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Thailand
Uproar in Thailand! The year saw Thais filling the streets, shouting slogans against government since August. For over a week in September, thousands of protesters, under the name of People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), staged a sit-in outside the government buildings in Thai capital Bangkok, demanding resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. A few days later, Sundaravej was kicked out of the office when the Constitutional Court issued a ruling saying that he had breached the Constitution by being paid to make an appearance on a cookery show. Later, Somchai Wongsawat, brother-in-law of exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, became the Prime Minister.
The new leader also failed to calm protesters who were calling for corruption-free leadership. Intensifying their processions and demonstrations, anti-government protesters shut down the Suvarnaabhumi airport leaving millions of foreigners stranded. As the year waned, the uproar seemed to have been calmed, as the Constitutional Court disbanded the governing party citing its engagement in fraud during the 2007 elections.
On December 15, the articulate, Oxford-educated Abhisit Vejjajiva, who heads the Democrat Party, became the country’s new PM. His rise to the country’s top post has brought a ray of hope in the country.
Italy – Berlusconi returns
The year brought fortunes for former premier Silvio Berlusconi. As Prime Minister Romano Prodi stepped down after losing a confidence vote in the Senate in January, Berlusconi shone on the political scene of Italy again and won the Parliamentary Elections in April.
As the year moved towards culmination, Italy prepared itself to tackle the menace of heavy rains. Rome declared a state of emergency as the swollen Tiber River threatened to flood. Milan in the north to Palermo and Sicily in the south were also flooded.
Serbia – Karadzic nabbed after 13-year chase
Finally! Fugitive Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb President during the Bosnian War (1992-95), was nabbed in Belgrade on July 18. He was charged with genocide, persecution, deportation, and other crimes against non-Serb civilians. Karadzic orchestrated the massacre of almost 8,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995 in Srebrenica. He is currently at The Hague in the custody of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Meanwhile, Boris Tadic retained presidential power in February. Later in July, the Serbian Parliament approved a new government composed of the Tadic-led Democratic Party and the Socialist Party, formerly led by Slobodan Milosevic. Mirko Cvetkovic becomes the new Prime Minister.
Kosovo – An independent state now!
The wait is over! Kosovo is now an independent state. After months-long talks between the EU, Russia and the US over the status of Kosovo ended without any breakthrough, the disputed region’s PM Hashim Thaci declared independence from Serbia on February 17. While Serbia and Russia refused to recognise Kosovo’s independence, the US, France, Germany, and the UK welcomed the world’s 195th country.
Cuba – Fidel Castro retires
End of an era! Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz resigned as President of Cuba in February. The world watched with bated breath the transition of power in the Latin American country. The ailing Cuban revolutionary leader handed over power to his younger brother, Raul Castro.
Colombia – Betancourt rescued from FARC captivity
Colombian commandos rescued 15 hostages, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, from the clutches of FARC rebels this year. Betancourt was freed after being in captivity for almost six years.
Ireland
Brian Cowen, a former Finance Minister, rose to become Ireland’s Prime Minister on May 07 after winning a vote in the Dáil, the country’s Parliament. Cowen’s antecedent, Bertie Ahern, stepped down in May due to a row over his alleged acceptance of bribe in the early 1990s when he was Finance Minister.
Mauritania
Bloodless coup took place in Mauritania when top four military leaders deposed President Sidi Mohamed Ould Sheik Abdallahi and Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar in August.
Japan
In a sudden turn of events this year, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda stepped down, after he found little or no support for his policies even within his government. Conservative Taro Aso succeeded Fukuda.
Angola
In the country`s first elections in 16 years, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) won about 82% of the vote in the Legislative Election.
Canada
In a bid to turn his minority Conservative government into majority in Parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper set national elections for October 14. Albeit Harper-led Conservative Party defeated the Liberal Party, yet it failed to garner a majority in the House of Commons and returned as a minority government.
In December, Harper attempted to stop a no-confidence vote by the opposition by suspending Parliament until January 26, 2009.
Myanmar
The military government of Myanmar freed this year more than 9,000 prisoners, including the longest-serving political prisoner, Win Tin. According to estimates, around 2,000 political prisoners continue to stay in detention.
Syria
Syria hit headlines in October when the American Special Operations Forces carried out aerial attack into the country to kill a suspected al Qaeda facilitator, Abu Ghadiya. The militant was accused of smuggling weapons, money, and fighters into Iraq from Syria.
Congo
Humanitarian crisis intensified in Congo when rebels took over a major Army base of Rumangaboebel and advanced towards Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
The crisis deepened as the UN peacekeeping troops came under attack from angry civilians who were frustrated over the world body’s inability to thwart the rebels. According to reports, nearly 250,000 civilians have been displaced since a peace agreement collapsed in August.
The rebels, loyal to a Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda, later stopped outside of Goma and announced a truce in October.
Later, a UN report said that government soldiers and rebels committed serious human right abuses, including mass killings, arbitrary executions, rape and torture. The report described the human rights situation in the central African country as "a cause for grave concern."
Indonesia
Six years after Bali was bombed, its perpetrators were brought to justice. On November 09, Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Imam Samudra, and Mukhlas were executed by firing squad for their role in the bombing at a nightclub in Bali that claimed 202 lives. In response, Islamist extremists launched protests in the country.
Nigeria
First food riots and then sectarian clashes marred Nigerian peace this year. A dispute over local elections led to fighting between Muslims and Christians in Jos. The fighting in November witnessed the killing of at least 400. Hundreds others were wounded and 7,000 displaced.
Greece
Riots, riots, riots! Greece witnessed its worst civil disturbances in decades when on December 06, police shot dead 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in Exarchia, a district of central Athens that is a regular scene of clashes between police and leftist groups.
In the aftermath of the incident, protesters chanting "cops, pigs, murderers" hurled petrol bombs at Athens riot police and continued their demonstrations for more than a week. The protests sent Greece into chaos, causing hundreds of millions of dollars of damage. At least 430 people have been detained. What intensified the anger of protesters was the economic hardship faced by them. Spain, Denmark and Italy also witnessed protests in support of Greek demonstrators. Two police officers have been charged since the incident took place -- one with murder and the other as an accomplice.
Australia
Apology to Stolen Generations! The Australian government in February made an unprecedented apology for the past policies that degraded its Aboriginal population. On behalf of all the Australians, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised in Parliament to all Aborigines for "laws and policies of successive governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss”.
With the apology, Australia placed itself in the list of those few nations that have offered official apologies to oppressed minorities. In 1998, Canada apologised to its native peoples, South Africa expressed regret for apartheid in 1992, and the US Congress’ 1988 law apologised to Japanese-Americans for their confinement during the World War II.
South Africa
Nelson Mandela’s home witnessed a change of guard this year. Thabo Mbeki stepped down as the President of South Africa in September, amid mounting pressure to do so from within his African National Congress (ANC) party, following the judiciary’s clean chit to ANC leader Jacob Zuma.
While clearing Zuma of corruption charges, a High Court judge said that the government mishandled the ANC leader’s prosecution and that President Mbeki himself tried to influence Zuma’s prosecution. Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe, a labour leader, who was put behind bars during apartheid, was then appointed as the interim President of the African nation. According to ANC, Motlanthe – the deputy president of the party – will hold the post until next year’s general election, when Zuma is expected to take over the role.
Belgium
Belgium’s Prime Minister Yves Leterme resigned in December following an 18-month-long political crisis. The resignation came when Belgium is mired in economic woe. Leterme’s government was under pressure to step down over its handling of the Fortis bank bailout, amid the global financial crisis.
The PM’s resignation came after his Justice Minister Jo Vandeurzen stepped down in the wake of allegations by the country’s highest court that the government had tried to influence a court case on the bailout and sale of the troubled bank.
Coup in Guinea
One of Africa’s last strongmen, Guinea’s long-time dictator Lansana Conte died on December 23, triggering turmoil in the mineral-rich West African nation. Within hours of Conte’s death due to illness being made public, a military group – calling itself the National Council for Democracy – began announcing its takeover on state-run radio and TV.
"The government is dissolved. The institutions of the republic are dissolved. ... From this moment on, the council is taking charge of the destiny of the Guinean people," the group`s spokesman announced. The group however said that Presidential Elections would be held within 60 days and an interim President and Prime Minister would be appointed.
The turmoil in Guinea raises the prospect of violence flaring in a region where neighbours Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Liberia all have been devastated by years of war.
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