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The European Union has cited safety reasons for blocking the release of a documentary film about Afghan women unjustly imprisoned for so-called 'moral crimes'.

Commissioned by the EU, the documentary, called In-Justice, has been withdrawn because it reportedly endangers the women it portrays.

Some of it focuses on the plight of a 19-year-old teenager, Gulnaz, who fell pregnant after she was raped and was then sentenced to two years in prison. Her baby daughter was taken to prison with her.

In the documentary, Gulnaz is quoted as saying, 'At first my sentence was two years. When I appealed it became six years. I didn't do anything. Why should I be sentenced for so long?'

Foreign news agencies cite Kabul prison officials as saying that Gulnaz could be released earlier after 18 months because she has reluctantly agreed to marry the man who raped her.

The moral crime of which she has been accused is known as 'zina' — an Arabic term for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman who is not his wife. Women's rights activists in Kabul say half the number of female prisoners in local jails have been convicted of 'zina' crimes.

Meanwhile, the documentary makers, human rights activists and the EU are still engaged in a stand-off about whether the film should be released.

On the tape Gulnaz is heard saying, 'I have to do the film because when everyone sees this, it will be a lesson for them and these things won't happen in Afghanistan.'

A spokesman for the EU commented, 'The EU decided to withdraw the film only because there were very real concerns for the safety of the women it portrayed. Their welfare was and continues to be the paramount consideration in this matter.'

Another EU official in Kabul commented, 'The EU delegation also has to consider its relations with the justice institutions in connection with the other work that it is doing in the sector.'

Fresh turmoil for troubled Thais

The Thai population is bracing itself for a new session of political turmoil following speculation in Bangkok that King Bhumibol is poised to pardon deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, opening the way for him to return home after five years in exile.

Red Shirt supporters of the deposed former PM have been staging rallies in favour of the move and to also back his younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who is the current head of the Thai government.

When Thaksin was in power, his political programme included cheap loans and rural health care schemes that won him mass support, propelling him to power in three successive general elections. Others hated him, accusing him of rampant corruption and undermining state institutions so that it was impossible to topple him.

Much depends now on the king, who turns 84 at the end of the year, a highly significant and auspicious birthday in Thai tradition. Like other monarchs around the world, Bhumibol's birthday is traditionally marked with royal pardons for those over 60 and who are serving sentences of less than three years.

Such prisoner releases, however, have until now excluded those convicted of corruption. But all this is expected change because of the special circumstances of Bhumibol's 84th birthday.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is said to be in favour of her brother's return, as are her senior party colleagues. But she has kept away from the media spotlight because of concerns that she will be accused of favouritism where her brother is concerned.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung is similarly trying to avoid answering questions about the expected royal pardon. When local media tried to quiz him about a secret Cabinet meeting where the royal pardon was discussed in detail, Yubamrung responded, 'I won't discuss this with you. Don't ask and don't come to see me either.'

Anti-Thaksin demonstrators, including members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), say they are opposed to any royal pardon for the former prime minister.

Referring to Thaksin, a spokesman for the PAD said, 'It is unacceptable and irresponsible for the government to distort the principle and details of the decree and to seek a royal pardon for a convict who doesn't admit his guilt.'

Violence as Abdullah calls for Bashar to bow out

Last month's Syrian mob attack on Jordan's embassy in Damascus is a precursor of what could lie ahead, including deteriorating bilateral relations and even a mini war between the two neighbours.

The mob attack, which could not have taken place without discreet government backing followed King Abdullah of Jordan's call on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down in the wider interests of his country.

'If Bashar has the interest of his country [at heart] he would step down, but he would also create an ability to reach out and start a new phase of Syrian political life,' Abdullah said in a widely reported interview. 'That's the only way I would see it work[ing] and I don't think people are asking that question.'

It was after Abdullah's interview that a mob was unleashed to attack the Jordanian embassy in Damascus. The Syrian authorities have subsequently apologized, but the attack serves as a warning for Abdullah to restrain his criticism or else face the consequences.

Middle East experts recall what happened in September 1970 — Black September — when Bashar's father, the then Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, sent an army brigade to support Yasser Arafat's PLO against the Jordanians.

At one point the Syrian 5th Division broke through Jordanian lines, threatening the survival of the Jordanian monarch. It was only when Jordan's air force was authorized to attack the invading Syrian force — forcing the Syrians to withdraw — that a measure of stability was restored. The PLO subsequently signed a peace agreement with Jordan, but Arafat was seen to have achieved a massive diplomatic victory at the expense of Jordan's King Hussein.

This time round, it is Hussein's son Abdullah who is at daggers drawn with Assad's son, Bashar. The difference is that Jordan today has the backing of the West and most of the rest of the Arab world. Dismayed by Bashar's crackdown on the continuing civil unrest in his country, the Arab League has responded by suspending Syria's membership of the organization. Among major European powers Britain, France and Turkey have each announced their willingness to hold talks with the Syrian opposition.

This should be a matter of some satisfaction for Abdullah, who can take comfort from not being isolated in the region. But what he will and can do if Syrian tanks start rolling towards Jordan in a repeat of 1970 remains to be seen.

Indian coin fetches king's ransom

A record price of more than £10,000 has been paid for an Indian gold coin minted in the first half of the 19th century during the reign of the legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The coin, also known as a Nanaksukh gold mohur, was expected to fetch around £7,000 when it was put up for auction in the English town of Ludlow. When bidding started, however, a mystery buyer from India purchased it for more than £10,000.

The auctioneers have refused to identify the buyer, who prefers to preserve his privacy, but there is speculation that it came from the estate of Dr John Login, a Scottish doctor who was appointed Guardian of Ranjit Singh's son and heir, Maharaja Dalip Singh.

As his guardian, Login was present when Dalip Singh was forced to abdicate and merge his father's vast and hugely rich dominion with British India. It was Login, too, who supervised Dalip Singh's conversion to Christianity, reminding him on subsequent occasions of his many duties and responsibilities as a Christian.

One of Login's other responsibilities was to document and record the young Maharaja's considerable assets, said to be worth several hundreds of millions of pounds by today's values.

For his part, Dalip Singh was known to be fond of both Login and his wife and showered them with gifts, including cash.

In one of his memorandums to the East India Company, which employed him, Login is reported to have claimed that Dalip Singh wished to settle on him an annuity of £1,000 (equivalent to nearly £3 million today).

The East India Company refused to authorize the transaction and Login had to settle for the smaller but still generous pension annuity of £300 (equivalent to £800,000 today).

Login's financial gain from looking after Dalip Singh has never been fully documented, but when he died it was Dalip Singh who paid for the headstone above his grave.

Bidding for the gold coin at last month's auction started at £6,500, but brisk bidding from the mystery buyer in India, who was in contact with the auctioneers via an open telephone line, soon pushed up its value to more than £10,000. The auctioneers say Indians should be pleased the coin, distinguished by its leaf and peacock feather decorations, has returned to its original homeland.

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