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Year in review: Asia 2002
By Masato Kajimoto
(CNN) -- The global war against terrorism came to Asia in 2002 as terrorist attacks occurred across the region from Pakistan to Indonesia . Mounting evidence revealed the technological expertise and sophisticated training of the al Qaeda network across the region, especially within Southeast Asia. (Special report: SE Asia front) The terror group is believed to be behind a number of bombings in Indonesia including the deadly explosions that ripped through two popular nightclubs on October 12 on the resort island of Bali. (Special report: Bali bombings) The year began with the U.S.-led coalition pursuing elements of the Taliban in the mountains of Afghanistan, and the international community pledged billions of dollars to help kick-start Afghanistan's reconstruction. (Special report: Rebuilding Afghanistan) Despite the military successes of the coalition forces in Afghanistan, terrorism claimed another victim. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, abducted on his way to interview a Muslim fundamentalist leader in Pakistan, was confirmed dead in February. A Pakistan court later convicted four Islamic radicals for the kidnapping and killing of Pearl. The same month an express train carrying Hindu activists was set on fire in a Muslim-dominated area of the western state of Gujarat, India. The incident triggered outbreaks of religious violence that engulfed India's western region, killing many hundreds of people and forcing thousands to flee their homes. (Special report: Religious strife) As sporadic clashes between Hindus and Muslims hit South Asia, tensions between India and Pakistan already high following an attack on the Indian parliament, increased further after an assault on an army camp. New Delhi blamed the attack on Kashmiri separatist groups operating from Pakistani-controlled territory with backing from Islamabad. The standoff prompted a massive international diplomatic effort to avert war between the two nuclear-armed rivals. (Special report: Where conflict rules) In East Asia, however, soccer fans were distracted from international conflict as World Cup co-hosts South Korea and Japan unexpectedly made it to the knockout phase. South Korean football supporters known as the 'Red Devils' were exuberant as their national team stormed through to the semi-finals and became the surprise sensation of the football fiesta. (Special report: World Cup) The international community celebrated the birth of a new nation in Southeast Asia on May 25. The Democratic Republic of East Timor became the world's newest country, bringing to an end the decades of occupation and violence that marked the territory's long road to independence from the colonial power of Portugal and the occupying forces of Indonesia. (Special report: East Timor) Also in May, Myanmar's democracy leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi made a triumphant return to her party's headquarters after being freed from 19-month house arrest. World leaders lauded her apparent unconditional release and expressed hope that the move would be a first step towards full democracy. (Special report: Aung San Suu Kyi). The Korean Peninsula also observed signs of détente and reconciliation in 2002. In September, North and South Korea agreed to work on cross-border land links while hundreds of separated Korean families reunited for the first time in 50 years. But the secretive communist North stunned the world with two surprising admissions. The first was an announcement that North Korean spies had kidnapped more than ten Japanese citizens decades ago, the second that it continued a secret nuclear program after agreeing to freeze it in 1994. (Special report: Two Koreas) In South Asia, Pakistan ended three years of military rule in October by holding national elections. The nation's return to democracy and a new government, however, was met with skepticism as President Pervez Musharaff consolidated his power prior to the elections by winning a controversial referendum to serve for the next five years as president and chief of the army.(Special report: Pakistan decides) In China President Jiang Zemin signaled his leadership was drawing to a close by handing over the reigns of the ruling Communist Party to Vice President Hu Jintao in November at the party congress. Changes to the Politburo Standing Committee, the key decision-making body in the world's most populous nation, were also announced. (Special report: China's new leaders) Overall, Asia was once again reminded of its susceptibility to violence -- even more so as terrorist attacks and religious conflicts intensified throughout the region. At the same time, the expanding gap between the haves and have-nots once again reinforced that hundreds of millions of Asians were struggling to scratch out a basic living. Terrorism and the economy continue to top the agenda for many Asian leaders as they prepare for 2003. With no auspicious economic indicators in sight, billions of Asians that make up more than one-third of the world's population can only hope things will improves in the coming months.
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