DUSHANBE, January 17, Asia-Plus – 4,613 kilograms of drugs, with a half of them being heroin, were interested in Tajikistan last year, the DCA first deputy director, Fayzullo Abdulloyev, said at a news conference in Dushanbe today.  

According to him, three mobile anti-narcotics units have been formed and deployed along the border with



Afghanistan


.   

The Tajik drugs-squad spokesman Avaz Yuldoshev telling the news conference noted that two heroin-producing labs were destroyed in northern


Afghanistan


yesterday.  According to him, these labs were discovered with help of the Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA). 

Yuldoshev reminded that two joint operations carried out by officers of the DCA in cooperation with Tajik border troops in early December last year led to the seizure of 120 kilograms of heroin and arrest of several Afghan drug traffickers.  “On of them has begun testifying about the origin of heroin smuggled into Tajikistan and we have sent the received information to the Afghan Ministry of Security,” said the DCA spokesman, “Due to this information two heroin labs having capacity of daily producing 20 and 10 kilograms respectively were discovered and destroyed in Afghanistan yesterday.”     

DUSHANBE


, January 17, Asia-Plus – over the past several years, a volume of revenues for rendering communication service has increased, The Communications Minister, Said Zuvaydov, remarked at a news conference in


Dushanbe


on January 17.  

“With services rendered by cellular operators the total volume of income of enterprises of the Ministry of Communications amounted to 208.7 million Somonis in 2005,” the minister said, noting that  income of the ministry’s enterprises amounted to 80.2 million Somonis and income of cellular operators amounted to 128.5 million Somonis or 61.6 of the total income.  

Operators of traditional types of communications received the largest income from rendering electrical communication services, which amounted to 48.8 million Somonis, according to Zuvaydov.  

Last year, the Communications Ministry’s enterprises rendered paid services to the population for a total amount of 20.9 million Somonis, which is 26.1 percent of tariff incomes.  

According to the minister, at present some 10,000 people are working with enterprises in the telecommunications sector and last year, an average monthly wage in the telecommunications sector amounted to 213 Somonis, including allowances and privileges.  Last year, the average monthly wage in the sector was 210 Somonis.    

Mr. Zuvaydov also said that currently, nine cellular operators are functioning in the republic and last year, 402,000 people used services rendered by the cellular operators. 

KULOB, January 17, Asia-Plus – Throughout the Kulob region of Khatlon during 2005, the Kulob branch of the State Unitary Enterprise for Sale of State-owned Properties realized in auctions real estate properties and machines for a total amount of 136,000 Somonis.  

Fakhriddin Rustamov, head the Kulob branch of the State Unitary Enterprise for Sale of State-owned Properties, has told Asia-Plus the properties and machines sold by auctions included properties and machines arrested by local tax police as well as properties put on auction by the state-run and non-government organizations.  

A Kulob-based enterprise on production of meat products was put on auction for the purpose of clearing off its bank loan and sold at 11,065 Somonis.  

According to Rustamov, the next auction will be held in Kulob on January 30.  

DUSHANBE


, January 17, Asia-Plus – A delegation of Tajik parliamentarians led by Mehmon Bakhti, deputy head of the Majlisi Milli (


Tajikistan


’s upper chamber of parliament) Committee on Constitution and Human Rights and Freedoms, will take part in events in Kazakh capital Astana to mark the 10

^th

anniversary of the establishment of


Kazakhstan


’s parliament.    

According to information from the Majlisi Milli, Mehmon Bakhti is scheduled to meet with Nurtay Abykayev, Chairman of Senate (


Kazakhstan


’s upper house of parliament) and Ural Mukhamedzhanov, Chairman of Mazhilis (


Kazakhstan


’s lower chamber of parliament) in Astana on January 20.  The talks are supposed to focus on parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.

DUSHANBE, January 17, Asia-Plus – Consideration of an appeal lodged by Mahmadruzi Iskandarov, leader of Tajikistan’s Democratic Party (DPT), against sentenced passed on him will be held on January 18.  

The DPT deputy head, Rahmatullo Valiyev, has told Asia-Plus that consideration of Iskandarov’s appeal will be held behind closed doors in the Security Ministry-run pretrial detention facility.   “As it is known, the trial was open and held in the building of the supreme Court,” said Mr. Valiyev, “Now we have known that the consideration will be held behind closed doors in the Security Ministry-run pretrial detention facility.” 

“We state again that the trial of leader of



Tajikistan


’s Democratic Party was politically motivated,” Valiyev stressed.

DUSHANBE, January 17, Asia-Plus – There are approximately 50 of the Tajik-Afghan border on the Tajik side (Shuroobod stretch of the border) that are effectively unguarded, Tajik border service chief, Colonel-General Saydamir Zuhurov remarked at a meeting with journalists on January 16.     

According to him, it is connected with inconvenient stationing of frontier posts and the mountain relief of area.  “Even in the Soviet era, this area was not controlled by border troops and there were no any barrage works there,” Zuhurov stressed.  

He also reminded that more than 21 kilometers of barbed wire and two frontier posts in Hamadoni District were damaged by flooding last year.    

“A total damage caused by the disasters to the Tajik border troops amounted to more than 5 million Somonis,” noted the Tajik border service chief, “In 2006, with support of international donors we plan to build new frontier posts and blockings.” 

“Despite certain problems, our border troops are protecting the border properly,” Zuhurov said.