Burma migrants suffocate in lorry

More than 50 Burmese illegal migrants have suffocated in the back of a lorry taking them into southern Thailand, Thai police say.

The 54 migrants were found dead inside the packed container lorry after dozens more managed to escape from the vehicle and flag down police.

Police said the migrants had suffocated after the air-conditioning failed.

Thailand acts as a magnet for poor Burmese workers, with thousands risking the often perilous journey there.

Enticing wages

Police said that the Burmese workers had crossed to the Thai town of Ranong from Burma’s southern tip at Victoria Point – a route often used by illegal immigrants.

They had been packed into an airtight lorry for the journey to the resort island of Phuket, Col Kraithong Chanthongbai said, but the ventilation failed.

“When police got to the scene, they found that 54 of the workers were already dead in the packed container truck,” the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying.

Twenty-one other workers were taken to hospital, he said. As many as 46 other workers did not require hospital treatment and were detained.

One Burmese migrant’s story

The driver of the lorry fled the scene.

There are thought to be up to two million Burmese workers in Thailand, half of whom are in the country illegally.

They fill low-paid, often dangerous jobs in sectors including textiles, construction and fisheries.

But these jobs offer the migrants salaries that far exceed what they could earn in military-ruled Burma.

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More than 50 Burmese illegal migrants have suffocated in the back of a lorry taking them into southern Thailand, Thai police say.

The 54 migrants were found dead inside the packed container lorry after dozens more managed to escape from the vehicle and flag down police.

Police said the migrants had suffocated after the air-conditioning failed.

Thailand acts as a magnet for poor Burmese workers, with thousands risking the often perilous journey there.

Enticing wages

Police said that the Burmese workers had crossed to the Thai town of Ranong from Burma’s southern tip at Victoria Point – a route often used by illegal immigrants.

They had been packed into an airtight lorry for the journey to the resort island of Phuket, Col Kraithong Chanthongbai said, but the ventilation failed.

“When police got to the scene, they found that 54 of the workers were already dead in the packed container truck,” the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying.

Twenty-one other workers were taken to hospital, he said. As many as 46 other workers did not require hospital treatment and were detained.

One Burmese migrant’s story

The driver of the lorry fled the scene.

There are thought to be up to two million Burmese workers in Thailand, half of whom are in the country illegally.

They fill low-paid, often dangerous jobs in sectors including textiles, construction and fisheries.

But these jobs offer the migrants salaries that far exceed what they could earn in military-ruled Burma.

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S Asian crises blamed on leaders

The 2005 Kashmir earthquake claimed 75,000 lives

Government failures across South Asia are the key factor that can turn natural disasters into humanitarian crises, a UK-based aid agency says.

Political inaction, poor decisions and bad management are more to blame than nature for the humanitarian effects of disasters, Oxfam claims in a report.

The region is vulnerable to floods, cyclones, droughts and earthquakes.

Oxfam notes 12 times as many people died in the Kashmir quake in 2005 as in a comparable Japanese tremor in 1995.

The charity says there has been some progress, but warns that more needs to be done as climate change makes the region even more vulnerable.

The UK government said it agreed with Oxfam’s argument that disaster preparation saves lives.

Consequently, the Department for International Development said, the UK was helping to build stronger houses and bridges in Pakistan and funding a tsunami early warning system in South Asia.

Priority issue

The effects of the disasters can be massive. Last year’s floods in Bangladesh, India and Nepal affected 30 million people.

The Kobe earthquake claimed more than 6,400 lives

The Kashmir quake killed 75,000 people. Japan’s death toll from the 1995 Kobe earthquake was so much lower because it is wealthier and better organised, Oxfam notes.

Such disasters are holding South Asia back economically, it reports, with damage costing about 6% of regional GDP every year.

But things can be turned around, the agency argues.

It praises Bangladesh for its early warning system and network of cyclone shelters which saved the lives of thousands last November, when Cyclone Sidr hit the coast.

“The right policies and preparations can save lives and money – our experience shows that preparedness costs a fraction of what a disaster response can cost,” said Oxfam’s regional director for South Asia, Ashvin Dayal.

“The problem is that governments and donors do not prioritise these preventative measures.”

Oxfam argued that much more needed to be done, saying climate change made even more regions and people vulnerable to extreme events.

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Confusion strikes US torch relay

The torch has been taken on a surprise route through San Francisco Torch relay

The only North American leg of the Olympic torch relay has been marked by confusion after the route was diverted to avoid crowds of protesters.

Thousands of pro-Tibet and pro-Beijing demonstrators had gathered in San Francisco, prompting fears of violence.

Officials sent the torch on a new route citing safety concerns. The closing ceremony was also moved to a new site.

There were disruptive protests as the relay passed through Europe. It will end in Beijing, home of the 2008 Games.

Meanwhile, President George W Bush has urged China to “begin a dialogue” with Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a motion condemning China’s “extreme” response to protests in Tibet.

Muted event

In San Francisco, a planned waterfront closing ceremony in Justin Herman Plaza was moved because of security fears.

Map of planned world torch relay route

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom told Reuters news agency: “We assessed the situation and felt that we could not secure the torch and protect the protesters and supporters to the degree that we wished.”

Instead, a muted closing event took place on a motorway fly-over well away from the planned location, says the BBC’s David Willis in San Francisco.

‘Houdini torch’ relay disappoints In pictures: San Francisco relay Doubts cast on future torch relays History of protests

Thousands of spectators had been waiting hours to see the torch pass, but many are likely to have been disappointed after the change of route.

Immediately after the torch was lit, the torchbearers went into a warehouse building on the waterfront.

The torch was then driven to a new starting point about a mile away, where it was handed to two runners away from protesters. They set off surrounded by heavy security.

Pro- and anti-Beijing demonstrators have been mingling on the streets all day, prompting some concerns of violence. Television pictures showed China supporters shoving a Tibet activist.

At least one protester was detained before the relay started.

Hundreds of anti-Beijing protesters rallied in the city on Tuesday, after activists hung banners from the city’s famed Golden Gate Bridge on Monday.

Tibet is not the only issue prompting the protests – China’s policies towards Sudan, Burma and members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement are also being opposed.

Officials in Beijing have condemned the disruption that has accompanied the torch so far – but promised that the procession would continue.

Bush call

However, correspondents say more trouble could force officials from the International Olympic Committee – set to meet in Beijing on Thursday – to consider calling off the rest of the torch’s 136,788 km (85,000-mile) journey.

There have been scuffles between Beijing supporters and opponents

President Bush urged China to open talks with the Dalai Lama, who he called a “peaceful man… who is not for independence, but for the cultural identity of the Tibetans being maintained”.

Meanwhile, the president’s spokeswoman struck a more hesitant note than she has in the past when asked whether the president would attend the opening ceremonies of the Games.

Dana Perino said it was “extremely premature” to confirm what the president’s schedule would be in August.

A spokeswoman for UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would not be attending the opening ceremonies – but had never intended to. He will be at the closing ceremony.

‘Looting and arson’

In Washington, meanwhile, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution criticising China’s “disproportionate and extreme” response to protests in Tibet.

By 413 votes to one, the House called on China to release Tibetans imprisoned after peacefully demonstrating, and allow international monitors and journalists unfettered access to Tibetan areas of China.

But in a statement before the vote, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry accused the resolution’s supporters of choosing “to remain silent on the violence involved in beating, smashing up properties, looting and arson in Lhasa – and the Dalai clique who premeditated and organised the criminal act of violence”.

The Olympic flame was lit in Greece on 24 March and is being relayed through 20 countries before being carried into the opening ceremony in Beijing on 8 August.

In Paris, the torch had to be extinguished three times, while in London there were 37 arrests.

OLYMPIC TORCH ROUTE Torch lit in Olympia on 24 March and taken on five-day relay around Greece to Athens After handover ceremony, it is taken to Beijing on 31 March to begin a journey of 136,800 km (85,000 miles) around the world Torch arrives in Macau on 3 May. After three-month relay all around China, it arrives in Beijing for opening ceremony on 8 August See detailed route on Beijing 2008 official site

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Election, and Maoists, Could Transform Nepal

Brian Sokol for The New York Times

The Maoist leader Prachanda, top center, stumped last month in Katmandu. More Photos >

By SOMINI SENGUPTA

Published: April 9, 2008

KATMANDU, Nepal — With one vote on Thursday, this longtime Himalayan kingdom, wedged strategically between India and China, will have the chance to do what few modern nations have done: refashion its entire government.

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Nepal’s Maoists Prepare for Elections

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Brian Sokol for The New York Times

In Katmandu, a Communist symbol adorned a wall. More Photos »

After 10 years of fighting, Nepal’s Maoist insurgents have come out of the jungle and will take part in elections to choose a special assembly to rewrite the Constitution. That bold experiment will give this nation of 27 million an opportunity to cement peace and install a fully elected government, while most likely ending the monarchy that has ruled Nepal for 250 years.

But it is not without risks. Their rivals accuse the Maoists of bullying their way to power in a campaign marred by violence and intimidation. The Maoists insist they do not want to go back to war, but neither have they renounced armed struggle. Judging by the campaign, critics here and abroad say they do not trust that yesterday’s insurgents will act as democrats in the future.

A recent campaign stop for the former insurgent leader, known by his nom de guerre, Prachanda — or “the fierce one,” in Nepali — opened with the snap-crackle of small-gun fire blasting from a pair of scratchy speakers, punctuating a rousing revolutionary tune. “Light the lamp of love,” the lyrics went. “I go carrying the flag of revolution and Nepal in my heart.”

United Nations monitors have said that despite an agreement among the political parties to maintain peace, “violence and intimidation by party workers continued,” but they accused the Maoists supporters of responsibility for a majority of attacks. Rival parties have felt the sting most.

“Still there are some doubts about their intentions,” said Shekhar Koirala, who is on the central committee of the rival Nepali Congress Party. “Still, they feel they can capture the government by sheer force. That is one big worry.”

With 10,000 polling places, about 10,000 candidates and more than 234,000 election workers to supervise the entire operation, Nepal has never had elections quite like this before.

The Constituent Assembly will not only decide whether to abolish the monarchy, but it will also determine how the country’s ethnic groups and castes will be represented in government and even what kind of government Nepal will have.

Nepalis will in effect cast two votes. They will choose a candidate to represent their district and separately choose a party. To ensure that women and ethnic and caste groups have a voice, each party has had to abide by certain quotas.

The elections have been delayed twice, in part because of an armed ethnic uprising in Nepal’s southeastern plains. Though the situation is mostly calm now, a handful of ethnic Madhesi factions there continue to threaten candidates.

“This election is part of the peace-building process,” the election commissioner, Bhojraj Pokharel, said in an interview. “This is not a normal election.”

The vote will take place two years after street protests forced King Gyanendra to cede power and brought the Maoists out of the jungle. Under a peace deal, the rebels agreed to sequester nearly 20,000 fighters and to lock up their weapons under United Nations supervision.

As the Maoists strive to cast themselves as law-abiding leaders, word and deed reflect an awkward balancing act. Sometimes, for instance, the Maoist leader, Prachanda, whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, says his party will “capture” the state. He salutes the guerrillas who have fought and died for the Maoist cause.

Once, he even referred to an October Revolution, which some Nepalis took as a veiled threat that his cadres would take up arms again if they did not win the vote. Prachanda says he has not uttered the phrase since campaigning began.

On a recent morning, as hammer-and-sickle flags fluttered in the wind, Prachanda arrived at his campaign rally in a black-and-white checkered blazer. His hair was slicked back. He could have passed for a 1940s union boss were it not for the marigold garlands that hung on him like a florid neck brace.

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Past Coverage

• Nepal Coalition’s Dispute With Former Rebels Stalls Elections (October 6, 2007)
• World Briefing | Asia: Nepal: Elections In November (June 1, 2007)
• World Briefing | Asia: Nepal: June Election Ruled Out (April 14, 2007)
• World Briefing | Asia: Nepal: Premier Urges King To Quit Now (March 13, 2007)

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Iran ‘installing new centrifuges’

Iran says it is enriching uranium for a civilian power programme Iran has begun installing 6,000 new centrifuges at its main nuclear plant in Natanz, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said. He also appeared to cast doubt on the official version of the 9/11 attacks and accused the US of using them as a “pretext” to launch invasions. Iran is already thought to have some 3,000 centrifuges – which are used to enrich uranium – at its Natanz plant. The US and Western allies condemned him but disagreed on how to respond. Later, Mr Ahmadinejad claimed Iran had tested on Tuesday advanced new equipment – thought to be a reference to a possible new generation of centrifuges. ‘Five times greater’ “The capacity of these new machines… is five times greater than the current machines,” he told a televised event in Tehran. He made the comments following a visit to Natanz to mark national nuclear day. Iran has been enriching uranium at its underground facility in Natanz Turning his attention to the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US, Mr Ahmadinejad said: “On the pretext of this incident a major military operation was launched and oppressed Afghanistan was attacked. “Tens of thousands of people have been killed until now. Poor Iraq was attacked.” He also alleged the names of the people killed in the attacks on New York’s World Trade Center had never been published. And he added: “How is it possible that with the best radar systems and intelligence networks the planes could crash undetected into the towers?” US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appealed to Tehran to halt enrichment. “Iran faces continued isolation in the international community because it will not take a reasonable offer from the international community to have another way,” she said. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner suggested sanctions on Iran could be “reinforced”. Last month, the UN Security Council approved a third round of sanctions against Iran. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov instead suggested a new package of incentives to encourage Iran to halt uranium enrichment. E-mail this to a friend Printable version Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? <!– var bm = new BookMark({site:’News’,storyid:7337788,sectionid:38255,url:’/1/hi/world/middle_east/7336089.stm’,edition:’Domestic’}); //–>

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US protests ahead of torch relay

Hundreds of demonstrators have turned out in San Francisco

Hundreds of pro-Tibet protesters have marched in San Francisco, as the Olympic torch arrived for the US leg of its international relay.

Demonstrators carrying Tibetan flags marched to the Chinese Consulate to denounce Beijing’s policy on Tibet.

Officials have promised tight security for Wednesday’s torch relay, following chaotic scenes in London and Paris.

Officials in Beijing have condemned the disruption to the torch relay but promised that it will go ahead.

Extra police will line the torch’s route as it travels through San Francisco.

Mayor Gavin Newsom said he had been in touch with officials in the UK and France to discuss ways of handling the protesters.

“I’m not naive to the challenge associated with this event,” he said.

Map of world torch relay route

The flame was lit in Greece on 24 March and is being relayed through 20 countries before being carried into the opening ceremony in Beijing on 8 August.

But protests have already caused serious disruption to legs in London and Paris. In Paris, the torch had to be extinguished three times, while in London there were 37 arrests.

If I support the Olympics, of course I don’t support the protests Ling Li, San Francisco resident

The demonstrators are protesting over a security crackdown in Tibet after anti-Chinese unrest.

Tibetan exile groups say Chinese security forces killed dozens of protesters. Beijing says about 19 people were killed in rioting.

Almost 1,000 people had been detained over the protests, a Chinese official announced on Wednesday.

‘Political purposes’

The torch arrived in San Francisco early on Tuesday and was immediately taken to a secret location.

The flame relay will begin at 1300 (2000GMT) and follow a six-mile (10km) route though the city.

Doubts cast on future torch relays History of protests

Several protests are planned and police say they reserve the right to change the route if necessary.

On Tuesday, activists gathered near City Hall for their march to the Chinese mission and a late-night vigil.

“This is not about us battling the torchbearers,” Lhadom Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, told the crowd.

“This is about the Chinese government using the torch for political purposes. And we’re going to use it right back.”

But in Chinatown, community representatives held a news conference to call for a peaceful relay and voice pride over China’s hosting of the Games.

“If I support the Olympics, of course I don’t support the protests,” local resident Ling Li told the Associated Press News agency.

“This is the first time China has had the Olympics. We should be proud of this.”

International Olympic Committee (IOC) members are to discuss the issue in meetings in Beijing in the coming days, but President Jacques Rogge scotched rumours that the relay might be stopped.

“There is no discussion of cancelling any legs,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “What we will do is study the torch relay so far.”

He is due to meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao later in the day.

OLYMPIC TORCH ROUTE Torch lit in Olympia on 24 March and taken on five-day relay around Greece to Athens After handover ceremony, it is taken to Beijing on 31 March to begin a journey of 136,800 km (85,000 miles) around the world Torch arrives in Macao on 3 May. After three-month relay all around China, it arrives in Beijing for opening ceremony on 8 August See detailed route on Beijing 2008 official site

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France calls off Colombia mission

The former Colombian presidential candidate is reported to be seriously ill

The French humanitarian mission sent to Colombia to try to secure to release of the hostage Ingrid Betancourt is being withdrawn from the country.

Colombia’s Farc rebels said they would not allow emergency medical aid to be delivered to the kidnapped politician.

The mission was “not acceptable” and was launched without the guerrillas’ agreement, a Farc statement said.

France, Spain and Switzerland, which were jointly behind the mission, said it was “no longer justifiable”.

“It will therefore leave Colombia soon,” the three countries said in a statement.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will travel to the region “soon” to discuss the situation, an official statement said.

President Nicolas Sarkozy had announced the French mission after reports that Ms Betancourt, who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship, was seriously ill.

She was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency six years ago.

Exchange demand

“The French medical mission is not acceptable and much less so when it is not the result of a prior agreement,” said a rebel statement, which was issued online by Farc’s ruling secretariat.

“We do not act under blackmail or under pressure from media campaigns,” it added.

The statement called on Colombia’s government to establish a demilitarised zone where hostages could swapped for jailed rebels.

The French mission has been grounded outside Bogota since Thursday

Farc wants to exchange 39 high-profile hostages for some 500 rebels currently in prison.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has consistently rejected the request.

However, his government has promised to suspend military operations against Farc in the area where many of its hostages are believed to be held.

Ms Betancourt was pictured looking thin and frail in a recent video.

France also offered to take in rebels released from prison in exchange for the 46-year-old, who has been held in the jungle since 2002.

Farc – the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – has been fighting the Colombian government for more than 40 years.

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Nepal police kill ’seven’ Maoists

Campaigning was due to have ended on Monday

At least seven Maoist activist in Nepal have been shot dead by the security forces in the west of the country, the party says.

The Maoist leader in the district of Dang told the BBC 15 more were injured.

The incident happened after a scuffle between the Maoists and youths employed by a local candidate of a rival party standing in Thursday’s election.

The police have confirmed only six deaths, in the worst single incident of election-related violence so far.

Reports say that the Maoists were shot by the Armed Police Force, a paramilitary unit closely involved in election security.

The local Maoist leader said the shootings happened after his party activists detained more than 40 youths who, he alleged, were being used by a local candidate of the Nepali Congress party for electoral malpractice, reports the BBC’s Charles Haviland in Kathmandu.

But reports quote the police as saying the Maoists tried to attack a vehicle being used by the Congress man. They confirmed to the BBC that there had been six deaths but then went out of contact.

Security is tight ahead of the vote with tens of thousands of police officers deployed across the country.

A Communist election candidate, Rishi Raj Sharma, was shot dead on Tuesday by unknown gunmen near the south-eastern town of Nepalgunj.

Political parties were meant to stop all campaigning, speeches and rallies on Monday night but correspondents say it has been common in the past for parties to defy the rules.

Pivotal vote

It is the first election since 1999 and follows the Maoists’ decision to quit their armed struggle against Nepal’s government in 2006.

NEPAL KEY FACTS Nepal has a population of 26.4 million It contains eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains It was formerly the world’s last Hindu kingdom Eighty percent of Nepalis are Hindus Nearly one third of Nepalese live on less than $1 a day More than 80% live on the land

The election is for an assembly which will re-write the constitution and the new body is likely to abolish the monarchy.

King Gyanendra seized absolute power in 2005 but was forced to give up his authoritarian rule the following year after weeks of pro-democracy protests.

He has since lost all his powers and his command of the army.

Former US president Jimmy Carter is in Nepal – as one of numerous foreign election observers – from his Atlanta-based Carter Center.

Around 17.6 million people are eligible to vote on Thursday.

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Baghdad under anniversary curfew

Violent clashes have continued in Baghdad’s main Shia district

Baghdad has imposed a one-day vehicle curfew as a security measure for the fifth anniversary of the city’s capture by American forces.

Cars and motorcycles have been banned from the streets until midnight (2100 GMT), the Iraqi government said.

It is five years since US troops pulled down a large statue of the late Saddam Hussein in the city centre.

Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr earlier called off plans for a mass anti-American rally, citing security concerns.

In Sadr City, Baghdad’s main Shia district, Iraqi and US forces again clashed with militiamen loyal to Mr Sadr on Tuesday.

Medical workers said at least 12 people had been killed.

Political threat

A one-million-strong protest had been planned to mark the date, Mr Sadr said.

He called it off, saying he feared there could be bloodshed.

Mr Sadr also threatened to suspend a truce – credited with helping curb violence levels in Iraq since last year – by his powerful Mehdi Army militia.

“If necessary the ceasefire will be lifted in order to implement our aims, ideology, religion, principles, nationhood,” a statement said.

On Monday, Iraq’s prime minister threatened to exclude the radical Shia cleric’s movement from politics unless it disbanded the Mehdi Army.

In recent weeks, Mr Sadr’s followers have clashed with Iraqi government troops and US forces in southern Iraq and Baghdad, as the government tried to crack down on militias.

Zimbabwe poll officials detained

The MDC believes its leader Morgan Tsvangirai has won outright

Zimbabwean police have arrested at least five officials for allegedly under-counting votes cast for President Robert Mugabe in last month’s election.

Police said the election officials have been charged with fraud and criminal abuse of duty, accused of taking nearly 5,000 votes away from Mr Mugabe.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon joined international calls for the urgent release of the results.

The opposition MDC is seeking a court ruling to force publication of results.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the election by a clear majority.

But Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF is seeking a recount.

On Monday a High Court judge dismissed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) argument that his court did not have jurisdiction and set the case for Tuesday.

The judge said he would decide whether to treat it as an urgent case, before hearing the actual arguments.

Land must remain in our hands – the land is ours, it must not be allowed to slip back into the hands of whites President Robert Mugabe Send us your comments

“I think ZEC just wants to delay this whole thing,” said opposition lawyer Alec Muchadehama.

The ZEC lawyer said the votes were still being verified, while the ruling party’s demands for a recount was also delaying matters.

Meanwhile, two foreign nationals accused of working as journalists without accreditation have been freed on bail and are due to appear in court again on Thursday.

‘Preparing war’

Earlier, Mr Mugabe called on the black population to ensure white farmers did not regain seized land, reports say.

Barry Bearak of the New York Times was freed after four days in custody

He said black Zimbabweans could not afford to “retreat in the battle for land”, the Herald newspaper said.

At least 18 of Zimbabwe’s few remaining white-owned farms have been invaded since Saturday, farmers say, raising fears of renewed violence ahead of a possible run-off in the presidential election.

Mr Tsvangirai is currently in South Africa, where he is having a series of meetings, including talks with the ANC leader Jacob Zuma.

In an article published on Monday, the state-run Herald newspaper quoted Mr Mugabe as saying Zimbabwe’s black population had to protect their land from white farmers.

“Land must remain in our hands. The land is ours, it must not be allowed to slip back into the hands of whites,” he is quoted as saying.

In 2000, there were 4,000 white farmers working on much of the best land in Zimbabwe.

Just 300 now remain after a campaign of often violent land seizures, with the land redistributed to black farmers.