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India’s main opposition Congress party accused the government of a “vendetta” on Wednesday after a federal agency filed charges against its top leaders in a years-long corruption case.Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi were charged as part of a probe initiated by a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).They have denied the allegations and have accused the BJP of using the state apparatus to target its rivals.Congress lawmaker Abhishek Singhvi said the case was “nothing but vendetta in legal disguise”.He also accused the government of using the Enforcement Directorate — a national agency that probes money laundering and financial crimes — of selectively targeting the opposition while sparing its allies. “Selective justice is nothing but political thuggery,” Singhvi added.The initial 2001 complaint against the Gandhis brought by BJP member Subramanian Swamy accused the Gandhis and others of “usurping” properties belonging to a now-defunct newspaper.He alleged that the Gandhis aimed to grab property worth $332 million owned by the publishing firm using fraudulent papers.Jairam Ramesh, a veteran lawmaker from the Congress party, described the case as “harassment and targeting of rivals”. “We can’t be forced to shut up,” Ramesh said. Critics in recent years have accused the BJP of using the justice system to target political rivals, with several opposition figures the subject of active criminal investigations.But BJP lawmaker Ravi Shankar Prasad said India’s judiciary was independent and investigative “agencies are free to work under PM Modi’s government”.”They (the opposition) have the right to protest — but what are the protesting about?”, Prasad said. “There is no license to loot in this country”, he added. Rahul Gandhi also faces several defamation cases and was expelled from parliament in 2023 after a defamation conviction. He returned months later after his two-year sentence was suspended by the Supreme Court.  He is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former Indian prime ministers, beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.His party has struggled to challenge Modi and has lost the last three national elections.

Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis.After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the World Health Organization’s headquarters finally sealed the deal at around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) Wednesday.”Tonight marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.Five years after the emergence of Covid-19, which killed millions of people, devastated economies and upturned health systems, a sense of urgency hung over the talks, with new threats lurking — including H5N1 bird flu, measles, mpox and Ebola.The final stretch of the talks also took place under the shadow of cuts to US foreign aid spending and threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals.- ‘It’s adopted’ -Right until the last minute, disagreement lingered over a few thorny issues.Negotiators stumbled over the agreement’s Article 11, which deals with transferring technology for pandemic health products towards developing nations.During the Covid-19 pandemic, poorer states accused rich nations of hoarding vaccines and tests.Countries with large pharmaceutical industries have strenuously opposed the idea of mandatory tech transfers, insisting they must be voluntary.But it appeared the obstacle could be overcome by adding that any transfer needed to be “mutually agreed”.The core of the agreement is a proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System (PABS), aimed at allowing the swift sharing of pathogen data with pharmaceutical companies, enabling them to quickly start working on pandemic-fighting products.In the end, the 32-page agreement was entirely highlighted in green, indicating all of it had been fully approved by WHO member states.”It’s adopted,” negotiations co-chair Anne-Claire Amprou announced, to thunderous applause.”In drafting this historic agreement, the countries of the world have demonstrated their shared commitment to preventing and protecting everyone, everywhere, from future pandemic threats.”The finalised text will now be presented for sign-off at the WHO’s annual assembly next month.- ‘Excellent news’ -Congratulations quickly poured in.”Excellent news from Geneva,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said on X.”We have learnt the lessons of COVID. To beat a pandemic, you need tests, treatments and vaccines. And you equally need solidarity and global cooperation.”The EU had led the charge arguing for flexibility and voluntary measures in the text.The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), which participated in the talks, had also taken that stance.Looking ahead towards implementation, the leading pharma lobby said intellectual property and legal certainty would be essential for encouraging investment in high-risk research and development in the next crisis.”The pandemic agreement is a starting point,” insisted IFPMA chief David Reddy.Developing countries and NGOs also hailed the agreement, while acknowledging that not all of their ambitions were met.”While the process may not have yielded all the outcomes we aspired for, it has opened an important avenue for future collaboration,” Tanzania’s representative told the gathering, speaking on behalf of dozens of African countries.- ‘More equity’ -As intense talks in corridors and closed rooms drew towards an end late Tuesday, Tedros told reporters he thought a deal would bring “more equity”.While taking measures against pandemics could be costly, “the cost of inaction is much bigger”, he insisted.”Virus is the worst enemy. (It) could be worse than a war.”The United States, which has thrown the global health system into crisis by slashing foreign aid spending, was absent.US President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal from the United Nations’ health agency and from the pandemic agreement talks after taking office in January.The US absence, and Trump’s threat to slap steep tariffs on pharmaceutical products, still hung over the talks, making manufacturers and governments more jittery.But in the end, countries reached consensus.- ‘Real work begins now’ -Many saw the approval of the text as a victory for global cooperation.”At a time when multilateralism is under threat, WHO member states have joined together to say that we will defeat the next pandemic threat in the only way possible: by working together,” said New Zealand’s former prime minister Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.As the congratulatory speeches continued on towards daybreak, Eswatini’s representative cautioned that “whilst we celebrate this moment, we need not rest on our laurels”.”The real work begins now.”

At a malnutrition treatment centre in Afghanistan’s capital, the cries of children have given way to a heavy silence, as patients are turned away and medical staff laid off due to US aid cuts. Entirely funded by Washington, the project had to shut down when the United States — until recently the largest aid donor in Afghanistan — froze all foreign assistance.The many children who would have come to the centre won’t be treated now, said Cobi Rietveld, country director for the non-governmental organisation Action Against Hunger (ACF), which manages the clinic in the west of Kabul.”If they don’t get treatment, there’s an extreme high risk of dying,” she told AFP. Without new funding, the stuffed animals, toys and baby bottles were put away and the pharmacy locked when the last patient left in March. “When malnourished patients come to our clinic, it’s a big challenge for our staff to explain the situation to them and to tell them that they need to go elsewhere for proper treatment,” said chief doctor Farid Ahmad Barakzai. After four decades of war and crises, Afghanistan faces the second-largest humanitarian crisis in the world, behind war-torn Sudan, according to the UN. – ‘So many shocks’ -On average, 65 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with complications were treated at the clinic every month. They stay there for several days with their mothers not only to be fed but to prevent them from spiralling into illness. “Every infection a child can get, a malnourished child will get as well, with an increased risk of dying,” said Rietveld. It’s “painful” for the staff, finishing their last days of work, Rietveld added, because “they have to send them somewhere else where they don’t have the same specialized treatment”. Child malnutrition in Afghanistan, where 45 percent of the population is under 14 years old, is one of the most significant challenges because it affects entire generations in the long term.Some 3.5 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition and the country has one of the highest rates of stunting in the world, according to the UN.Adults are also affected: 15 million Afghans are currently food insecure, including 3.1 million who are already on the brink of famine. Last week, the World Food Programme said the United States had ended funding for its work in Afghanistan, having gone back on cuts to other countries. “This is a country that’s been through so many shocks,” the World Health Organization representative in Afghanistan, Edwin Ceniza Salvador, told AFP.”So with a fragile system, even basic care of screening, those are even not there,” he said, underscoring that “of course the most vulnerable are the most affected”.- ‘Only place we could work’ -The funding crisis has also led to numerous layoffs in the humanitarian sector, in a country where the unemployment rate reached 12.2 percent in 2024, according to the World Bank. Since the US cuts, ACF has had to lay off around 150 of its 900 staff. “I have crying people in my office,” said Rietveld. “We listen, we offer support, but we can’t get them a job.” Hit hardest by the layoffs were women, who made up the majority of the 40 staff at ACF’s child nutrition centre and who face severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban authorities since their return to power in 2021.They can no longer work in many sectors and are not allowed to study beyond primary school, unless they enrol in a religious school, leading the UN to label the system as “gender apartheid”.”For many of us, the only place we could work was in this health centre,” said 27-year-old nurse Wazhma Noorzai. “Now, we are losing even that.” To recover after the loss of US funding, which made up 30 percent of the ACF’s local budget, the organisation is “in the process of writing proposals” and “discussing with donors”, Rietveld said.”But I don’t think other donors can cover the gap.” 

Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding a repeat of the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis.After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the World Health Organization’s headquarters sealed the deal at around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) Wednesday.”Tonight marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.”The nations of the world made history in Geneva today.”Five years after Covid-19 killed millions of people and devastated economies, a growing sense of urgency hung over the talks, with new health threats lurking, ranging from H5N1 bird flu to measles, mpox and Ebola.The final stretch of negotiations also took place with cuts to US foreign aid spending and threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals casting a shadow over the talks.- ‘It’s adopted’ -Right until the last minute, disagreement had lingered over a few thorny issues.Negotiators stumbled over the agreement’s Article 11, which deals with transferring technology for pandemic health products towards developing nations.During the Covid-19 pandemic, poorer states accused rich countries of hoarding vaccines and tests.Countries with large pharmaceutical industries have strenuously opposed the idea of mandatory tech transfers, insisting they must be voluntary.But it appeared the obstacle could be overcome by adding that any transfer needed to be “mutually agreed”.The core the agreement is a proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System (PABS), aimed at allowing the swift sharing of pathogen data with pharmaceutical companies, enabling them to quickly start working on pandemic-fighting products.In the end, the 32-page agreement was entirely highlighted in green, indicating it had been fully approved by WHO member states.”It’s adopted,” negotiations co-chair Anne-Claire Amprou announced, to thundering applause.”In drafting this historic agreement, the countries of the world have demonstrated their shared commitment to preventing and protecting everyone, everywhere, from future pandemic threats.”The finalised text will now be presented for sign-off at the WHO’s annual assembly next month.- ‘More equity’ -As intense talks in corridors and closed rooms drew towards an end late on Tuesday, Tedros joined the negotiations, telling reporters he thought the current draft was “balanced”, and that a deal would bring “more equity”.While taking measures to coordinate pandemic prevention, preparedness and response could be costly, “the cost of inaction is much bigger”, he insisted.”Virus is the worst enemy. (It) could be worse than a war.”The United States, which has thrown the global health system into crisis by slashing foreign aid spending, was not present.US President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal from the United Nations’ health agency and from the pandemic agreement talks after taking office in January.However, the US absence, and Trump’s threat to slap steep tariffs on pharmaceutical products, still hung over the talks, making manufacturers and governments more jittery.But in the end, countries reached consensus.Many saw the approval of the text as a victory for global cooperation.”At a time when multilateralism is under threat, WHO member states have joined together to say that we will defeat the next pandemic threat in the only way possible: by working together,” said former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.As the congratulatory speeches continued on towards daybreak, Eswatini’s representative stressed that “whilst we celebrate this moment, we need not rest on our laurels”.”The real work begins now.”

Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal returned figures of 4-28 as Punjab Kings defended IPL’s lowest ever total of 111 to down holders Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs in a thriller on Tuesday.Kolkata looked to be cruising at 62-2 before Chahal cut through the chase with his leg-spin, and the side collapsed to 95 all out in 15.1 overs at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.Punjab were earlier bowled out for 111 in 15.3 overs but Chahal and company turned the match on its head to better Chennai Super Kings’ record — they defended 116 against them (formerly Kings XI Punjab) in 2009.Kolkata’s Andre Russell attempted to pull off the chase from 79-8 when he hit two sixes and a four off Chahal but Punjab held their nerve.Arshdeep Singh sent back Vaibhav Arora and then fellow left-arm quick Marco Jansen bowled Russell to trigger wild celebrations in Punjab’s home ground.”I have coached a lot of games in the IPL and that might just be about the best win I ever had,” head coach Ricky Ponting said after the close contest.Kolkata skipper Ajinkya Rahane and impact substitute Angkrish Raghuvanshi put on 55 runs for the third wicket when Chahal broke through to get the captain back in the pavilion lbw.Ball tracker suggested the ball was outside the off stump, but Rahane did not take the review.- Rahane takes blame -“Pretty disappointed with the effort,” said Rahane. “I’ll take the blame, played the wrong shot, although it was missing.”Chahal, with his tail now up, got Raghuvanshi caught out in the next over for 37 and the Punjab were in the game when Glenn Maxwell had Venkatesh Iyer lbw for seven.Chahal then got two in two — Rinku Singh stumped and Ramandeep Singh out for a golden duck — before Harshit Rana avoided the hat-trick ball.But the day belonged Chahal and Punjab who moved into the top four of the 10-team table with their fourth win in six matches.Ponting said Chahal, who was named player of the match, had a fitness test before the game for a shoulder injury he picked in his previous outing.Earlier, Rana rattled the Punjab top-order after a brisk start by the openers and returned figures of 3-25 from his three overs.New batting sensation Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh made the hosts race to 39 in 3.1 overs, before Rana struck to send back the left-handed Arya caught at fine leg for 22.Rana got one more wicket two balls later when Ramandeep pulled off a stunning catch in the deep to dismiss skipper Shreyas Iyer, for a duck.Spinner Varun Chakravarthy joined forces in the next over to have Punjab’s England import Josh Inglis bowled for two.Prabhsimran, who made 30, attempted to hit back with two sixes off Rana but the bowler had the last laugh with Ramandeep once again taking a catch at point.Chakravarthy and fellow spinner Sunil Narine kept striking regular blows as Punjab’s batting faltered only for their bowlers to ultimately save the day.

A Pakistan court refused on Tuesday to rule on the detention of activist Mahrang Baloch, a decision her lawyers said will delay her case and keep her behind bars.The 32-year-old was placed under administrative detention by the Balochistan provincial government on March 22, accused of terrorism, sedition, and murder after leading a protest.The Balochistan High Court refused to hear an appeal against her detention, instead referring her case to the provincial government, according to Baloch’s defence team.”They closed all doors for us to appeal and directed us to the government instead,” her lawyer Kamran Murtaza told AFP, calling it a “refusal of justice”.Imaan Mazari, a second lawyer, called it a “complete abdication of responsibility” by the justice system, which has “put her at the mercy of the same administration that detained her”.Baloch will now remain under administrative detention, a 30-day period renewable three times under Pakistani law. The UN has expressed “concern” for the trainee surgeon, who was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 rising leaders of 2024. Balochistan, the country’s poorest province that borders Iran and Afghanistan, is in the grip of separatist militants who regularly carry out attacks on security forces.Baloch founded the Baloch Unity Committee which accuses the state of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests in their security operations, but advocates non-violence.At least 3,000 supporters have taken part in an ongoing sit-in, blocking key roads near the main city of Quetta for the past two weeks and demanding the release of Baloch and other activists.Authorities restrict access to many areas of Balochistan, where China has poured billions into energy and infrastructure projects, including a major port and an airport. 

Nearly 60,000 Afghans have been forced to leave Pakistan since the start of April, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday, after Islamabad ramped up a campaign to deport migrants to Afghanistan. Pakistan last month set an early April deadline for some 800,000 Afghans carrying Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) issued by the Pakistani authorities to leave the country, in the second phase of efforts to remove Afghans. “Between 1 and 13 April 2025, IOM recorded a sharp rise in forced returns, with nearly 60,000 individuals crossing back into Afghanistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border points,” the UN agency said in a statement. Families with their belongings in tow have crowded the crossings at Torkham in the north and Spin Boldak in the south, recalling scenes in 2023 when tens of thousands of Afghans fled deportation threats in Pakistan.  “With a new wave of large-scale returns now underway from Pakistan, needs on the ground are rising rapidly — both at the border and in areas of return that are struggling to absorb large numbers of returnees,” said Mihyung Park, head of the IOM’s Afghanistan mission. The UN says nearly three million Afghans live in Pakistan, many having been there for decades, after fleeing successive conflicts in their country and following the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021. More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, have also been told to move outside the capital Islamabad and the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi. The Taliban authorities have repeatedly called for Afghans to be allowed a “dignified” return to Afghanistan. As Afghans again began streaming over the border in large numbers, the Taliban Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said: “The mistreatment of them (Afghans) by neighbouring countries is unacceptable and intolerable.”- ‘Halt the forced returns’ -Ties between the two countries have frayed since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.Islamabad has accused Kabul’s rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on its soil, a charge the Taliban government denies, as Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in violence in border regions with Afghanistan. Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister said last week that Islamabad was “taking these steps because Afghans are linked to terrorist and narcotics activities”. He added that Afghans waiting in Pakistan for visas to a third country “would be catered to case by case”.But, he added, “there will be no extension for anyone after April 30”.Human rights activists have for months been reporting harassment and extortion by Pakistani security forces against Afghans, as international rights organisations have condemned the forced return campaign. The IOM urged “all countries to immediately halt the forced returns of Afghans until conditions are in place to ensure safe, dignified, and voluntary returns, regardless of a person’s legal status”.The agency said that between September 2023 and April this year, more than 2.43 million undocumented Afghan migrants have returned from Pakistan and Iran, over half of them forcibly returned.burs-sw/tc

Singaporeans vote on May 3 in an election that will test Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s leadership, as the wealthy city-state faces a turbulent global economy upended by US tariffs.This will be the first electoral battle for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) under Wong since he succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, the son of founding premier Lee Kuan Yew, last year after decades of leadership by the Lees.Parliament was dissolved Tuesday, clearing the way for the vote.Singapore has long been dominated by the PAP, which is expected to remain in power, but opposition gains are closely watched as a referendum on the government’s popularity.And the upcoming elections come at a precarious time.The global trading system that supported tiny, trade-reliant Singapore’s rapid ascent to prosperity is under severe strain since US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.Singapore, one of the world’s biggest transhipment hubs, finds itself exposed after Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries, disrupting global supply chains and sparking fears of a full-blown trade war with China.On Monday, Singapore’s trade ministry downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2025 to between zero and 2.0 percent from 1.0-3.0 percent.In a stark warning to parliament last week, Premier Wong declared that the “era of rules-based globalisation and free trade is over”.”We risk being squeezed out, marginalised, and left behind,” he said.Wong, 52, is seeking a firm mandate to steer the country through choppy waters.It will “strengthen his hand and that of his government in putting in place policies and measures to protect the economy and to negotiate with other countries”, said Eugene Tan, associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University.- ‘Toughest battle’ -PAP is one of the world’s longest-running political parties having been in power since 1959.But the party’s dominance is increasingly being challenged by a more vocal electorate, especially among younger voters who appear open to alternative political voices.The upcoming elections “may well be the toughest electoral battle for the ruling party”, said Mustafa Izzuddin, a political analyst with Solaris Strategies Singapore, citing the “unpredictability of ground sentiments and the emergence of a better quality opposition”.Tan of SMU said “millennial and Gen-Z voters are much more receptive… to a credible opposition in parliament”.In 2020, the opposition Workers’ Party (WP) made historic gains, winning 10 of the 93 seats at stake — a significant jump from its previously held four seats.It is hoping to build on that momentum and is expected to field candidates like Harvard-trained senior counsel Harpreet Singh, 59.In an interview on the local podcast “Yah Lah BUT”, Singh said Singapore could be a “much better and strong country with a more balanced politics”.”We need to have a reset where we treat our critics, people with different ideas, people from outside the system, with more respect and not suspicion.”- ‘More political diversity’ – A total of 97 seats are up for grabs in this election — four more than in 2020 — following a redrawing of electoral boundaries that some opposition parties have criticised as gerrymandering.The majority of the seats will come from a bloc voting system that opposition parties say favours the PAP.”Depending on how the opposition performs, there is a possibility of an emergence of a one-and-a-half party system — where the ruling party retains dominance but faces a more substantial check from a strengthened opposition,” said Izzuddin.But he added that fragmentation threatens the opposition votes as smaller parties compete for influence in overlapping areas.It remains unclear how the economic uncertainty will shape voter behaviour.While Izzuddin suggested the climate could trigger a “flight-to-safety” move that benefits incumbents, Tan pointed to the 2020 election held amid the global pandemic which saw the opposition gain ground.Ultimately, the outcome lies on how much Singaporeans wish to have more alternative views in parliament, but still keep the PAP in power.”The challenge is whether PM Wong can convince Singaporeans that the tariffs war is a significant threat, and that giving the ruling party a secure victory will ultimately benefit Singaporeans — notwithstanding the desire for more political diversity,” said Tan.The opposition is banking on the growing sentiment, with WP rising star Singh saying that “the best governments are not the ones that have dominant control and are not challenged”.”The best governments are the ones that are pushed to be better,” he said. “That’s where Singapore needs to go.”

China’s President Xi Jinping paid tribute to Vietnam’s late revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on Tuesday, his last day of a trip to Hanoi that President Donald Trump said was aiming to “screw” the United States.Xi is in Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asia tour that will include Malaysia and Cambodia, with Beijing trying to position itself as a stable alternative to Trump as leaders confront US tariffs.The Chinese leader called on his country and Vietnam Monday to “oppose unilateral bullying and uphold the stability of the global free trade system”, according to Beijing’s state media.Hours later, Trump told reporters at the White House that their meeting was aimed at hurting the United States. “I don’t blame China. I don’t blame Vietnam. I don’t. I see they’re meeting today, and that’s wonderful,” he said.”That’s a lovely meeting… like trying to figure out, how do we screw the United States of America.”China and Vietnam signed 45 cooperation agreements on Monday, including on supply chains, artificial intelligence, joint maritime patrols and railway development.Xi said a meeting with Vietnam’s top leader To Lam on Monday that their countries were “standing at the turning point of history… and should move forward with joint hands”.Lam said after the talks that the two leaders “reached many important and comprehensive common perceptions”, according to Vietnam News Agency.- Rail links -On the final day of his visit, Xi laid a red wreath emblazoned with his name and the words “Long live Vietnam’s great leader President Ho Chi Minh” at the late leader’s mausoleum in central Hanoi.He is also due to attend the launch of the Vietnam-China Railway Cooperation, which will help manage an $8-billion rail project — announced this year — to link Vietnam’s largest northern port city to the border with China.Xi’s trip comes almost two weeks after the United States — the biggest export market for Vietnam, a manufacturing powerhouse, in the first three months of the year — imposed a 46 percent levy on Vietnamese goods as part of a global tariff blitz.Although the US tariffs on Vietnam and most other countries have been paused, China still faces enormous levies and is seeking to tighten regional trade ties and offset their impact during Xi’s first overseas trip of the year.Xi will head to Malaysia later Tuesday and then Cambodia on a tour that “bears major importance” for the broader region, Beijing has said.Xi earlier urged Vietnam and China to “resolutely safeguard the multilateral trading system, stable global industrial and supply chains, and open and cooperative international environment”. He also reiterated Beijing’s line that a “trade war and tariff war will produce no winner, and protectionism will lead nowhere” in an article published on Monday in Vietnam’s major state-run Nhan Dan newspaper.China and Vietnam, both ruled by communist parties, already share a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, Hanoi’s highest diplomatic status.Vietnam has long pursued a “bamboo diplomacy” approach — striving to stay on good terms with both China and the United States.The two countries have close economic ties, but Hanoi shares US concerns about Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea.

Survivors of the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal regime welcome a beefed-up Cambodian law that forbids denying the movement’s atrocities, but rights advocates and academics warn it could also stifle legitimate dissent.Enacted last month ahead of this week’s 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge seizing the capital Phnom Penh, the law threatens hefty jail sentences and fines for anyone who denies the genocide that killed around two million people between 1975 and 1979.The atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge are widely accepted by Cambodians save a dwindling group of ageing former cadres and soldiers who live mostly in the remote northwest.The hardline Maoist group led by “Brother Number One” Pol Pot reset the calendar to “Year Zero” on April 17, 1975 and emptied cities in a bid to create a pure agrarian society free of class, politics or capital.About a quarter of the population died — of disease, starvation, overwork or by execution — in the disastrous social engineering experiment memorably chronicled by the 1984 Oscar-winning movie “The Killing Fields”.Some activists, however, say former prime minister Hun Sen is using the law to burnish his legacy and stifle any opposition to his son and successor, Hun Manet.The government is trying to “reinforce state narratives rather than to genuinely encourage historical accountability”, said Sophal Ear, associate professor at Arizona State University. “In practice, it could be another tool to silence dissent,” he said.Political analyst Ou Virak called the law a “mistake”, adding: “A population that is afraid to discuss will be even more afraid to ask questions.”- ‘I am the peacemaker’ -Now 72, Hun Sen was a commander under Pol Pot before he fled to Vietnam in 1977, joining other Cambodian defectors to lead the Vietnamese army’s assault that drove the Khmer Rouge out of Phnom Penh.In the more than 30 years Hun Sen ruled Cambodia he stifled dissent, critics say, equating opposition to his leadership as support for those he replaced.”Hun Sen wants to impose his vision of things, saying: ‘I am the peacemaker’,” said Adriana Escobar Rodriguez of the French National Centre for Scientific Research.One form of genocide denial tended to downplay Vietnam’s role in ousting the Khmer Rouge, she said, but another stemmed from the fact that some “people still can’t believe that Khmers could have killed other Khmers” — referring to Cambodia’s majority ethnic group.Hun Sen has defended the stricter law, comparing it to similar legislation against Holocaust denial in Europe.The 2013 law it replaced stemmed from a case involving one of Hun Sen’s main opponents that took place just before national elections.Kem Sokha was accused of describing notorious Khmer Rouge prison S-21 — where an estimated 15,000 people were tortured to death — as a Vietnamese fabrication.He has spent lengthy periods in prison on various charges since, and is currently under house arrest on treason charges and banned from politics.Chum Mey, one of a small handful of people who emerged alive from S-21, sells books describing his experiences outside the former prison, which was turned into the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.He says it would be stupid for anyone to deny the Khmer Rouge’s atrocities.”There is evidence,” the 94-year-old said.”They killed my four children and my wife.”