Press Review November 10-24

PROSECUTOR GENERAL OF TAJIKISTAN CRITCIZE THE NATIONAL BANK, TAJIK POWER STRUCTURES AND... UZBEK AUTHORITIES

The Prosecutor General of Tajikistan Bobojon Bobokhonov states in his interview with "Biznes i Politika" (Business and Policy) # 47 that the rate of crime in the country shows a downward tendency. Especially, a number of grave crimes such as murders, armed robberies and others has decreased considerably. At the same time, a number of corruption-related crimes is increasing in the country. The Prosecutor General stressed the importance of countering this phenomenon. Bobojon Bobokhonov gave concrete examples, when the National Bank and other banks were giving non-guaranteed credits without checking solvency of a subject. The Prosecutor supposed that somebody of employees of these structures was interested in granting such credits. He noted that the Procurator's Office had also revealed cases of illegal sale of land.

The Prosecutor General also said that President's edict on reduction of the strength of the military contractors was not fulfilled properly. He noted that many cases of violation of legality, human rights had been revealed. Thus, only in the Sughd region the Procurator's Office has instituted 48 criminal proceedings.

The Procurator General considers the Uzbek mining illegal. He said that the Procurator's Office for the Sughd region had been charged to translate into Russian and Uzbek proceedings having instituted by fact of blowing up of the Tajik citizens by mines on the Tajik-Uzbek border and send them to the Procurator's Office of Uzbekistan.

SUITCASE OF FORGED US DOLLARS IS STROLLING ABOUT THE COUNTRY

Asia-Plus # 43 informs that the police have detained a great party of forged 100-dollar bank-note in the Ura Teppa district of the Sughd (Leninabad) region. On November 13, the Head of the Interior Ministry Department on Combating the Illegal Drug Trafficking Alikhon Rahmonov said in his interview with Asia-Plus that the citizen of Kirgyzstan Ghanijon Abdulloyev and the resident of Ura Teppa Rahim Usmonov had been arrested. The police have found 192 forged 100-dollar bank-note in the house of Rahim Usmonov. Besides, it was established that they had managed to purchase 3 tons of tea for the forged dollars at the price of $ 3000. According to the sources the forged bank-note have been produced in Chechnya. They had been produced so professionally that even the bank detector couldn't define them. According to Ghanijon Abdulloyev the majority part of the forged bank-note has been already spent.

AUTHORITIES OF DUSHANBE STRUGGLING MERCHANTS' SUBOTAGE

The Russian-language newspaper "Vecherny Dushanbe" (Evening Dushanbe) # 46 informs that on November 9, a meeting of the Mayor's Office of Dushanbe was held to discuss the issues of stabilization of prices at the markets of the city. The Mayor of Dushanbe Mahmadsaid Ubaydulloyev speaking at the meeting noted that introduction of the new currency was binding them to protect its rate and stability. According to him there are cases, when the sellers are trying to inflate prices goods and putting by the goods. Such a situation is also at the currency market. The Mayor of Dushanbe charged the law enforcement agencies of the city to provide more rigorous control of the currency exchange offices in the territory of Dushanbe. He also charged the working groups of the Hukumat of Dushanbe and law enforcement agencies of the city to consider not later than November 15 the issue of introducing measures against those shops, which had ceased trading since the day of introducing the new currency. The signed agreements must be declared invalid and these shops must be transferred to the possession of the municipal markets and the City Committee for State Property. Law enforcement agencies must prepare documents to settle in legal form the issue on depriving such entrepreneurs of trading license. "Vecherny Dushanbe" adds that the meeting took a decision to set up fixed prices for 13 main kinds of goods. Thus, the price of meat must not exceed TJR 2,000, sugar - TJR 1,100, potato - TJR 170 and so on. Every day, members of the special commission make the round of shops to monitor range of goods and prices of them.

The newspaper "Vostochny Express" (Orient Express) # 42 notes that meat is not practically on sale in Dushanbe.

PROSECUTOR GENERAL: DIKTAT OF PRICES AT THE MARKET IS IRRELEVANT

The Russian-language newspaper "Biznesmen" (Businessman) # 25 informs that import reduction in Tajikistan continues to show an upward tendency. Flight to the United Arab Emirates are being cancelled, there are almost no "shuttle" merchants wishing to go to China, Iran and so on. The newspaper considers that in many respects this situation has been caused by errors having been made during the introduction of a new currency in the country. Thus, the population has not been informed about the currency reform in time. The newspaper writes that devaluation of the new currency has been already started - the exchange rate between Somoni and US $ at the black market is already 2.70:1, that is the black market exchange rate of Somoni outstrips by 25-30 % the official exchange rate of Somoni fixed by the National Bank, which is 2.20:1. Bobojon Bobokhonov said in his interview with the newspaper that an attempt to dictate prices had had an inverse effect and had brought to shortage of meat, oil, flour and sugar and after that to the rise in prices of these goods. The Prosecutor General stressed that law enforcement agencies had ought not to interfere in the process of regulating prices. Moreover, according to the Prosecutor, it was an edict of the President on that subject. He notes that spontaneity and disorder t the currency market brings to various sorts of infringements and crimes and inconstant functioning of the currency exchange becomes an additional factor that affect the situation at the currency market. According to him a lot of money are made on the difference between the official and market rates of the national currency and some careless bankers permit it.

RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS THREATEN THE TALIBAN WITH STRIKES

Newspapers inform that the Russian border guards have fixed 10 other bursts of mines in the territory of Tajikistan having been launched from the territory of Afghanistan. According to information received from the Press Service of the Group of Russian Border Guards in Tajikistan, the mines blew up on November 10, from 4:40 to 5:30 p.m., opposite the area of the Pyanj Frontier Detachment's responsibility. The armed formations of the Taliban and the Northern Alliance were conducting military actions with use of fire-arms mortars. The mine blew up not only in the territory of the Frontier Detachment but also near the settlements. Fortunately, there are no casualties among the Russian border guards and the Tajik population. According to newspapers the Russian military specialists consider that the Frontier Post "Tugul" was fired on intentionally. Besides, the Taliban's mortar crew was also firing at the temporary camp of the Afghan refugees in the island area of the River Pyanj. According to the Russian border guard the mines blew up within the territory of the camp and some tents were burnt down. The refugees were forced to leave the camp. The Russian border guards are concerned over the becoming more frequent cases of explosion of mines and shells launched from the territory of Afghanistan in the Tajik territory. To avert possible casualties and damages in the territory of Tajikistan the Command of the Group of the Russian Border Guards in Tajikistan doesn't exclude that they will be compelled to take a decision on striking weapon emplacements of the Taliban firing in the direction of the territory of Tajikistan.

THE TALIBAN DENY AND WARN

Asia-Plus # 43 referring to Radio "Shariat" informs that on November 12, the Ambassador of the Taliban Administration to Pakistan mullah Abdussalom Zaif speaking at a press conference in Islamabad denied allegations of the Command of the Russian Border Guards in Tajikistan that the Tajik territory had been fired on from the territory of Afghanistan by the Taliban from mortars and heavy guns. Radio "Shariat" reported on that on Sunday evening, November 12. According to mullah Abdussalom Zaif the statement of the Russian border guards is groundless and it is evidence of their desire to excuse their interference in domestic affairs of Afghanistan. On the same day the Taliban's MFA spread a statement, in which they accuse the Russian military of providing armed forces of the "Northern Alliance" with arms and ammunition. At the same time, the Minister of Defense the Taliban Administration Mavlavi Ubaydulla stated that the neighboring countries might be drawn into the Afghan war, if Russia and its regional allies continued secret support of the "Northern Alliance".