This Week in Asian Conflict... December 8th-14th, 2011.

A US citizen was jailed by authorities in Thailand for translating excerpts of a locally banned biography of the King and posting them online. On Friday, the former PM was being questioned by police in connection with a deadly military crackdown on the “Red Shirt” mass opposition protests that occurred while he was in office.
On Thursday, assailants set fire to more than 20 NATO fuel tankers in Pakistan after firing rockets at a terminal for the tankers near the city of Quetta; while armed men gunned down the coordinator of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in the northwest while driving his motorbike to his office; and four militants were reportedly killed after they attacked a check post and killed a paramilitary soldier. On Friday, President Zardari told a journalist in a phone interview that he was “fine” and would return home soon amid rumours of his death and possible coup plots; a roadside blast killed three paramilitary soldiers and wounded four in Karachi; a senior military officer said the NATO air strike that killed Pakistani troops last month was pre-planned and warned of more attacks; and Pakistani security forces reportedly killed 5 militants in a clash in South Waziristan. On Saturday, security forces reportedly killed five militants in an exchange of fire in the Swat valley; security forces killed four militants and wounded three others in a clash that erupted after insurgents attacked a military check post in the northwest; while the deputy chief for the Taliban in Pakistan announced that they are in peace talks with the government, though by Monday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister, the PM and a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban all denied the peace talks, with the government saying they would only do so if the militants first disarmed and surrendered and the Taliban saying it would only talk if the government agreed to impose Sharia law. On Monday, it was reported that President Zardari would need two weeks rest in Dubai following his medical treatments; gunmen in the south west attacked a NATO supply convoy, killing one truck driver; while the PM announced that the blockade of NATO supply lines into Afghanistan is likely to stay in place for weeks and warned that further retaliatory action, such as the closing of airspace to the US, is possible amid the withdrawal of US forces from Shamsi Air Field in the south. The Senate gave final approval to two bills containing new laws that would stiffen the punishment for acid attacks against women and criminalize practices such as marrying off young girls to settle tribal disputes and preventing women from inheriting property. On Tuesday, police in the south found and released dozens of students chained and held in the basement of an Islamic seminary, some of who claimed they had been tortured and were being trained as jihadist fighters; while a US Congressional panel froze $700 million in aid to Pakistan until it could give assurances that the country is tackling the spread of homemade bombs; and one soldier was killed and seven others wounded when militants reportedly fired RPGs at a military camp in the Shawal area. On Wednesday, the government began drawing up plans to tax NATO for using its territory to supply troops in Afghanistan in retaliation for the “friendly fire” incident last month.
On Monday, Japan launched a new spy satellite into orbit reportedly amid concerns over North Korea’s missile program and to monitor natural disasters in the region. The radar satellite will be able to capture images at night and in cloudy weather and cost about $512 million to develop.
On Thursday, British PM Cameron announced that up to 4,000 British troops could leave Afghanistan early, before the end of 2013; one of three options to be considered by the PM. On Friday, a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up, killing at least five people outside a mosque in Kunar province; and unknown gunmen killed three civilians in the north. On Saturday, a bicycle bomb exploded in Kunduz city, killing two people and injuring 16; while three civilians were killed and another wounded by a roadside bomb in Kandahar province. On Monday, the National Army and coalition forces reportedly killed 14 armed insurgents while police arrested 11 others during three joint operations in Kunar and Zabul provinces. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Afghan government has made a deal with the Taliban to end attacks on state schools in return for a more conservative religious curriculum and the hiring of Taliban-approved mullahs as teachers; six civilians were killed in a homemade bomb explosion in Helmand province; Afghan security forces and foreign troops killed 18 alleged insurgents, wounded six and detained 55 in eight separate operations across the country; Afghan police killed a would-be suicide bomber near an airport in Badghis; and unknown gunmen killed some six civilians in Nangarhar. On Wednesday, the government recalled its Qatari ambassador for “consultations” amid media reports of the opening of a Taliban office in the country.
The Time of India reported on Wednesday that inequality in earnings has doubled in the country over the last two decades, making it one of the worst performers in terms of salary disparities from all emerging economies.
A former cabinet member in Turkmenistanhas criticised the ruling party for being an “unlawful institution” and for the absence of democracy and human rights within the country. Upcoming Presidential elections scheduled for February 12^th have only one legal party, that of the incumbent.
A militant group Jund al-Khilafah confirmed that five of its fighters were killed in a shootout with security forces in Kazakhstan last week. The group has been posting messages threatening the government since October, when the country adopted a new, restrictive law on religion. On Saturday, President Nursultan Nazarbaev said he would refuse to accept t,...