7% barrier needed to win a seat in the Parliament’s lower house.

Nazarbayev has ruled the oil-rich country since 1989, when it was still a Soviet republic.  He had pledged the elections would be free and fair.  These parliamentary elections were called two years early because of Nazarbayev’s intent to strengthen the Parliament and expand the country’s political spectrum.  This move was widely seen as a maneuver by him to try to improve Kazakhstan’s democratic image while maintaining his grip on power.  Critics say the 7% barrier for representation in Parliament is too high for a country where most political parties are in early stages.

Senator Consiglio Di Nino of Canada has said that notwithstanding the concerns, he believes that the elections continue to move Kazakhstan forward in its evolution towards a democratic country.

For more information, please see:

–http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/08/20/kazakh_leaders_party_is_victorious/

–http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2007/08/20/afx4034598.html

–http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/20/america/NA-GEN-US-Kazakhstan.php

–http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/20/world/asia/20kazakh.html

–http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1654203,00.html

In Jaffna, Sri Lanka, at least 21 civilians have been killed and 18 abducted over 15 days of August, according to the Jaffna Human Rights Commission. Over the past 21 months, 5,200 Tamils have been killed, thousands have been abducted and over 500,000 people have been placed in temporary shelters.

Human Rights Watch has called for a UN human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka to help to protect civilians, end impunity and promote a resolution to the conflict. The Sri Lankan government denies the claims of human-rights abuses.

Sri Lanka in a civil war since 1983, with the rebels fighting to create an ethnic Tamil homeland in the north and east against the majority Sinhalese government. More than 70,000 people have been killed.

This week, Sri Lankan fighter jets destroyed a separatist camp in the north. The Tamil Tiger sea camp had been identified as an arms and explosives supply center for the insurgents. Also this week, rebels killed four police commandos in an hour-long battle in the eastern Ampara district.

Both sides continue to violate the official cease-fire, but neither side has officially abrogated it.

For more information, please see:

http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/publish/tns_8495.shtml

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/human-rights-group-says-sri-lankan/n20070806174809990002

http://www.hrw.org/wr2k/Asia-08.htm

The Philippines armed forces started a new campaign against southern Muslim insurgents. Their apparent aim is to topple the 300-member Abu Sayyaf group. They also threaten to increase the conflict with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).