April 25 marks the global observance of World Malaria Day. Pakistan saw the world’s largest increase in malaria cases in 2022 following that year’s catastrophic flooding, according to the latest World Health Organization data. Experts say climate change was a factor. VOA’s Nazr Ul Islam’s visited a hospital in Islamabad and filed this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.
Camera: Nazr Ul Islam
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Paytm, a popular payment app in India, faces government restrictions on business because of its Chinese connections, local media say. India is ramping up scrutiny and restrictions on other Chinese tech companies, too, amid concerns about security and geopolitics. Henry Wilkins has the story from Mumbai.
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new delhi — India’s main opposition Congress Party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “hate speech” following remarks at recent election rallies in which he said the rival party would favor the minority Muslim community if voted to power.

Modi’s controversial comments came amid hectic campaigning by political parties as India holds phased elections that began this month and continue until June 1.

Political analysts said the remarks by Modi, who is leading his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s bid to win a third term in power, are an effort to shore up support among his Hindu voter base.

The prime minister told a rally held in the northwestern state of Rajasthan on Sunday that if the opposition Congress Party is voted into power, it will gather “all your wealth and distribute it to those who have more children” and to “infiltrators.” The remarks were widely seen as a reference to Muslims.

Modi cited a two-decade old comment by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, from when the Congress Party led a coalition government, in which Singh had said that India’s lower castes, tribes, women and “in particular the Muslim community” deserved a share in the country’s development. Singh’s government had clarified that he was referring to all disadvantaged groups.

The remarks prompted an outcry from the Congress Party, which denied making any promise of taking away and redistributing wealth and said that the party’s manifesto only talks about equality and justice for all.

The party said the prime minister’s remarks were a “blatant and direct violation” of electoral laws, which ban canvassing on “caste” and “communal feelings.”

In a complaint to the Election Commission, the Congress Party called the comments “divisive and malicious” and said they were targeted at “a particular religious community.” It has petitioned the body that oversees India’s mammoth election, to act against Modi.

“What Modiji said was hate speech and also a well-thought-out ploy to divert attention,” Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.

Several other opposition parties, which accuse Modi’s BJP of polarizing voters for electoral gains, have also joined the chorus of protest against the prime minister’s remarks.

Modi continued his attack on the Congress Party at election rallies this week, saying they wanted to implement reservations based on religion. That remark was a reference to a decades-long affirmative action program under which India sets aside quotas in government jobs and educational institutes for lower castes.

The BJP has defended the prime minister’s remarks. Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told reporters on Monday that he only “echoed the sentiment of every citizen of the country who believes in equality.”

On the campaign trail, Modi has sought votes largely on his pledge of making India a developed nation, expanding the economy and increasing welfare programs for the poor.

However, analysts say the prime minister’s comments represent a change in tactics as the party seeks to energize its cadres and voters from the Hindu majority community.

“It is communal politics and a concerted attempt to otherize minorities and Muslims in particular and instill a sense of insecurity among the majority Hindu community by pushing the opposition into the bracket of those who work for welfare of the minorities,” said political analyst Rasheed Kidwai. “And because the relationship between the majority Hindus and minority Muslims has a lot of historical baggage and there is a trust deficit, it is very easy to reap electoral dividends.”

In an editorial, the Indian Express newspaper called the prime minister’s speech “divisive that does grave disservice to his high office,” and said that Modi had framed “politics as a zero-sum game and communities as adversaries.”

The BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda has won huge support for Modi and the party in the Hindu majority nation and opinion polls have predicted an easy victory for him.

During his 10 years in power. Modi has fulfilled some of the party’s Hindu-right agenda such as revoking Muslim majority Kashmir’s special status and enacting a citizenship law that grants nationality to Hindus and people of some other faiths fleeing neighboring countries but excludes Muslims.

Critics and opposition parties accuse Modi of undermining the country’s secular ethos and rights groups say that Muslims have been targeted during his decade-long rule. The BJP strongly denies the allegations. It points out that welfare programs such as free rations and aid to build houses and toilets include all communities and says that the government’s policies benefit all Indians equally.
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Islamabad — Pakistan and Iran pledged Wednesday they would increase joint efforts against Afghanistan’s terrorism threat and urged Afghanistan’s hardline Taliban government to involve all Afghans in “basic decision-making.”

The two neighboring countries, which share long, porous borders with Afghanistan, made the promise in a joint statement released at the culmination of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s three-day visit to Pakistan.

Both Tehran and Islamabad complain that transnational militant groups have increased cross-border terrorist attacks from Afghan sanctuaries since the Taliban reclaimed power in Kabul in 2021.

“Noting that the existence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan poses a serious threat to regional and global security, the two sides reaffirmed their willingness to enhance cooperation on counterterrorism and security and to develop a united front against terrorism,” the statement reads.

Islamabad alleges militants tied to the globally designated terrorist outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, are being sheltered on Afghan soil and even facilitated by the Taliban administration to conduct deadly cross-border attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians.

Iranian authorities have blamed an Afghan-based regional Islamic State affiliate known as Islamic State-Khorasan for recent high-profile terrorist attacks inside Iran.

In their joint statement, Pakistan and Iran again emphasized the need for the Taliban to rule their crisis-hit nation through a politically inclusive government.

“While respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, the two sides recognized that increasing participation of all strata of Afghans in basic decision-making will lead to the strengthening of peace and stability in this country,” the joint announcement noted Wednesday.

The Taliban deny allegations they shelter or allow foreign militants to operate and threaten neighboring countries from Afghan soil. The fundamentalist de facto rulers defend their leadership as an inclusive setup, and they reject calls for any reforms in it as interference in the domestic affairs of Afghanistan.

Pak-Iran pipeline

In meetings, Raisi and his delegation held with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other top officials, the two sides agreed to expand bilateral trade and economic ties and boost bilateral trade to $10 billion over the next five years.

The joint statement reiterated the importance of cooperation in the energy sector, including trade in electricity, power transmission lines, and the import of Iranian natural gas through a long-delayed pipeline project linking Pakistan and Iran, without sharing further details.

The United States has repeatedly warned Islamabad against joining the pipeline project with Tehran, citing sweeping sanctions on Iran’s energy sector over its nuclear program.

“We advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions,” said Vedant Patel, the U.S. State Department principal deputy spokesperson, on Tuesday. He was asked for comments on the deals Pakistan and Iran signed during Raisi’s trip.

Tehran claims it has completed constructing 1,100 kilometers of the pipeline on its side of the border and is waiting for Islamabad to build its part of the project. Pakistan has not started the work despite repeated public pledges, fearing it would trigger U.S. sanctions for importing Iranian gas.

Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to sue Islamabad in international arbitration and impose a penalty of around $18 billion for breach of contract.

“Pakistan must take a long-term view of this problem. While ties with the U.S. are important, should Pakistan seek American approval for all key economic and strategic decisions?” asked the prestigious English-language DAWN newspaper in a Wednesday editorial.

“Today, the U.S. does not want the Iran pipeline to proceed. Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the U.S. asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC or our defense cooperation with China, will we comply?” the editorial read.

The newspaper referred to the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, which has built Pakistani road networks, power plants, and other infrastructure with Chinese investment. The mega project is an extension of Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure development program.

Middle East crisis

Raisi’s meetings with Pakistani leaders also focused on Iran’s military stand-off with Israel.

Tehran and Islamabad demanded through their Wednesday statement an “immediate and unconditional” cease-fire in Gaza and unimpeded humanitarian access to its besieged residents.

“Both sides expressed their strong and unequivocal condemnation of the ongoing Israeli regime’s aggression and atrocities against the Palestinian people, along with the inhumane blockade of Gaza that has resulted in widespread death and destruction, as well as displacement of millions of Palestinians,” the statement said.

Israel declared war on Gaza-based Hamas after the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and leading to the capture of about 250 hostages.

Hamas has been designated as a terror organization by the United States.

Inside Gaza, Israel’s counteroffensive has killed nearly 34,000 people, two-thirds of them women and children, Gaza health officials say Israel says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas fighters.

Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has no direct channels of communication with the Jewish state over the issue of Palestinian statehood.

On Wednesday, Pakistan and Iran also condemned Israel’s alleged April 1 attack on the Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, calling it an “unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of Syria” and of international laws.

The two countries, in their joint statement, declared the attack as an “irresponsible act of the Israeli regime forces” and blamed it for “a major escalation in an already volatile region.” The suspected Israeli strike killed seven members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.

Tehran responded to the suspected Israeli strike by firing more than 300 drones and missiles directly at Israel more than a week ago, fueling concerns about a wider conflict in the Middle East.
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JAKARTA — Indonesia president-elect Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday vowed to fight for all Indonesians and called for unity among political elites to take the country forward, as he seeks to strengthen his parliamentary clout ahead of taking office in October.

Speaking at a ceremony where he was being confirmed as the winner of the Feb. 14 election, Prabowo, who won by a huge margin, said he was talking to elites in the country and it was vital parties could get along together for the common good.

Prabowo, who was tacitly backed by popular incumbent Joko Widodo, is seeking to broaden his coalition in the new parliament and is in talks with parties who backed his election rivals.

“I will prove that I will fight for all Indonesians, including those who did not vote for me,” Prabowo said.

“If Indonesia wants to survive, becoming a prosperous country, all elites must work together. If we dare to leave our differences aside, let’s leave our feelings, let’s find our love for the country, let’s sacrifice together for our people.”

The confirmation comes two days after the Constitutional Court rejected challenges from both losing candidates seeking a re-run of the presidential election and the disqualification of Prabowo and his running mate, ending all election disputes.

In his speech, Prabowo vowed to end poverty and corruption, adding he intends to bring improvement to all Indonesians.

He also said a free press was vital in Indonesia, describing it as “the absolute requirement for democracy.”

Defense Minister’s Prabowo’s current alliance comprises 48% of seats in the parliament but his senior aides have said that he aims to expand his coalition to secure a majority of seats.
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SEOUL, South Korea — A North Korean delegation led by the cabinet minister for international trade is visiting Iran, the North’s official media said on Wednesday in a rare public report of an exchange between the two countries believed to have secret military ties.

The minister for external economic relations, Yun Jong Ho, left Pyongyang on Tuesday by air leading a ministry delegation to visit Iran, the North’s KCNA news agency said. It gave no other details.

North Korea and Iran have long been suspected of cooperating on ballistic missile programs, possibly exchanging technical expertise and components for their manufacture.

Iran has provided ballistic missiles to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, Reuters reported in February.

North Korea is also suspected of supplying Russia with missiles and artillery, although both countries have denied the allegation.

Yun has previously worked on the country’s ties with Syria, according to South Korean government database.

Yun has been active in the country’s increasing exchanges with Russia, earlier this month leading a delegation to visit Moscow, according to KCNA.
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washington — The South Korean government says it will push ahead with its foreign policy agenda despite a crushing defeat in parliamentary elections at the hands of a liberal opposition party that promises to push back against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s foreign and security policies.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday that the Yoon government will press on with its security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan in bilateral settings and in a trilateral framework.

Seoul will “cooperate closely” with the U.S. and Japan to carry out agreements made at a trilateral Camp David summit in August, the spokesperson said in an email to VOA’s Korea Service. Those policies were developed in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

The spokesperson said the Yoon administration will also “continue to strengthen its partnership” with countries in the Indo-Pacific region “to support universal values that include freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.”

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) lost the general election on April 10, securing only 108 seats in the 300-seat National Assembly.

The opposition Democratic Party (DP) won 175 seats but fell short of securing the 200 or more needed for a supermajority that would have allowed them to advance bills for passage without the PPP. Four independent parties secured the rest of the seats.

Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation, said, “The opposition party is expected to step up its criticism of Yoon’s foreign policies since it favors a more accommodating stance toward Pyongyang and Beijing, resistance to improving relations with Japan and greater independence from U.S. policies.”

Klingner, who served as the CIA’s deputy division chief for Korea from 1996 to 2001, continued, “But such policies have less public support due to the failed U.S. and South Korean summits with North Korea in 2018-19, Pyongyang’s rejection of all requests for dialogue and escalating provocations.”

North Korea said through its state-run KCNA on Tuesday that it had conducted its first nuclear counterattack simulation drills.

The DP mounted criticism against the Yoon administration on Sunday for what it described as China exclusionary policies. It urged the administration to “abandon its biased foreign and security policies,” said a report by The Korea Herald based in Seoul.

The Rebuilding Korea Party, a DP partner that won 12 seats in the National Assembly, slammed Yoon for what it called his “one-sided foreign policies centered on the U.S. and Japan,” according to the report.

On Friday, Yoon called DP leader Lee Jae-myung and proposed to meet with him for the first time since he took office in May 2022, according to South Korean media. Lee lost the presidential election to Yoon nearly two years ago. The presidential office told the press on Saturday the details and time of their meeting are undetermined.

Evans Revere, a former State Department official with extensive experience negotiating with North Korea, said, “The Democratic Party, together with its opposition partners, may try to use its budget-setting and investigatory powers in the National Assembly to slow or otherwise limit the ruling party’s ability to easily pursue its foreign policy and national security agenda.”

He continued, “The DP may also try to use dialogue with the ruling party and the Blue House [former presidential residence] to express a willingness to compromise on domestic economic and social legislation in return for changes to President Yoon’s foreign policy agenda.”

He added, “But President Yoon’s commitment to his foreign policy agenda is highly principled and deeply felt, and it seems unlikely that he would yield to such an opposition party.”

At a conference that Yoon hosted Monday in Seoul for South Korean diplomats assigned overseas, he described the administration’s “global pivotal state diplomacy” as the country’s “signature policy.” He credited the policy for key achievements such as an upgrade in the country’s alliance with the United States and normalization of relations with Japan.

Yoon has pursued his vision for the country to become the “global pivotal state” since taking office in 2022. It calls for South Korea to promote freedom, democracy and the rules-based international order.

Robert Rapson, who served as charge d’affaires and deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul from 2018 to 2021, said it remains to be seen whether the DP and its affiliates can force adjustments on external issues such as Japan, China and North Korea, as well as economic security policy.

“But they plan to give it a try, it seems.”

VOA’s Kim Hyungjin contributed to this report.
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Africa’s entertainment industry is another stage where global competition between China and the U.S. is playing out. African artists see it as an opportunity. Kate Bartlett has the details from Johannesburg. Camera and video editing by Zaheer Cassim.
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Taiwan is looking to Southeast Asia as a pipeline to fill its shortage of high-tech talent. The numbers of foreign students coming to the island has been growing, especially from Vietnam and Indonesia. VOA Mandarin’s Peh Hong Lim reports from Hsinchu, Taiwan. Adrianna Zhang contributed.
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New Delhi — India has begun delivery of supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines as the two countries tighten defense and strategic ties amid rising tensions between the East Asian nation and China over maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

The BrahMos missiles are being acquired by the Philippines under a $ 375 million deal signed in 2022.

“Now we are also exporting BrahMos missiles. The first batch of this missile is going to the Philippines today,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday at an election rally.

India and Philippines have ramped up defense cooperation as concerns over an increasingly assertive China deepen in both countries.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have escalated over the past year as Beijing, citing historical rights, presses its claims to areas inside Manila’s exclusive economic zone. Efforts to resolve New Delhi’s four-year long military standoff with Beijing along its disputed Himalayan border have made little headway.

In New Delhi, analysts say India wants to be part of a larger pushback against China in the South China Sea as concerns rise over Beijing’s territorial ambitions.

“BrahMos missile delivery to the Philippines is in itself not a game changer. But the idea is that we are part of a broader coalition of countries including the U.S. trying to build up the muscle and shore up the security of smaller countries like the Philippines. It is what we call lattice work strategy,” according to Sreeram Chaulia, dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs.

Tensions between Philippines and Beijing have ratcheted up following recent confrontations between the coastguards and other vessels of the two countries.

China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, deploys coastguard vessels to patrol what it deems are its waters – besides Philippines, Beijing also has maritime disputes with countries including Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The missiles being supplied by India are produced under a joint venture with Russia. They are a shore-based, anti-ship system with a range of 290 kilometers. Under the deal, India will supply three versions of the missile system, according to domestic media reports in New Delhi.

Philippine National Security Council assistant director general, Jonathan Malaya, told reporters in Manila that the missiles will be deployed by the Philippine Marines.

“This adds an important and practical layer of deterrence for the Philippines amidst its limited military resources vis-a-vis China,” Don McLain Gill, a geopolitical analyst and lecturer at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University, Manila told VOA in emailed comments. He said the missiles will “bolster its coastal defence to more effectively exercise its sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea at a time when China has been relentlessly pursuing its expansionist ambitions against international law.”

Analysts say building defense cooperation with the Philippines also signals that New Delhi is now moving beyond the Indian Ocean to contribute to maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

During a visit to Manila last month, Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reiterated “India’s support to the Philippines for upholding its national sovereignty.”

Asserting that both countries have a “very deep interest” in ensuring a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific Ocean, his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, said that “it’s in this region and it is in this context that we are having extensive discussions regularly on defense cooperation, security cooperation.”

An Indian coast guard ship visited the Philippines during the Indian minister’s visit. The two countries are also expected to hold more joint naval drills.

“India is also a close security partner of Manila’s key strategic partners, such as the U.S, Japan, and Australia. This makes it even more practical for the Philippines to strengthen ties with India,” pointed out Don McLain Gill.

India had for many years been hesitant about exporting the BrahMos missiles, believing that advanced defense cooperation with countries like the Philippines with which China has disputes would rile Beijing, but analysts say New Delhi has reversed course. India has also been steadily building military ties with Vietnam, which is also embroiled in maritime disputes with China.

“As our dispute with the Chinese is not settling, there is a clear change of mind on the part of the Indian government and it has decided to assist the security needs of countries like the Philippines in a very concrete way,” said Chaulia. “From our point of view, this helps to send a clear signal to the Chinese that they cannot be arming our adversaries like Pakistan with advanced weapons and defense technology and expect that we will not reciprocate.”

The delivery of the missiles to the Philippines marks India’ s first export of the missile systems. India, which imports most of its own arms, is a marginal exporter of military equipment, but has been trying to build a defense industry.
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BANGKOK — Myanmar’s Vice President Henry Van Thio, who served in the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and then continued in the position after the military ousted her to seize power in 2021, is stepping down for unspecified health reasons, state media said Monday.

State television MRTV announced Monday night that 65-year-old Van Thio had been allowed to retire from his post for health reasons in accordance with the constitution but did not provide any details of his health or say who, if anyone, will replace him.

Van Thio, a member of Myanmar’s Chin ethnic minority and a former army officer, was named second vice president in 2016 when Suu Kyi’s party started its first term after winning the 2015 general election in a landslide. Her National League for Democracy party governed Myanmar with overwhelming majorities in Parliament from 2015 to 2021, before being overthrown by the military.

Van Thio was the only member of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party to stay on as a member of the National Defense and Security Council after the military seized power from the elected government of Suu Kyi in February 2021.

The council, established under a previous military government, is the highest constitutional government body responsible for security and defense affairs and is nominally led by the president. However, in practice, it is controlled by the military. Its membership is made up of the top military chiefs and cooperative politicians.

It played a key role in the February 2021 military takeover when the president in Suu Kyi’s government, Win Myint, was detained with her, and First Vice President Myint Swe, a member of a pro-military party became acting president. The move allowed the council to be convened, declare a state of emergency and hand over power to military chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.

Although the army claims it took power constitutionally, legal scholars generally describe its action as illegal. It has renewed the state of emergency several times.

Van Thio has played no apparent active role in the military government aside from helping to provide it with the veneer of constitutional rule.

He almost completely disappeared from public view until his first known attendance at the National Defense and Security Council meeting in July last year, when the state of emergency was extended for the fourth time. He was absent from the council’s earlier meetings to extend emergency rule, with bad health cited as the reason. He was reportedly treated in hospital in January last year because he suffered a serious head injury in a fall at his residence in the capital, Naypyitaw.

A few days after last July’s council meeting, the National League for Democracy announced it had expelled him from the party because of his attendance at the meeting. The party in March last year was dissolved by the military government, whose legitimacy it doesn’t recognize, for failing to meet a registration deadline.

Suu Kyi’s party boosted its majority in the November 2020 election, but in February 2021, the army blocked all elected lawmakers from taking their seats in Parliament and seized power, detaining top members of Suu Kyi’s government and party, except Van Thio and Myint Swe.

The army said it staged its 2021 takeover because of massive poll fraud, though independent election observers did not find any major irregularities.

The army takeover was met with widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.
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Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi is on a three-day visit to neighboring Pakistan. The visit — the first by an Iranian president to Pakistan in eight years — comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. It is also the first meeting between the head of governments of both countries since the two sides exchanged cross-border strikes in January. VOA Pakistan Bureau Chief Sarah Zaman reports from Islamabad. VOA footage by Wajid Asad. Video editing by Malik Waqar Ahmed.
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Taipei, Taiwan — Analysts say China’s recent opening of two new air routes, with flight paths near two outlying islands controlled by Taiwan, is but the latest move in a broad campaign Beijing has rolled out ahead of the inauguration of Taiwan’s president-elect, Lai Ching-te.

Lai, a member of Taiwan’s pro-sovereignty Democratic Progress Party, was elected in January and will be sworn into office on May 20. 

Su Tzu-yun, a military analyst at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, says Beijing has been using a combination of cognitive warfare, economic coercion, and gray zone operation measures against Taiwan. Gray zone operations involve using irregular tactics without resorting to open combat.

“China’s latest efforts to increase pressure on Taiwan is both part of its pressure campaign against Taipei and its response to recent international support for Taiwan, such as the reiteration of maintaining the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait by the U.S., Japan, and other G7 (Group of Seven leading industrialized) countries,” Su told VOA in a phone interview.

In a statement on April 19, China’s civil aviation regulator announced it had started using two west-to-east flight paths from the coastal cities of Xiamen and Fuzhou. The new air routes, known as W122 and W123, will connect to what is called the M503 air route, and they will operate alongside existing flight paths to the Taiwanese islands Kinmen and Matsu, which operate regular flights to and from Taiwan’s main island. The M503 route runs alongside the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which once served as an unofficial border between China and Taiwan.

During a daily press conference on April 19, the Chinese Communist Party’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the move aims to relieve pressure caused by flight delays by activating the two new routes. 

The Civil Aviation Administration of China added that Beijing also plans to “further optimize” the airspace around Fuzhou airport in the southern Fujian Province starting May 16, four days before Lai’s inauguration. 

Shortly after Lai was elected in January, Beijing unilaterally canceled flight paths for the M503 route and opened new west-to-east air routes from three coastal cities.

Beijing views Lai as an advocate of Taiwan independence. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to unite the island with the mainland.

In response to the April 19 announcement, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration said Beijing’s decision could create serious flight safety risks since the distance between China and Taiwan flight paths is only two kilometers (1.1. nautical miles) at its nearest point. Taipei says it will demand that any aircraft using the new air routes turn back. 

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which oversees cross-strait relations, said Taipei’s criticism is “a malicious hype” aimed to “create an illusion” that Beijing is “squeezing its space. 

Redefining the status quo

Since the new air routes initiated by Beijing run very close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, some experts say China is trying to redefine the status quo across the Taiwan Strait based on its terms. 

The median line has served as an unofficial demarcation between Taipei and Beijing for decades. China and Taiwan split amid a civil war in 1949. 

The decision to unilaterally initiate new air routes “is part of Beijing’s attempt to demonstrate that it sets the rules in what it regards as its internal matters,” according to J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based senior adviser with the International Republican Institute’s Countering Foreign Authoritarian Influence team.

Cole said that when the M503 air route was first announced in 2015, Beijing agreed to adjust flight paths following negotiations with the Taiwanese government under the China-friendly Kuomintang, or KMT party. “Beijing moved away from unilateralism after protests by Taipei and after negotiations with the KMT-led government,” he told VOA in a written response. 

But as Taiwan prepares to inaugurate the third consecutive administration under the Democratic Progressive Party next month, Cole said Beijing “is no longer in the mood for negotiation and is unilaterally implementing flight paths.” 

“It denies Taiwan’s agency by refusing to negotiate with Taipei,” he added. 

No-fly zones

Military analysts say Beijing’s decision to start using the contested air routes could increase the likelihood of Chinese civilian aircraft flying to the east side of the Taiwan Strait median line, where there are four designated no-fly zones. 

“Taiwan’s Air Force uses those no-fly zones to monitor activities in the airspace along the median line of the Taiwan Strait,” said Chieh Chung, a military researcher at Taiwan’s National Policy Foundation. 

In his view, Beijing’s new flights paths would increase the difficulty for the Taiwanese Air Force to track activities by Chinese civilian or military aircraft in the no-fly zones. 

“China is trying to use the frequent incursion of Chinese civilian aircraft into the no-fly zones designated by the Taiwanese government to challenge the rules set by Taipei,” he told VOA by phone. 

In addition to opening new air routes and announcing new trade measures against Taiwanese imports, Beijing increased the number of military aircraft it deployed to areas near Taiwan over the weekend. 

Taiwan’s defense ministry said it detected 21 Chinese military aircraft and seven Chinese naval vessels operating around Taiwan between April 20 and April 21. At least 17 Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

With less than a month until the inauguration of Taiwan’s new government, some analysts believe Beijing’s pressure campaign will continue. Cole at the International Republican Institute says Taipei “must remain alert, retain the moral high ground, and avoid any form of activity that could be exploited by Beijing to justify retaliation.”  

Some information for this report came from Reuters.
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MAE SOT, Thailand — ASEAN has been viewed by the international community as the ideal political bloc to negotiate a resolution to the conflict that has beset Myanmar since its military, led by Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, ousted an elected government in early 2021 and sparked a civil war. 

But the five-point consensus on ending the Myanmar crisis put forward by ASEAN — the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — has been discredited by analysts and anti-regime forces who argue the 10-nation bloc has quietly backed the junta and ignored all other parties in the conflict.   

“The five-point consensus has been a dismal failure,” said Ross Milosevic, a risk consultant who conducts field research in Myanmar. But he added, recent unprecedented battlefield defeats of the military — also known as Tatmadaw — and elections within ASEAN members were rewriting the political equation.   

The five point-consensus is a roadmap for peace insisted upon by ASEAN, calling for an immediate end to violence; dialogue among all parties; the appointment of a special envoy; humanitarian assistance by ASEAN; and the special envoy’s visit to Myanmar to meet with all parties. 

The turning point 

After a bitter, five-month dry season offensive, ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and the opposition-led National Unity Government’s People’s Defence Force (PDF) are in control of nearly all ethnic territories and states and Myanmar’s borders with Thailand, Laos, China, India and Bangladesh. 

Despite ongoing military aerial bombardments, the ethnic Karen in the southeast along the Thai border and the Shan, which share a border with China in Myanmar’s north, are asserting political control, and Milosevic said the Mon, Kachin and Arakan are following. 

That leaves Tatmadaw encircled but heavily fortified within central Barma state and in control of the all-important corridors linking Yangon, Naypyidaw and Mandalay. 

“Those battlefield successes have not only spooked the Tatmadaw generals but also many within ASEAN’s political leadership,” Milosevic said, adding the junta’s greatest loss was Myawaddy, a border trading hub which sits adjacent to Mae Sot in Thailand. 

“It remains to be seen whether the civil war will continue till the end of the year, it may even fall sooner than expected,” he said. “I hope that Thailand will lead the charge in trying to put forth a real solution to the fighting, death and destruction that’s been caused in the last three years.” 

Among the 50 wars tracked globally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, Myanmar is considered the most violent with at least 50,000 people killed since the coup, including 8,000 civilians.   

Reshaping ASEAN politics 

ASEAN has been divided between democratically elected governments and autocratic one-party states, with countries like Cambodia and current chair Laos accused of blocking policies over a range of issues, including Myanmar, out of their own interests. 

Charles Santiago, from ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, has consistently criticized the bloc and individual members for being too soft on the junta while ignoring the plight of their victims. 

“ASEAN has to get a backbone and be guided by a clear policy. Given Laos’ leadership, I don’t think it’s going to happen. Laos hasn’t shown, not even mentioned, what they’re doing and ASEAN hasn’t said what their plans are,” he said. 

Shortly before Myawaddy fell to the Karen National Liberation Army on April 10 — one of about 20 EAOs battling Tatmadaw alongside the PDF — former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen offered to open talks with Hlaing, now chairman of the State Administration Council, “aimed at resolving the crisis in Myanmar.” 

General Hlaing has not responded but on the third anniversary of the coup he again claimed 2020 elections — when the ruling National League for Democracy won more than 80% of seats in parliament — were rigged and insisted his political objectives were to hold fair elections and ensure a permanent peace. 

One PDF source said Cambodia’s Hun Sen was unacceptable as a negotiator because of his close ties with Hlaing, noting the pair had described themselves as “god brothers” after holding talks in 2022 when Phnom Penh occupied the ASEAN chair. 

“They wouldn’t speak to us,” said the source, who declined to be named. “Indonesia and Singapore are acceptable because they have tried to include us in their efforts to find a resolution.” 

He also said that with a change in governments in Thailand and the Philippines, and with Malaysia assuming the ASEAN chair next year, negotiations focused on independence for ethnic states were possible but would not include the military. 

Santiago agreed, saying an ASEAN group led by Malaysia with the backing of Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand could work on negotiations. 

“ASEAN can deliver results that could stabilize the situation in Myanmar by sending in some form of peacekeeping force and holding the military junta to account — and to help reestablish democratic rule which is supposed to be part of their own ASEAN Charter,” Milosevic added. 

Shortly after Myawaddy fell, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin signaled a change in attitude, telling Reuters news agency “the current regime is starting to lose some strength” and that “maybe it’s time to reach out and make a deal” with Myanmar. 

The junta then announced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former president U Win Myint would be transferred from prison to house arrest and Thailand upped the ante by calling for their “immediate full release.” 

What prospects? 

The EAOs-PDF and the NUG have made it clear they will not negotiate with the Tatmadaw, insisting senior generals be tried for war crimes. 

NUG leaders want the pre-war constitution and results of the 2020 elections reinstated but Michael Martin, adjunct fellow with the Center for International and Strategic Studies in Washington, said that’s unlikely. 

Instead, ethnic groups, in particular Karen and Shan, will push ahead with establishing their own states and political order, which could snowball among other ethnic states and leave Tatmadaw-controlled Barma state isolated and surrounded. 

“For ASEAN, I think one of the questions is going to be; to what extent can they continue to say, ‘oh we’re looking for a negotiated settlement, we’re going to continue to keep working with the military junta and other interested parties?’ 

“Or are they eventually going to say, ‘OK that ship has sailed, that’s over, that’s not going to happen’ and start working with various EAOs.” he told VOA. 

He stressed EAOs had fought for independence, not the pre-war order or the NUG, while the PDF also consisted of state-based militias who coordinate with EAOs and held shared ethnic sympathies. 

Ei Ei contributed to this report.
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Seoul, South Korea — North Korea fired “several” ballistic missiles on Monday toward the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said.

A Japanese government alert and its coast guard also said North Korea had fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile.

The projectile appeared to have landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone area, the NHK broadcaster said.

Japan’s NTV broadcaster said the projectile was a short-range ballistic missile, citing a Japanese government official.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North launched what it suspected to be several short-range ballistic missiles from near its capital, Pyongyang, without providing further details.

The reports of the launch came as South Korea said its top military officer, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, had hosted the commander of U.S. Space Command, General Stephen Whiting, on Monday to discuss the North’s reconnaissance satellite development and growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

After a summit between the two countries’ leaders in September, North Korea has been suspected of supplying arms and munitions to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, although both deny that claim.

The North is believed to be preparing to launch another spy satellite, after successfully putting a reconnaissance satellite in orbit in November.

North Korea said last week that it had fired a strategic cruise missile to test a large warhead, and a new anti-aircraft missile.

Earlier in April, the North fired a new hypersonic missile as part of its development of solid-fueled missiles for all ranges of its arsenal.

The North has defied a ban by the United Nations Security Council on developing ballistic missiles, rejecting Council resolutions as infringing on its sovereign right to defend itself.
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ISLAMABAD — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in neighboring Pakistan Monday for official meetings with the host nation’s leaders amid Iran-Israel tensions.

An official pre-arrival announcement from Islamabad’s foreign ministry stated that the talks will provide an “important opportunity” to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation in trade, connectivity, energy, and agriculture.

It said Raisi’s high-level delegation would include the Iranian foreign minister, other Cabinet members, and business representatives.

During his three-day stay in Pakistan, the Iranian president is scheduled to meet his counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, among others. 

The Pakistani statement said without elaborating, “They will also discuss regional and global developments and bilateral cooperation to combat the common threat of terrorism.” 

Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer border, which is prone to militant infiltration, smuggling, and other illegal crossings. The countries accuse each other of not preventing militant groups from sheltering on their respective lands and launching cross-border terrorist attacks.

In January, Iranian security forces launched missile strikes against what they said were anti-Iran militant hideouts in the southwestern Pakistani border province of Baluchistan. Islamabad condemned Iran’s violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity and retaliated with strikes on bases of anti-Pakistan militants operating from Iranian soil.

The unprecedented exchange of so-called counterterrorism strikes raised concerns about a larger conflict between the two Muslim countries and of wider regional instability after Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out an Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. 

Tehran and Islamabad urgently undertook diplomatic efforts to defuse bilateral tensions, renewing pledges to enhance counterterrorism cooperation and respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

Raisi’s visit is part of those mutual efforts to mend relations between Iran and Pakistan.

Gas pipeline 

Analysts said this week’s meetings in Islamabad are also expected to focus on financial and legal issues related to constructing a gas pipeline between Iran and Pakistan. The two countries signed an agreement in June 2009 for the proposed pipeline to export Iranian natural gas to Pakistan.

While Tehran has since claimed to have completed construction of 1,100 kilometers of the pipeline on its side of the border, construction has not started on the Pakistani side because Islamabad fears it would invite U.S. sanctions for importing Iranian gas.  

Iran’s energy sector is under sanctions from Washington for its nuclear program.

Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to sue Pakistan in international arbitration and impose a penalty of around $18 billion for breach of contract. 

The U.S. State Department has recently renewed its warning to Islamabad, advising against proceeding with the project to avoid sanctions.

Iran’s recent direct attack on Israel, with more than 300 drones and missiles, has made it even more difficult for Pakistan to build the pipeline, said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at Washington’s Wilson Center. 

On social media platform X, Kugelman wrote, “Any possibility of the U.S. giving Pakistan a sanctions waiver for the gas pipeline it claims it plans to build with Iran is essentially nonexistent. And that possibility was practically nil even before the Iranian attack on Israel.”

The Iranian strikes were in response to Israel’s apparent destruction on April 1 of an Iranian consular building in Syria in which seven members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, including two generals, were killed. 

“The visit was planned weeks before the current hostilities, and Pakistani officials likely had no estimates that the visit would coincide with a full-blown regional crisis involving Iran,” said Ahmed Quraishi, a Pakistani expert on Middle Eastern affairs.

“Coming on the heels of Israel-Iran tensions, the Iranian government is likely to use this visit to suggest regional support for Iran’s position,” Quraishi said.
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Mumbai, India — In fake videos that have gone viral online, two of India’s A-lister Bollywood actors are seen criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asking people to vote for the opposition Congress party in the country’s ongoing general election.

In a 30-second video that shows Aamir Khan and another 41-second clip of Ranveer Singh, the two Bollywood actors purportedly say Modi failed to keep campaign promises and failed to address critical economic issues during his two terms as prime minister.

Both AI-generated videos end with the Congress election symbol and slogan: “Vote for Justice, Vote for Congress.”

The two videos have been viewed on social media more than half a million times since last week, a Reuters review shows.

Their spread underlines the potential role such AI (artificial intelligence)-generated content can play in the mammoth Indian election that started on Friday and will continue until June. AI and AI-generated fakes, or deepfakes, are being increasingly used in elections elsewhere in the world, including in the U.S., Pakistan and Indonesia.

Campaigning in India has long focused on door-to-door outreach and public rallies, but extensive use of WhatsApp and Facebook as campaigning tools started in 2019. This year’s general election – in which Modi is expected to secure a rare third term – is the first in which AI is being used.

A Congress spokesperson, Sujata Paul, shared actor Singh’s video with her 16,000 followers on X on April 17 and by Saturday afternoon, her post had been reshared 2,900 times, liked 8,700 times and received 438,000 views.

Paul told Reuters by telephone she was aware the video was marked “manipulated media” by X, but she did not want to delete it as, while posting, she thought the person was a look alike of Singh and “it has creativity for sure.”

The post was no longer visible on X on Sunday, hours after Reuters sent a request for comment to Congress’ head of social media cell, who did not respond.

Both actors have said the videos are fake. Facebook, X and at least eight fact-checking websites have said they are altered or manipulated, which the Reuters digital verification unit has also confirmed.

Reuters could not ascertain who created the videos. Khan was “alarmed” by the viral “fake” video and Singh’s team was looking into the matter, according to a spokesperson for both actors.

Singh wrote on X on Friday: “Beware of deepfakes, friends.”

Modi’s office, and the IT head of his Bharatiya Janata Party, did not respond to requests for comment.

Police probe

Nearly 900 million people in India have access to the Internet and a survey conducted by research organization Esya Centre and the Indian Institute of Management business school showed an average Indian spends over three hours a day on social media. The country has nearly one billion voters.

Some versions of the videos have been blocked on social media but at least 14 were still visible on X on Saturday.

Facebook deleted two videos Reuters flagged to the company but one other was still visible.

Facebook in a statement said it has “removed the videos” for violation of its policies. X did not respond to Reuters queries.

The videos have sparked one police investigation with Khan registering a case in Mumbai against unnamed persons on April 17 for alleged impersonation and cheating for creating the fake video.

Mumbai police did not return a request for comment, but two officers working on Khan’s case, who declined to be named, said they wrote to Facebook and X to take down the video and the companies had said it was done.

The officers said they were up until 2 a.m. on Friday, refreshing pages to check if Khan’s online videos were removed.

Asked about progress in the case, one of them said: “Such technical investigations take time.”

AI video of dead father

In this year’s election, politicians are using AI in other ways.

In southern India, Congress leader Vijay Vasanth’s spokesperson said his team has created a 2-minute audio-video clip using AI that was shared on social media platforms and shows his now dead but more popular politician father, H. Vasanthakumar, seeking votes for him.

The late politician is seen saying “even though my body left you all, my soul is still around.”

In videos put out on YouTube by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), Samata, an AI-generated anchor dressed in a traditional saree and speaking in a style that mimics regular news channels, criticizes the ruling party in West Bengal state.

In one clip, the anchor alleges the party does not care about the environment as many water bodies have vanished due to illegal construction.

A spokesperson for the ruling party denied the allegation and said the state government has ensured no such construction takes place. The CPM did not respond to requests for comment.

In the video, which has been seen 12,000 times, anchor Samata declares: “These are questions that we the citizens of this city need to ponder over.”
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Manila, Philippines — Thousands of Filipino and American troops will kick off joint military exercises in the Philippines on Monday, as Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the region raises fears of a conflict. 

The annual drills — dubbed Balikatan, or “shoulder to shoulder” in Tagalog — will be concentrated in the northern and western parts of the archipelago nation, near the potential flashpoints of the South China Sea and Taiwan. 

China claims almost the entire waterway, a key route for international trade, and also considers self-ruled Taiwan to be part of its territory. 

In response to China’s growing influence, the United States has been bolstering alliances with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines. 

Washington and Manila are treaty allies and have deepened their defense cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022. 

While the Philippines is poorly armed, its proximity to the South China Sea and Taiwan would make it a key partner for the United States in the event of a conflict with China. 

“The purpose of armed forces, why we exist, is really to prepare for war,” Philippine Colonel Michael Logico told reporters ahead of the drills. “There’s no sugarcoating it … for us not to prepare, that’s a disservice to the country.” 

The Philippine coast guard will join Balikatan for the first time, following several confrontations between its vessels and the China coast guard, which patrols reefs off the Philippines’ coast. 

The joint drills involve a simulation of an armed recapture of an island in Palawan province, the nearest major Philippine landmass to the hotly disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. 

The same exercise will be held in the northern provinces of Cagayan and Batanes, both less than 300 km (180 miles) from Taiwan.  

Like last year, there will be a sinking of a vessel off the northern province of Ilocos Norte. 

Other training will concern information warfare, maritime security, and integrated air and missile defense. 

The United States has deployed its Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) guided missiles to the Philippines for Balikatan, but Logico said the weapons would not be used in the drills. 

China’s foreign ministry has accused the United States of “stoking military confrontation,” and warned the Philippines to “stop sliding down the wrong path.” 

‘It matters for regional stability’ 

The exercises, which will run until May 10, will involve around 11,000 American and 5,000 Filipino troops, as well as Australian and French military personnel.  

France will also deploy a warship that will take part in a joint exercise with Philippine and U.S. vessels. 

Fourteen countries in Asia and Europe will join as observers. 

For the first time, the drills will go beyond the Philippines’ territorial waters, which extend about 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) from its coastline, Logico said. 

“Balikatan is more than an exercise; it’s a tangible demonstration of our shared commitment to each other,” Lieutenant General William Jurney, commander of U.S .Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, said in a statement.  

“It matters for regional peace,” he said. “It matters for regional stability.”  
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Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelming passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill on Saturday. The measure now heads to the U.S. Senate, which is expected to take up a vote early this week. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports.
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A race car veered off the track during a competition in Sri Lanka on Sunday and rammed into a crowd of spectators and race officials, killing seven people and injuring 20 others, officials said.

Thousands of spectators looked on as the crash took place during a race in the town of Diyatalawa in the tea-growing central hills, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

The cause wasn’t immediately clear.

Police spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa said one of the cars veered off the track and struck spectators and officials. Seven people, including four officials, were killed and another 20 were being treated at a hospital, said Thalduwa. He said three of the injured were in critical condition.

Thalduwa said police have launched an investigation into the crash, which happened during the 17th out of 24 scheduled events. The race was suspended afterward.

About 45,000 spectators had gathered at the race circuit at a Sri Lankan military academy. The event was organized by the Sri Lankan army and Sri Lanka Automobile Sports.
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