ConflictBarometer_2016

ASIA AND OCEANIA
Narathiwat, killing three civilians and injuring at least seven.
On November 27, approx. 200 people protested in Panare
district, Pattani, calling for an end of violence.
In the beginning of the year, various human rights groups
accused the military of torture and mistreatment. On July
26, a court charged three human rights activist with criminal
defamation, following a complaint by the military's Internal
Security Operations Command. On October 20, the Thai Academic
Network for Civil Rights condemned arbitrary arrests of
students from the southern border provinces. ceb
UZBEKISTAN – TAJIKISTAN, KYRGYZSTAN
Intensity: 2 | Change: | Start: 2010
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
Uzbekistan vs. Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan
international power, resources
The conflict over international power and water resources between
Uzbekistan, on the one hand, and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan,
on the other, escalated to a non-violent crisis.
The conflict revolved around the construction of the controversial
Rogun Dam hydropower plant (HPP) on the Vakhsh
River in southern Tajikistan, and the Kambarata-1 Dam on
the Naryn River in Jalal-Abad province, southwestern Kyrgyzstan.
The Tajik and Kyrgyz governments claimed that hydropower
projects were essential for their countries to overcome
energy shortages, while the Uzbek government raised
concerns that dam projects would reduce flows from the two
major transnational rivers, threatening its water supply and
cotton industry. Furthermore, the contested Uzbek-Kyrgyz
border, also prompted tensions between the respective governments,
reportedly related to the access to water resources.
In January, the Kyrgyz parliament canceled deals with the
Russian companies, which were leading the hydropower
projects, citing lack of progress. On April 6, Kyrgyzstan Deputy
Prime Minister Oleg Pankratov met with representatives of the
People's Republic of China's State Power Investment Corporation
to discuss building a cascade of four hydropower stations
on the Naryn River. On July 1, Tajik officials announced
that an Italian company won the USD 3.9 billion contract for
the Rogun Dam construction. On July 19, Uzbekistan's Prime
Minister Mirziyoyev warned Tajikistan's Prime Minister Rasulzoda
that the Rogun Dam could threaten the entire region.
Nevertheless, on October 29, Tajikistan officially started the
construction of the 335-metre dam.
In March, Uzbek and Kyrgyz security forces engaged in a
stand-off near the Ungar-Tepa / Unkur-Too mountain, located
on the 300 km long disputed part of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border,
about 10 km from the western Kyrgyz town of Kerben, Jalal-
Abad Region. On March 18, two Uzbek APCs and some 40 soldiers
were deployed to the border crossing near Ungar-Too,
establishing border controls on the road linking the Kyrgyz
towns of Kerben and Ala Buka. Kyrgyz authorities responded
by sending dozens of border guards and special forces to
the area. On March 26, after days of talks, Uzbek authorities
withdrew their troops from the area, while Kyrgyz forces remained.
Reportedly, that deployment was linked to Kyrgyzstan's
refusal to allow an Uzbek delegation to visit the Kasan-
Sai / Orto-Tokoy water reservoir in Kyrgyz territory, whose
162
water was used to irrigate fields in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan
claimed it should be granted access to the reservoir since it
had been built by the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in the
Soviet era. On August 13, Kyrgyz forces reportedly arrested
several Uzbek police officers near Kasan-Sai. On August 22,
Uzbekistan deployed police forces by helicopter to Ungar-Too
and detained four Kyrgyz citizens working at a telecommunications
tower, claiming they had been on Uzbek territory.
After the Kyrgyz and Uzbek governments had held talks, the
four Kyrgyz citizens were released on September 8 and the
Uzbek forces left Ungar-Too on September 18.
Following the Uzbek's military actions, a few hundred Kyrgyz
opposition members rallied in Kerben, denouncing the government's
policy towards Uzbekistan as weak. This prompted
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Temir Sariev to travel to the remote
area, demanding the border issue to be solved through talks
and negotiations. In November, meetings of working groups
for the demarcation of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border took place
[→ Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan – Tajikistan (border communities
/ Fergana Valley)]. fb
VIETNAM (SOCIOECONOMIC PROTESTS)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 1986
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
factory workers, peasants, other civilians
vs. manufacturing companies,
government
resources, other
The conflict over the socioeconomic system and resources,
especially over working conditions, corruption, and land grabbing,
between peasants, factory workers, activists, and other
civilians, on the one hand, and the government and manufacturing
companies, on the other, continued as a violent crisis.
As in the previous year, protests over land-related issues were
most common. On January 12, approx. 100 peasants marched
against land confiscations in the capital Hanoi. Around 200 to
300 police officers dispersed protesters and arrested at least
30 people. In another incident on September 20, a court in
Hanoi sentenced a peasant from Duong Noi, Ha Dong district,
to 20 months in prison, for having participated in a protest
at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Hanoi,
against the acquisition of her land on June 10. On July 5, the
World Bank approved a $150 million credit to improve land
governance in Vietnam, simplifying land registration procedures
and information transparency on the sub-national level.
Throughout the year, workers engaged in unauthorized strikes
against foreign-owned companies in the industrialized South.
To improve worker rights, the government enacted Circular
59/2015/TT-BLDTBXH on January 1, which expanded social
insurance schemes and increased health-related leave compensation
for employees. From February 25 to 26, 17,000
workers of the Taiwanese shoe company Pou Chen in Bien
Hoa, Dong Nai Province, went on strike over a new company
policy that withheld the year-end bonuses of workers. On
June 30, the National Assembly decided to postpone the passage
of the updated Penal Code for further revisions. The
new code envisioned an enlargement of penalties on employ-