VOA News: Africa: Apparent Coup Attempt Rocks Guinea-Bissau on Eve of Presidential Campaigning

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Apparent Coup Attempt Rocks Guinea-Bissau on Eve of Presidential Campaigning Apr 13th 2012, 05:40 Eyewitnesses say Guinea-Bissau's military has taken control of the ruling party headquarters and national radio station Thursday night. The apparent coup attempt comes the night before campaigning was set to begin for a run-off presidential election pitting outgoing Prime Minister Carlos Gomes, junior against opposition candidate Kumba Yala. Shots and rocket fire were heard in the capital Thursday night. Soldiers also occupied central streets, including near Mr. Gomes home. It is not clear if Mr. Gomes was at home.  VOA's Correspondent in West Africa, Anne Look, said her sources tell her Mr. Gomes' whereabouts are unknown. But a Guinea-Bissau correspondent for Senegal's RFM radio, reached by telephone late Thursday, told VOA there are unconfirmed reports the former prime minister and presidential candidate had been assassinated. According to these reports, said RFM reporter Noah Mankali, "Carlos Gomes, junior, was assassinated by the military, he is dead." Mankali said the soldiers apparently responsible for the coup attempt have so far not made any public statement. However he said he believes they may be affiliated with opposition presidential candidate Koumba Yala. Mankali said the coup leader appears to be of the "same ethnic [group] with Koumba Yala. "I think that can be the origin of this coup d'etat [attempt]," he said. In a news conference earlier Thursday, Yala warned against campaigning for the April 29 run-off election.  He has previously called for a boycott of the vote, and said Thursday there would be "consequences" for anyone campaigning. Yala was one of five candidates who claimed the first-round vote was rigged. The candidates were vying to replace the late president, Malam Bacai Sanha, who died in January after a long illness. Since winning independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has struggled through a dictatorship, three coups and the 2009 assassination of a president. Media files: Reut_KumbaYala_24mar12-300.jpg (image/jpeg, 0 MB) Reuters_Guinea_Bissau_Presidential_Candidate_Gomes_Junior_230.jpg butty-guinea-bissau-coup-mankali-13april12.mp3 (audio/mpeg)

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VOA News: Asia: White House: North Korean Launch a 'Provocative Act'

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

White House: North Korean Launch a 'Provocative Act' Apr 13th 2012, 04:10 The White House says North Korea's missile launch early on Friday was a provocative act that threatens regional security and violates international law. A statement was issued after a North Korean rocket broke up shortly after launch. The statement said the failed launch contravenes Pyongyang's own recent commitments, adding the U.S. remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and remains committed to the security of U.S. allies in the region. It said President Barack Obama has been clear he is prepared to engage constructively with North Korea but also insists that it live up to its own commitments, adhere to its international obligations and deal peacefully with its neighbors. North Korea, the statement said, is only further isolating itself by engaging in provocative acts, and is wasting its money on weapons and propaganda displays while its people go hungry. The White House said the North's longstanding development of missiles and pursuit of nuclear weapons have not brought it security, and never will. North Korea, it said, will only show strength and find security by abiding by international law, living up to its obligations and working to feed its citizens, educate its children and win the trust of its neighbors. The United Nations Security Council was expected to meet on Friday to discuss a response to the North Korean missile launch. President Obama leaves Friday for Cartagena, Colombia to attend the sixth Summit of the Americas. He will be monitoring developments on North Korea during the summit. Media files: AP_Korea_rocket_300.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: Burma President Meets with Karen Rebels

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Burma President Meets with Karen Rebels Apr 7th 2012, 13:19 Officials say Burmese President Thein Sein met Saturday with members of a peace delegation from the rebel Karen National Union. The meeting, which lasted more than an hour, was the first time the president had talked with rebel leaders since he issued a call for dialogue last August. The KNU delegation has been in Rangoon for peace talks with government representatives over the past few days, but some of the delegates were flown to the administrative capital of Naypytaw Saturday for the talks. On Friday, the KNU and government delegates met in Rangoon and signed a 13-point agreement on how to move a peace process forward. The KNU's armed wing has been waging war against Burmese authorities since 1949.  Western nations have demanded peace with rebel groups as a condition for easing political and economic sanctions against the Southeast Asian country. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters. Media files: reuters_burma_thein_sein_karen_07Apr12-resized.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) reuters_burma_thein_sein_karen_230_07Apr12-resized.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: S. Korea Report Says Pyongyang Preparing for Third Nuclear Test

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

S. Korea Report Says Pyongyang Preparing for Third Nuclear Test Apr 8th 2012, 12:04 <!--IMAGE-LEFT-->South Korea's Yonhap news agency says North Korea appears to be preparing for a third nuclear weapons test. The report quotes an unidentified intelligence source as saying satellite images show workers digging a new tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast. The North conducted two previous nuclear tests in tunnels at the site, first in October of 2006 and again in May of 2009. VOA's Ira Mellman spoke about the report as well as the overall situation with Joel Wit, a fellow at U.S.-Korea Institute at the Washington based John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Witt says he was not surprised at the hints of a nuclear test. The source told Yonhap it appears the tunnel work is in its final stage. North Korea agreed in February to stop nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range rocket launches.  Days later, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced U.S. plans to provide the impoverished North with more food aid. The agreement quickly unraveled when Pyongyang announced plans to launch a long-range rocket this month, in defiance of United Nations resolutions.  Western journalists allowed to visit the launch site said Sunday the rocket has been installed on the platform. Pyongyang says the planned launch is aimed at placing a weather satellite into space.  But other countries, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, view it as a disguised missile test. North Korea has said the launch, set to occur between April 12 and April 16, is to commemorate the 100th birthday of its late founding leader, Kim Il Sung.   Sunday, the head of the North Korean launch site told Western reporters the launch was planned "long ago."   Jang Myong Jin also discounted suspicions that the rocket was a ballistic missile, saying such a missile would need be hidden in an underground chamber rather than exposed on a launch platform. China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Sunday said Beijing is troubled by the planned launch.  The official Xinhua news agency also quotes him as urging more international diplomacy to resolve the situation. The United States, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan have jointly negotiated with the North to end its nuclear program.  But those talks broke down in late 2009, when Pyongyang expelled international inspectors and then conducted its second nuclear test. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters. Media files: North Korea Curious Map.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: Deadly Pakistan Avalanche Renews Calls for Glacier's Demilitarization

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Deadly Pakistan Avalanche Renews Calls for Glacier's Demilitarization Apr 9th 2012, 13:28 A team of U.S. experts is in Pakistan to assist in recovery operations, two days after an avalanche buried more than 135 Pakistani soldiers and civilians in what is known as the world's highest battlefield. India and Pakistan have been engaging in a nearly three-decade fight over the Siachen Glacier, and the avalanche has revived calls for the region's demilitarization. Nearly 300 workers, most of them Pakistani soldiers, have been using bulldozers and other heavy equipment to recover the victims of Saturday's massive avalanche, which hit a military base at an altitude of 15,000 feet on the Siachen Glacier. But three days after the disaster, officials have not recovered anyone dead or alive. U.S. embassy spokesman Mark Stroh told VOA that in response to a Pakistani request, an eight-member team of American experts has arrived in Islamabad to assist in the rescue operation. "This is a team that is trained to operate in search and rescue operations at very, very high altitudes. They are trained in recovery, mass casualty medical support and things of this nature," said Stroh. "Their intention is to do whatever is required from the Pakistani side. They have not yet been able to travel to Siachen because the weather has not permitted that travel." Pakistan and India both claim the Siachen Glacier and have deployed thousands of troops to the region at an altitude of around 20,000 feet - making it the world's highest battleground. The conflict began in 1984, when Indian troops seized the heights of the 78-kilometer-long glacier, prompting Pakistan to establish military bases on the other side. The Siachen region is located on the northern tip of the de facto Line of Control dividing the Himalayan region of Kashmir. Both Islamabad and New Delhi have honored a cease-fire along the disputed border since 2003, which has largely ended skirmishes on the glacier. In fact, experts say extreme weather has killed more Indian and Pakistan soldiers than fighting.   Critics have long urged India and Pakistan to pull their forces out of the Siachen region, calling it a "pointless conflict." Saturday's deadly avalanche has revived those demands. "Pakistan and Indian need to work towards cooperative engagement in that area, we need to demilitarize Siachen the soonest. [For] decades, not a gun has fired in Siachen. Really, it's a waste of effort, waste of resources and unfortunately source of loss of life," said Shehzad Chaudhry, a former Pakistani air force commander. Arshad Abbasi is an independent researcher and environmental activist based in Pakistan. He said that military activity has led to the melting of the Siachen glacier, as well as surrounding glaciers. "[The] melting of [a] glacier is in fact an indicator of climate change and in this region this glacier is melting because of the presence of the army. We urge [the] global community please, this is a time they have to act and they have to force both countries. This is a global heritage, this is a global asset. This should be protected to save countries from the consequences of... climate change," said Abbasi. As Abbasi put it, "Siachen is weeping, tomorrow the world will cry." During talks in New Delhi a day after the avalanche, President Asif Ali Zardari discussed the issue with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "I spoke about the glaciers and the water dispute between India and Pakistan. We cannot wish India away, nor can they wish us away. But we have to learn to live with each other. And that is exactly the message I carried to the Indian government," said Zardari. The demands for an end to the Siachen conflict also echoed Monday in Pakistan's parliament, where lawmakers urged President Zardari's government to aggressively pursue a diplomatic resolution with India in an effort to prevent further financial and human losses. Media files: Gold-Pakistan-Siachen-Glacier-300.png (image/png, 0.1 MB) AFP Pakistan site of avalanche rescue team 230.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: Half of Companies Bribe Officials in Vietnam

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Half of Companies Bribe Officials in Vietnam Apr 7th 2012, 16:37 Nearly half of Vietnam's companies say they have had to bribe officials in order to do business, a new survey conducted by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) revealed. Some 80 percent of businesses in the country reported their operations had been negatively affected by corruption, the survey, released Wednesday, claimed. Of the 270 business and entrepreneurs, business associations, and civil servants interviewed for the survey, nearly 50 percent said they had to pay bribes, which consisted of cash, luxury items or holiday packages, to officials in return for the right to bid on contracts for public sector work. Around 63 percent of respondents said that the system of licensing a business was too confusing and was a leading reason for the graft. "There are many reasons for businesses to opt to give bribes to state officials, and when they are doing so, they think about the short time benefits they can gain," said Doan Duy Khuong, vice chairman of the VCCI. "However, in the long run, such a practice will undermine their business ability and damage their competitiveness, since they have become much more reliant on bribes than on their capabilities to obtain their goals," he added. Forty percent of businesses polled said that "unofficial" expenses account for one percent of their annual operating costs, while 13 percent of respondents said the rate was as high at five percent of costs. Only 31 percent of those polled said the procedure of granting land use rights had become more simplified, but half of the respondents complained about the complexity of land allocation, and 40 percent said maintaining "close relationships" with land officials would get a company through the process more easily. 'Unofficial expenses' According to VCCI, "unofficial" expenses are routinely paid by firms to agencies which safeguard food quality and cleanliness, natural resources and the environment, and social welfare. And more than 10 percent of the businesspeople polled said that the "under-the-table" money they had to pay to tax, customs, and market management agencies was remarkable, and sometimes "huge." More than 50 percent of respondents said that they could not obtain a loan without paying a "tip" to officers at the bank, while 60 percent said they had to establish "good relationships" with banks if they wanted to get a loan. In many cases, the survey said, officials personally suggested that businesses pay them a bribe or a gift in return for assistance resolving problems. It said the phenomenon was most commonly seen in the land, banking, and business registration industries. As many as 87 percent of surveyed businesses said corruption in Vietnam was a result of legal loopholes exploited by corrupt state officials, while 75 percent said ineffective law enforcement had allowed the spread of corruption. About two-thirds of the respondents said low salaries for civil servants are among the main causes of corruption. In order to combat corruption, VCCI suggested that the Vietnamese government take measures to increase legal income for civil servants, strengthen the moral education of state employees, and raise the level of punishment for those convicted of accepting bribes. Vietnamese officials have said corruption and rising inequality poses "the biggest risks to the ruling party." Find more coverage at Radio Free Asia Media files: rfa_afP-vitenam_policemen_11Jun10.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) rfa_afP-vitenam_policemen_230_11Jun10.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: US, Afghanistan Compromise on Night Raid Operations

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

US, Afghanistan Compromise on Night Raid Operations Apr 8th 2012, 11:00 Afghanistan and the United States have reached a compromise on the controversial issue of night raids on Afghan homes by international forces.The agreement gives Afghan authorities veto power over planned operations and more say in the treatment of detainees. The memorandum of understanding authorizing Afghan-led night raid special operations was signed Sunday in front of reporters by Afghan Defense Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen. The Afghan defense minister says the agreement will take effect immediately. He says as of today, special operations become Afghan-owned and will be conducted by the special contingent of the ministry of defense, ministry of interior and national security directorate in accord with Afghan judicial bodies. Night raids had been a constant source of tension between the Afghan government and U.S. military. Afghan President Hamid Karzai called previously for an end to all international night raids, saying they are provocative when carried out by foreign troops. But NATO commanders have said the operations have proven extremely effective in apprehending Taliban insurgents and al-Qaida commanders. The compromise reached continues to authorize night raids under Afghan leadership. General Allen says it also stipulates measures to ensure that special operations be conducted in ways that adhere to the rule of law. "With this memorandum of understanding, the United States has not only formalized the Afghan special forces lead in special operations missions but has also agreed to ensure that those missions are conducted in a manner fully consistent with the Afghan constitution and Afghan laws," he said. Under the deal, Afghan and supporting U.S. forces are required to apply to an Afghan judge for a warrant before operations are approved. Also, Afghan authorities will have control over prisoners taken in night raids and will decide whether to allow U.S. interrogators access to detainees. Recently the two sides resolved another contentious issue when they signed a deal transferring Afghan detainees to Kabul's custody. General Allen says these two agreements remove the last major obstacles to developing a long-term strategic partnership pact in advance of a May NATO Summit in Chicago. The partnership pact will authorize a reduced U.S. military presence in Afghanistan after the planned 2014 withdrawal of most Western combat troops. The signing comes at a time of heightened sensitivity in Afghanistan over the presence of foreign troops after a series of incidents, including the massacre of 17 Afghan villagers blamed on a U.S. soldier, and the inadvertent burning of Qurans at an American military base. Media files: Kabul_Afghanistan Curious Map1.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: Hope Fades for 135 People Feared Dead in Pakistan Avalanche

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Hope Fades for 135 People Feared Dead in Pakistan Avalanche Apr 8th 2012, 21:10 Pakistan continued its search Sunday for the 135 soldiers and civilians buried by a massive avalanche in mountainous Kashmir near the Indian border, as hopes of finding any survivors faded quickly. Military officials said no bodies have been recovered nearly 36 hours after a 20-meter wall of snow crashed into a military complex in the Siachen Glacier region early Saturday. Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, visited the disaster site Sunday and supervised rescue efforts on the remote 6,000-meter peak, involving helicopters, search dogs, troops, doctors and paramedics. Both Pakistan and India have military outposts in the area, known as the world's highest battlefield, where the inhospitable climate and avalanche-prone terrain have claimed more lives than gunfire. The Pakistan military said 124 soldiers from the 6 Northern Light Infantry Battalion and 11 civilians were buried under the snow. Pakistan and India have thousands of troops stationed in Kashmir, which both nations claim in full.  Territorial disputes over control of the rugged region have sparked two wars between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Media files: voa_pakistan_avalanche_rescue_230_eng_07apr12.jpg (image/jpeg, 0 MB) Pakistan_Siachen_Glacier_230.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: Burma's Karen Delegation Meets Aung San Suu Kyi

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Burma's Karen Delegation Meets Aung San Suu Kyi Apr 9th 2012, 10:50 The leaders of Burma's longest-running insurgent movement met Sunday with democracy leader and newly elected parliament member Aung San Suu Kyi at her home in Rangoon. The Karen National Union delegation, led by General Secretary Zipporah Sein, said in a statement that they discussed in detail a cease-fire that was negotiated last week with the government.  Aung San Suu Kyi told reporters that a cease-fire is just the first step on the road to peace. "As we all know, a cease-fire is just the first step," she said. "We can't have peace without cease-fire. So we are on the first step now, we all need to wait for this step to be concrete, after that we will go for the next step." Zipporah Sein said the two sides also discussed the needs of other ethnic groups. "Today we, the Karen National Union, discussed our plan for progressing the development of peace in the country," she said. "We discussed what we need, how we can achieve a real cease-fire process, not just for the Karen but for the other ethnic groups." The meeting took place a day after the KNU delegation met with President Thein Sein in the administrative capital of Naypytaw.  KNU officials said that the president told them the government is making its best efforts to remove the group from its list of outlawed organizations as soon as possible. The talks, which lasted more than an hour, marked the first time the president had talked with rebel leaders since he issued a call for dialogue in August. The KNU delegation began their diplomatic mission Friday by meeting with a 19-member government peace delegation in Rangoon.  The KNU said the two sides signed a 13-point agreement on how to move a peace process forward. The KNU's armed wing has been waging war against Burmese authorities since 1949.  Western nations have demanded peace with rebel groups as a condition for easing political and economic sanctions against the Southeast Asian country. Media files: Reuters Burma Aung San Suu Kyi Zippora Sein 8APr12 480.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) Reuters Burma Aung San Suu Kyi Zippora Sein 230.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: 'Anonymous' Warns of More Cyber Attacks in China

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

'Anonymous' Warns of More Cyber Attacks in China Apr 9th 2012, 18:08 The computer hacking group Anonymous, blamed for a spate of cyber-attacks in China in the past week, says it will continue to target government websites to protest Internet censorship and human rights abuses. Anonymous-China claims to have hacked into hundreds of government and commercial Chinese sites so far this month, and last week there were numerous reports of defaced websites in the country.   Those sites, many of which appeared to be operational Monday, included the home page for the Chengdu business district.  A message on that page read in part:  "Dear Chinese government, you are not infallible, today websites are hacked, tomorrow it will be your vile regime that will fall." Reuters news agency quotes an Anonymous hacker as saying Anonymous-China consists of 10 to 12 people -- most of them based outside China.  The hacker said the group has "hundreds" of translators working to hack Chinese sites. A message recently posted on the defaced website hockeychina.net also warned Beijing that its government is not infallible.  That message went on to say: "...We do not forgive.  Never.  What you are doing today to your great people, tomorrow will be inflicted on you.  With no mercy." China boasts the world's largest online population, with more than one-half billion users.  But the government tightly controls the Internet access, using a vast system of censorship that critics call "the great firewall of China." The United States says the U.S. government has been hit by many high-profile hacking attacks that appear to come from China.  Those targets include U.S.-based human rights groups that advocate for Tibetan autonomy, as well as for other ethnic minorities and some U.S. companies. China has consistently denied involvement in those attacks and claims that it too is a frequent target of cyber vandalism.   Media files: reuters_china_anonymous_protest_480_01april2012.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) reuters_china_anonymous_protest_230_01april2012.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: In Pakistan, US Bounty for Cleric Sparks Protests

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

In Pakistan, US Bounty for Cleric Sparks Protests Apr 6th 2012, 13:42 Protesters across Pakistan rallied in the streets Friday to condemn the United States' $10 million bounty for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. Saeed founded Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which allegedly plotted the 2008 terrorist attack in India's financial hub, Mumbai. The siege killed 166 people, including six Americans. The U.S. officials announced the $10 million reward earlier this week. Hundreds of Islamist activists demonstrated in the capital, Islamabad, and the northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday. Members of the Defense Council of Pakistan, an alliance of right-wing, religious and extremist groups, also protested in the cities of Lahore and Muzaffarabad, chanting anti-U.S. slogans and support for Saeed. "The USA has done an unconstitutional and unlawful act," said Molana Shaikh Yaqoob, Central leader Defense Council of Pakistan. "If they have some evidence or proof against Hafiz Saeed, even then they should have adopted the law." Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday criticized the U.S. decision to place a bounty on Saeed. The cleric operates openly in Pakistan, appearing on talk shows and addressing public rallies in which he criticizes the United States. Gilani said the U.S. should have informed Pakistan before taking such a move because there is no solid evidence against Saeed, adding that such negative messages would only widen the trust deficit between both nations. Pakistan's parliament is currently debating a new framework for ties with the United States, following the mistaken killing of 24 Pakistani troops in a cross-border NATO strike last November. In recent months, Saeed has used his high-profile status among right-wing groups in Pakistan to help lead a protest movement against Pakistan reopening its ground route for NATO supplies into Afghanistan. Pakistani authorities closed the border crossings following the coalition strike that killed Pakistani troops late last year. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. Media files: APHafizMohammadSaeed6April2012-resizedpx480q100shp8.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.2 MB) APHafizMohammadSaeed6April2012-resizedpx480q100shp8Tease.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: 135 People Feared Dead in Pakistani Avalanche

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

135 People Feared Dead in Pakistani Avalanche Apr 8th 2012, 00:19 Up to 135 people, mostly Pakistani soldiers, are feared dead after a massive avalanche engulfed a high-altitude military complex in mountainous Kashmir near the Indian border early Saturday. In a statement late Saturday, Pakistan's military said up to 135 people, 124 army soldiers and 11 civilians, were buried under the wall of snow more than 20 meters thick in the Siachen Glacier region, with no sign of life more than 12 hours later. Both Pakistan and India have military outposts in the region, known as the world's highest battlefield. The military launched a huge all-day search on the remote 6,000-meter peak involving helicopters, search dogs, troops, doctors and paramedics, but the rescue operation was called off late Saturday as darkness set in and the weather worsened. The search is due to resume early Sunday. Pakistan's High Commissioner in Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, said about 150 people were in the military base at a time of the avalanche.  The base is located in a high risk area where the inhospitable climate and avalanche-prone terrain have claimed more lives than gunfire. The snowslide hit on the eve of a scheduled meeting between Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday. It will be the first visit to India by a Pakistani head of state since 2005. Pakistan and India each have thousands of troops stationed in Kashmir, which both nations claim in full. Territorial disputes over control of the rugged, mountainous region have sparked two wars between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Since 1984, there had been skirmishes along the border until both sides agreed to a cease-fire in 2003. Media files: PAKISTAN_AVALANCHE_RESCUE.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) voa_pakistan_avalanche_rescue_230_eng_07apr12.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: India, Pakistan Discuss Terrorism in Rare Top-Level Meeting

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

India, Pakistan Discuss Terrorism in Rare Top-Level Meeting Apr 8th 2012, 11:37 The leaders of India and Pakistan have spoken face to face during a rare shared meal in New Delhi. They talked frankly on subjects ranging from terrorism to disputed Kashmir. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari for lunch at his New Delhi residence Sunday, and indicated he may soon reciprocate the Pakistani leader's visit. "President Zardari has also invited me to visit Pakistan," he said. "I would be very happy to visit Pakistan at a mutually convenient date." Zardari is on a private visit to India. His stated purpose is to offer prayers at a Sufi shrine in the Indian city of Ajmer, where he headed aboard an Indian military helicopter after lunch with Singh. President Zardari expressed gratitude for the opportunity to speak face to face with India's leader. "India and Pakistan are neighbors," said Zardari. "We would like to have better relations with India. We've spoken on all topics that we could have spoken about, and we're hoping to meet on Pakistan soil very soon." Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai says the luncheon meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes, included discussions of a key irritant in the India-Pakistan relationship. "The leaders discussed the problem of terrorism, which is a major issue by which the Indian people will judge progress in the bilateral relationship," said Mathai. "We have told President Zardari that it was imperative to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to justice." That Mumbai attack, carried out by gunmen in November 2008 and known in India simply as "26/11," killed 166 people at hotels and other sites. India accuses Pakistan of sheltering planners of the attack, including Hafiz Saeed, founder of the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. Last week, the United States put Saeed on the top of its wanted terrorist list, and put out a $10 million bounty offer for anyone who helps secure his arrest. Saeed responded with public taunts from Pakistani territory. Indian Foreign Secretary Mathai said the Indian prime minister raised the issue at lunch. "We have also mentioned the activities of Hafiz Saeed"said Mathai. "President Zardari said the matter needed to be discussed further between the two governments." The chief law enforcement ministers of both countries were scheduled to meet on the issue of the Mumbai attack suspects later Sunday to seek more concrete progress. Separately, the two leaders discussed disputed Kashmir. India offered to provide humanitarian assistance following an avalanche that buried and killed more than 100 Pakistani soldiers in the disputed Siachen glacier region. The two sides committed in principle to liberalizing trade and people to people contacts, including looser visa agreements for citizens of India and Pakistan to visit the other. Media files: reuters_pakistan_india_eng-480_8apr12.jpg (image/jpeg, 0 MB) reuters_pakistan_india_eng_230_8apr12.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: 23 Convicted for Deadly 2002 Anti-Muslim Violence in India's Gujarat

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

23 Convicted for Deadly 2002 Anti-Muslim Violence in India's Gujarat Apr 9th 2012, 13:38 In India, a court has convicted 23 people in connection with the killing of 23 Muslims during deadly religious riots that swept through Gujarat state in 2002. The massacre was investigated by a special team after allegations that the probe by state police was not impartial. A special court Monday found the 23 people guilty of setting fire to a house in Gujarat's Ode village where a group of Muslims had taken shelter to protect themselves from rioting mobs. Twenty-three others were acquitted for lack of evidence. Most of those who stood trial are Hindus. The massacre took place a decade ago, when towns and villages in Gujarat were convulsed with riots that targeted Muslims homes and neighborhoods. The violence erupted after a train fire, blamed on Muslims, killed 60 Hindu pilgrims and prompted retaliation by Hindu mobs. The prosecutor, P.N. Parmar, called it a historic judgment in the mass killings in Ode village. "Nine children, nine women and five men burnt alive in this heinous crime," he said. The sentences will be announced later. Defense lawyers say they will appeal the verdict. The massacre in Ode village is one of nine incidents into which the Supreme Court has ordered a special investigation, following allegations that the Gujarat police were not impartial in their probe into the deadly riots. About 1,000 Muslims died in the violence. This is the third judgment to be handed down in connection with the riots. In two separate judgments last year, 31 people were sentenced for burning 39 Muslims to death, while 31 Muslims were found guilty for setting fire to the train that killed the Hindu pilgrims. Gujarat is ruled by the Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The state's chief minister, Narendra Modi, has often been accused of not doing enough to stop the riots or bring the perpetrators to justice. After Monday's verdict, senior BJP leader Balbir Punj said justice has been handed to the riot victims. "It is a victory for the people of Gujarat and it is a slap on the face of those people that [say] justice cannot be done in Gujarat," said Punj. Although the 2002 violence tarnished Narendra Modi's image, the controversial leader remains one of BJP's top leaders. He has won state elections in Gujarat twice since the riots and hopes to play a larger role in national politics. Media files: reuters_india_gujarat_court_eng_480_2011.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) reuters_india_gujarat_court_eng_eng_230_2011.jpg

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VOA News: Asia: Kachin Rebels Live in Limbo as War with Burma Drags On

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

Kachin Rebels Live in Limbo as War with Burma Drags On Apr 9th 2012, 14:10 <!--AV--> Burma's army and ethnic Kachin rebels have been fighting since June, when they broke a 17-year-old cease-fire. The move sent tens of thousands of civilians fleeing into makeshift refugee camps. Rights groups accuse authorities of preventing aid from reaching camps in rebel-held territory.  Four hundred Kachin refugees get regular donations of food and other aid at a Catholic-run camp. The youngest were born while in the camp, enlarging families that fled fighting between the Burmese military and the Kachin Independence Army. Some have lost friends or relatives in the conflict. Others, like farmer Nar San Too, were themselves injured. "While I was looking for mushrooms in the forest one morning in July last year, a landmine exploded…I stepped on the wire cable of the mine and it exploded beside me," he explains. Tin Tun Kwut Nan says she and her eight family members fled Nan San Village after it was attacked. "We ran from our village in fear," she says. "I don't know exactly how many villagers were killed.  Our village was burnt down by Burma's Army." The refugees are supported by donations from local officials, a local Catholic church, and the World Food Program. Volunteer food coordinator Daw Kyar Phyu says most arrived in October and come from 10 different villages. "They will go back to their villages when there is peace. Now, they are worried for their security so they will not go back their villages where there is no peace yet," she says. Although they are unable to return home, these refugees are still better off than the estimated 30,000 in rebel-controlled areas, where the government has cut-off food deliveries, apart from just a few U.N.aid convoys. The last delivery in March contained only enough food to feed a few thousand for one month. Media files: Burma_Refugeesweb-standardQT02 230.jpg Burma_RefugeeswebYTHDFull__384484.mp4 (video/mp4)

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VOA News: Africa: Military Takes Over Ruling Party HQ in Guinea Bissau

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Military Takes Over Ruling Party HQ in Guinea Bissau Apr 13th 2012, 01:38 Eyewitnesses say that Guinea-Bissau's military has taken control of the ruling party headquarters and national radio station while shots and rocket fire were heard in the capital. Soldiers also occupied central streets on Thursday, including the avenue where outgoing prime minister and presidential candidate Carlos Gomes, Junior lives.  But it is not clear if Mr. Gomes was at home. The U.S. embassy in Dakar, Senegal, which also covers Guinea Bissau, issued an emergency message to U.S. citizens in the neighboring country to stay away from the downtown area of Bissau.  It says the reported violence in the city could be a result of a coup d'etat or a coup attempt, and that an increased potential for political instability and civil or military unrest remains high. The incidents occur on the eve of the start of the electoral campaign for the runoff election in Guinea Bissau's presidential campaign. Guinea-Bissau's opposition -- led by second-place finisher Kumba Yala -- has called a boycott of the April 29 runoff vote and warned against campaigning.  Yala was one of five candidates that claimed the first-round vote was rigged. The candidates were vying to replace the late president, Malam Bacai Sanha, who died in January after a long illness. Since winning independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has struggled through a dictatorship, three coups and the 2009 assassination of a president. Media files: Guinea-Bissau Curious Map.jpg

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