Neighbourhood News Digest – 29 May 2023

Afghanistan

Kabul-Tehran issues can be resolved through talks: Afghanistan’s acting FM - Siasat

Tehran has been accusing Kabul of making excuses for giving Iran’s share in the water flow, but the Afghan side rejected the allegation, insisting the water level has receded due to continued drought. Muttaqi’s remarks on solving issues between Kabul and Tehran were reported amid border clashes between the border forces of the two countries. One person from the Afghan side and one from Iran were killed in a clash along the border with Afghanistan’s western Nimroz province on Saturday, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takour said.Click here to read... [2]

Iran-Afghanistan border clash: Iranian and Taliban forces clash over water dispute; at least 3 killed

The Taliban have released a video claiming that they reached close to an Iranian base in the border area during the border clash between Afghanistan and Iran in Saturday. At least two Iranian border guards and one Taliban security force have been killed after clashes between Taliban and Iranian forces at the border crossing point. Click here to read... [3]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh-China relations should focus on further dev: PM – New Age

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina described China as one of the major development partners of Bangladesh, saying that the main focus of the bilateral relations between the two countries should be focused on further development of the two nations. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina described China as one of the major development partners of Bangladesh, saying that the main focus of the bilateral relations between the two countries should be focused on further development of the two nations. Click here to read... [4]

New US visa policy before general elections an ‘insult to Bangladesh’ - Telegraph

The US government’s attempts to use punitive measures on people undermining the democratic election process — by imposing visa restrictions — reached the subcontinent on Wednesday with the state department announcing a new visa policy for Bangladesh barely seven months before the country’s next general elections. Click here to read... [5]

What explains the US visa ‘threat’ to Dhaka? - Indian Express

In her three terms in office, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s style of functioning has come to be seen as increasingly authoritarian. She has been a steadfast friend to India, and there is no doubt that New Delhi wants her to continue in power. There are indications, however, that the US could be more open to political change in Dhaka. Click here to read... [6]

Bhutan

Bhutan-China boundary expert group talks pick up speed, officials hold second meeting this year – The Hindu

After talks in Thimphu, Bhutan and China said they had made more progress in implementing a “three-step roadmap” towards resolving their boundary dispute. The 12th Expert Group Meeting (EGM), which oversees the actual boundary talks, was held in the Bhutanese capital just four months after the 11th round of EGM talks was held in Kunming. It stressed the “importance of increasing the frequency of their meetings.” However, the meeting didn’t announce any breakthrough in setting a date for the next round or the 25th round of boundary talks, which have not been held since 2016, and was suspended after the military standoff at Doklam, but said that they agreed to hold them “as soon as possible at mutually convenient dates.” Click here to read... [7]

Bhutan: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck redefines leadership with visionary plans – Associates Times

Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the fifth King of the current line of Dragon Kings, is working towards achieving a ‘transformation’ in his country through the implementation of a new educational structure, reforms in governance and upliftment of infrastructural projects and connectivity. Click here to read... [8]

Vehicle import sees significant decline of about 35 percent – Kuensel

In a move aimed at conserving foreign currency reserves and reducing trade deficit, the Bhutanese government implemented a vehicle import moratorium in August, last year, resulting in a notable decrease of about 35 percent in vehicle imports in 2022 compared to the previous year. According to statistics, Bhutan imported vehicles valued at Nu 3.27 billion (B) in 2022, encompassing passenger cars, vehicles for the transportation of ten or more people, goods transport, electric cars, and motorcycles. Click here to read... [9]

Maldives

Maldives leads tourism recovery, buoyed by Russian travelers - Asia Nikkei

The Maldives is ahead of other Asian destinations in terms of attracting tourists in the wake of COVID-19, thanks in part to flocks of travelers from Russia who have been shunned by many countries following the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Over 523,000 foreign tourists visited the tropical island country in the first quarter of this year, up 8.5% from the same period in 2019 and making the Maldives one of the first nations where arrivals have exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Click here to read... [10]

Aminath Shifana appointed Consul General of Maldives in Thiruvananthapuram - Raajje

A new Consul General of Maldives in Thiruvananthapuram of neighboring India, has been appointed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that Aminath Shifana was appointed to the post on Thursday. Shifana was presented with her Letter of Appointment as the new Consul General of Maldives in Thiruvananthapuram, by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid during a ceremony held at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Click here to read... [11]

Myanmar

ASEAN-Japan Centre under fire for Myanmar grant - TTR Weekly

The Tokyo-based ASEAN-Japan Centre on Trade, Investment and Tourism provided a grant to the Myanmar junta’s investment and foreign economic relations ministry for a capacity-building programme on reforms required to implement international investment agreements according to Justice for Myanmar, quoting leaked documents and public sources. Click here to read... [12]

Burmese Military Committing Atrocities In Myanmar - OWP

Fortify Rights, an advocacy group, filed a complaint with the German Office of the Federal Prosecutor last week, accusing the Myanmar military of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Since the 2020 Myanmar general election, the Burmese military launched a coup and seized control of the country. This was done in response to election results, which showed a landslide victory for Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. Click here to read... [13]

BSF seizes 86 Myanmar breed cattle, arrests 18 in Tripura - India Today NE

The Border Security Force (BSF) on May 28 seized 86 Myanmar breed cattle and apprehended 18 individuals involved in a major cattle smuggling operation near the Tripura-Mizoram border. The incident occurred in the Shibbari area under the Manu police station of the Longtorai Valley subdivision. Click here to read... [14]

WFP Myanmar and Bangladesh Situation Report, Cyclone Mocha (26 May 2023) - Relief Web

3.4 million people are living in Cyclone Mocha’s highest impact zone (Myanmar), of which 1.6 million are targeted for the cyclone response. 780,000 people in Bangladesh, including refugees in all 33 Rohingya refugee camps, plus Bangladeshi communities, were affected. Click here to read... [15]

Nepal

Nepal starts exporting electricity to India – The Hindu

Nepal has started exporting electricity to India from May 27, as the generation of hydroelectricity from run-of-the-river projects increased with the onset of the monsoon in the Himalayan country. “We have started selling 600 MW hour electricity to India from Saturday as there is a surplus in the electricity in the country,” said Suresh Bhattarai, spokesperson of Nepal Electricity Authority. Some time ago Nepal was importing up to 400 MW electricity from India to meet the domestic demand. Click here to read... [16]

Nepal Approves Second Hydropower Project To Be Developed By India – NDTV

Nepal on Sunday decided to allow India's Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Limited to develop a second hydropower project in the country. At present SJVN is developing a 900-MW Arun -III hydroelectric project, a run-of-river located on the Arun River in Eastern Nepal, scheduled to be completed in 2024. A meeting of the Investment Board Nepal (IBN) chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" approved the draft project development agreement (PDA) to be signed with India's state-owned SJVN to develop the 669-megawatt (MW) Lower Arun Hydropower project in eastern Nepal, an official statement said. Click here to read... [17]

Common e-payments mechanism deal likely during Nepal PM Prachanda's visit – The Economic Times

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda''s visit to India visit this week could lead to some critical bilateral agreements to widen cross-border partnership, including a pact on a common digital payments mechanism, in the backdrop of strong people-to-people ties. Click here to read... [18]

Nepal President pardons 501 prisoners including Tharu leader Resham Chaudhary – The Telegraph Online

Nepal President Ramchandra Poudel on Sunday pardoned 501 convicts including Tharuhat leader and Nagarik Unmukti Party chief Resham Chaudhary who is serving life imprisonment. Earlier in the morning, a meeting of the Council of Ministers decided to recommend a presidential pardon for 501 jail inmates, including 19 political prisoners, according to the President's Office. Click here to read... [19]

Pakistan

Pakistan: Imran Khan urges SC judges to take notice, ensure judicial probe into May 9 violence – The Print

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday urged the Supreme Court judges to take notice and ensure a judicial probe into the violence that took place on May 9 so that only the “guilty should be punished,” Dawn reported. Khan said that the apex court should take suo motu notice and issue directions to release women political prisoners, who were peacefully protesting, as per the Dawn report. He stressed that judicial inquiry was required to identify those who fired and killed 25 unarmed protesters and injured hundreds of protesters. Click here to read... [20]

Pakistan High Commission suspends activities of its school in Delhi – Deccan Herald

The Pakistan High Commission here has suspended the activities of its school in the national capital on account of low enrolment. The school catered to the needs of children of the mission's staff, which dwindled after Islamabad downgraded its strength in 2020. Upon completion of the current academic year, the activities of the Pakistan High Commission School have been suspended, because of low enrolment levels in view of the downgraded strength of the High Commission, a Pakistan High Commission spokesperson said in response to media queries. Click here to read... [21]

Intercepted phone call reveals plot by Imran Khan's party to stage fake raid, claims Pakistan minister – The Economic Times

Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has claimed that the intelligence agencies have intercepted a conversation indicating that Imran Khan's party was hatching a plot to defame law enforcement authorities. Addressing a hastily staged press conference on Saturday night, Sanaullah alleged that the objective of the move was to falsely implicate the law-enforcement agencies in the crime and subsequently raise the issue at the international level. Click here to read... [22]

Pakistan says to share budget details with IMF to unlock funds – Reuters

Pakistan will share its upcoming budget details with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to unlock stalled funds, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday. Hopes for a resumption of an IMF deal are diminishing, analysts say, with a bailout programme agreed in 2019 due to expire on June 30 at the end of the 2022-23 fiscal year. Click here to read... [23]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Navy working closely with India to check drug menace: Priyantha Perera – The Print

The Sri Lankan Navy is working closely with the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy to check smuggling of drugs and contraband substances through their territorial sea and international maritime routes, said Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, Commander of Sri Lankan Navy. He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the passing out parade held at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, on Saturday. Mr. Perera was the chief guest at the ceremony in which 207 trainees, including eight cadets from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Maldives, passed out. Click here to read... [24]

IMF urges crisis-hit Sri Lanka to decide on debt restructuring, including with China: Report – The Print

The International Monetary Fund has urged crisis-hit Sri Lanka to decide on debt restructuring, including with China, by October this year in order to obtain the applied bailout fund of USD 2.9 bn from the IMF, Daily Mirror reported. According to Daily Mirror, China’s delaying tactics clearly indicate that without their assistance, an IMF bailout would be impossible for Sri Lanka, Daily Mirror reported. Click here to read... [25]

EAM Jaishankar underlines ‘extended neighbourhood’: India did more for Lanka than IMF – Indian Express

India has done more for Sri Lanka than the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Union Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar stressed on Saturday. The Modi government, he underlined, is working on developing an “extended neighbourhood” that involves islands in the Indian Ocean, Gulf countries and nations in South-East Asia. Click here to read... [26]