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China and the United States should build “trust” in order to co-exist, Beijing’s defence minister said on Friday, but cautioned Washington about its “words and deeds” on Taiwan.Dong Jun met US counterpart Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian regional defence summit in Malaysia, a day after leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump held talks in South Korea.Trump and Xi did not discuss Taiwan on Thursday, the US president said, but Dong told Hegseth the “unification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is an irresistible historical trend”, according to a Chinese defence ministry readout.”The US side should be cautious in its words and deeds on the Taiwan issue and take a clear-cut stance firmly opposing ‘Taiwan independence’,” Dong said.China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory. Under longstanding policy, the United States recognises only Beijing but provides weapons for the island’s self-defence. The Chinese statement also said Dong told Hegseth that their respective defence departments “should take concrete actions to implement the consensus reached by the heads of state”.He said they should also “strengthen policy-level dialogue to enhance trust and dispel uncertainty”, and build a bilateral military relationship “characterised by equality, respect, peaceful coexistence and stable positive momentum”.Hegseth described the meeting in the Malaysian capital as “good and constructive”.”I highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and emphasized U.S. concerns about China’s activities in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and towards U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth said in a post on social media platform X, using a US term for the Asia-Pacific region.But he later told journalists: “I said to Admiral Dong as well, our position on Taiwan remains unchanged, and President Trump has said that as well.”- US ‘does not seek conflict’ -Hegseth warned earlier this year that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, remarks that drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing.”The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in late May which was attended by defence officials from around the world. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite overlapping claims with its neighbours.The US Navy has regularly sent ships to conduct “freedom of navigation” transits in the region, angering Beijing.Hegseth toned his comments down on Friday, saying that while the “United States does not seek conflict, it will continue to stoutly defend its interests and ensure it has the capabilities in the region to do so”.- Shared concerns -But he later told Philippines Defence Minister Gilbert Teodoro that Washington shared Manila’s “concerns about China’s coercion in the South China Sea, particularly recently in the Scarborough Shoal.”Last month, the Philippine government said one person was wounded when a water cannon attack by a China Coast Guard vessel shattered a window on the bridge of a fisheries bureau ship near the shoal. China seized control of the fish-rich shoal from the Philippines after a lengthy standoff in 2012.Teodoro called China’s actions “illegal”, adding areas Beijing claimed were “deep within our exclusive economic zone and historically known as part of the Philippines.” Hegseth also met several other top officials at a gathering of defence ministers from the 11-member ASEAN regional bloc, which was also attended by India’s Rajnath Singh.He and Singh signed a 10-year deal that will see deeper cooperation between the two nations. India will also buy US military hardware.”Our defence ties have never been stronger,” said Hegseth.burs-jhe/rsc

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to extend a temporary ceasefire and will hold another round of peace talks in Istanbul next week, aiming to defuse tensions after a deadly flare-up this month.The talks, set for November 6, follow the worst clashes between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.Until Turkey and Qatar mediated a ceasefire, more than 70 people were killed and hundreds wounded in violence that erupted after explosions in Kabul on October 9, which Taliban authorities blamed on Pakistan.”All parties have agreed on continuation of ceasefire,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement late on Thursday, adding that a monitoring mechanism would be established to ensure peace and penalise the violating party.The two sides had been holding talks in Istanbul under Turkish and Qatari mediation until Islamabad said Wednesday that the negotiations had collapsed.The following evening, Turkey announced that the warring parties had agreed to extend the truce.Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Friday the talks concluded with “agreement that both sides will meet again and discuss the remaining issues”. “The Islamic Emirate seeks good relations with other neighbouring countries, it also desires positive ties with Pakistan and remains committed to relations based on mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs, and not posing a threat to any side,” he said on X.Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed Friday “the ceasefire holds”.”We have taken note of assurances from the Afghan side on this issue,” foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told journalists.Islamabad “hopes for a positive outcome” in the talks, and is “entitled to be this optimistic for the subsequent round” of negotiations, Andrabi said.- ‘Tired’ -Relations between the one-time allies, who share a 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) frontier, have deteriorated in recent years. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring militant groups that stage cross-border attacks, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it says uses Afghan territory as a base.The Taliban government has consistently denied the allegations.”Our inflexible demand is attacks (should stop) from Afghan soil, and that the Afghan Taliban in Kabul should stop providing shelter to the TTP,” Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in remarks broadcast on state-run PTV.”We are Muslims, brothers, neighbours, but some (in Pakistan), consciously or unconsciously, are playing with fire and war,” Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani declared on Thursday.The border between the two countries has been closed for more than two weeks, biting into the earnings of conflict-weary traders.In Kandahar on the Afghan side, Nazir Ahmed, a cloth trader, told AFP both countries “will bear losses”.”Our nation is tired and their nation is also tired,” the 35-year-old said Wednesday.Abdul Jabbar, a vehicle spare parts trader in the Pakistani border town of Chaman, said “trade suffers greatly”.”Both countries face losses — both are Islamic nations,” he told AFP.The violence killed at least 50 Afghan civilians and wounded 447 others in one week, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told AFP on Monday.Pakistan’s military said on October 12 that 23 personnel had been killed and 29 wounded, without detailing civilian casualties.

In a bustling Bangkok market, hundreds of wholesale vendors have been selling black clothing since dawn — several with hefty discounts — in honour of Thailand’s late former queen.Rows of black T-shirts at a small stall hang near a banner reading “black shirts 40 baht” — a fraction of the usual price of 200 to 500 baht ($6-15) — drawing a steady stream of shoppers.”We sell at this price so all Thais can wear black to pay respect to the queen mother,” said the business’s owner, Thanachote Siripadungdech, who launched the promotion shortly after the palace announced former queen Sirikit’s death.Sirikit, the mother of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, died on Friday last week at the age of 93.The royal family holds a central place in Thai society, with portraits of its members seen in homes, offices and public spaces across the country.Since Sirikit’s death, the government has declared a year-long mourning period for officials and urged the public to wear traditional Thai mourning colours of black or white for 90 days.The commerce ministry also has warned businesses against price gouging and set up a hotline for complaints.Some clothing stores in shopping malls and wholesale vendors have switched their stock to sombre hues, seeking to capitalise on the nation’s grief.But Thanachote, 53, said he had lost a significant sum in the past week by selling shirts at least 100 baht a piece below cost.”I am stable in life now and I have no debts so selling at a loss is fine by me,” he told AFP.”I just want to do something for the queen mother and the royal family,” added the vendor, dressed head-to-toe in black while fielding calls from suppliers in Thailand and China.”They had worked so hard for Thailand. Now it’s my time to pay back,” he said.Thanachote said he was giving away 200 shirts to senior citizens and low-income families.Nupap Khiaochaiyaphum, a 57-year-old farmer from northeastern Khon Kaen province, said she was grateful for the two free black polo shirts she got from his stall.”I have black shirts back in my hometown, but not here (in Bangkok),” she told AFP.”I love the monarchy so I will wear this to mourn the queen mother.”- ‘Selling at a loss’ -At another stall nearby, vendor Anut Pormsri and his assistant sat scrolling on their phones beneath a sign offering two black shirts for 100 baht.He said sales have plummeted compared to past royal mourning periods.”I used to sell a lot more,” Anut told AFP. “Now I am selling at a loss and hardly get any customers.”He said the low prices are both “a tribute and a clearance (discount)” on a large backstock of black shirts emblazoned with the Thai character for number nine which were made to mourn the late king Bhumibol Adulyadej, known as “Rama IX”.When Bhumibol, King Vajiralongkorn’s father and one of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs, died in 2016, the country observed a full year of mourning.At another stall, shop worker Chit Sopheak was selling shirts in various colours, including black, at regular prices, starting from 199 baht.He also said sales have dropped this year, and has recently only sold around 50 shirts a day, compared to up to 400 daily during the previous royal mourning period.”There is competition from online vendors,” he told AFP. “The economy also isn’t good now.”Analyst Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a former Thai diplomat and academic who studies the monarchy, noted a difference between the public mourning for Sirikit and the grief expressed for the late king, calling it “the clearest measure of how drastically Thailand’s political landscape has shifted”.”Older generations and state employees maintain dutiful compliance — observing government mandates for black attire and periods of official grief,” he told AFP.But the national mood in the past week has reflected “institutional observance” more than “organic, profound sorrow”, according to Pavin.Some vendors who spoke with AFP said their discounts were meant to express their personal appreciation and respect for the royal family.”I am thankful to be born in their majesties’ era,” said Thanachote.”I wasn’t born rich, but this kingdom gave me the chance to prosper.”

India’s stunning World Cup semi-final win over Australia was described Friday as the greatest day in the history of women’s cricket in the country, with Jemimah Rodrigues hailed for her “innings of a lifetime”.Batter Rodrigues hit an unbeaten 127 as the hosts chased down a record 339 in Mumbai on Thursday to oust reigning seven-time champions Australia in Mumbai.India face South Africa in the final at the same venue on Sunday as both teams attempt to win the one-day tournament for the first time in its 52-year history.Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to take India into their third final of an ODI World Cup, triggering emotional scenes.The 25-year-old Rodrigues sank to her knees in tears while her teammates rushed to celebrate the sensational upset.”This is the greatest day in the history of Indian women’s cricket,” veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle said on X.Virat Kohli, the star batsman from the men’s team, called Rodrigues’s display the “standout performance”.”A true display of resilience, belief and passion,” he said on social media.Former men’s captain Sunil Gavaskar called the victory “exhilarating” and “absolutely thrilling”, especially because they were clear underdogs.”They’d lost to three big guns in the tournament and then to come back the way they have just tells you the determination of this team,” the batting great said on TV channel India Today.  “So clearly you can say that the Indian women’s team has definitely come of age.”India lost three successive matches in the league phase before clinching the last semi-final spot, in contrast to Australia’s unbeaten run into the final four.India were in trouble at 59-2 in reply to Australia’s massive 338 when Rodrigues turned the game on its head in a 167-run third-wicket partnership with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89.Rodrigues, a middle-order batter who had a modest start in the tournament and was dropped in the league game against England, was promoted to number three and delivered when it mattered.”When you are left and then come back into the team the pressure is way too high… today’s innings was a marvellous innings,” said Gavaskar.That was echoed by former national cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who called it an “innings of a lifetime”.”Fantastic to watch free-flowing cricket by Jemimah Rodrigues,” he said on X.”In and out from the team but she never stopped believing.”India have twice been runners-up, in 2005 and 2017.In 2017 they beat Australia in the semi-finals before losing to England.

Jemimah Rodrigues hit an unbeaten 127 as India pulled off a record chase of 339 against Australia on Thursday to set up a World Cup final against South Africa.Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, put on 167 runs for the third wicket as India won with nine balls and five wickets to spare at DY Patil Stadium, on the outskirts of Mumbai.The hosts finished on a total of 341-5 in reply to Australia’s impressive 338 and ensured there will be a new name on the 50-over trophy on Sunday.Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations in the Indian camp, with smiles and tears of joy in the dugout.”Firstly, I want to thank Jesus, because I couldn’t do this on my own. I know he carried me through today,” said player-of-the-match Rodrigues, a Christian born in Mumbai.”It was really hard these last four months, but it just feels like a dream and it’s not sunk in yet.”Towards the end, I was just quoting a scripture from the Bible — to just stand still and that God will fight for me. I just stood there and he fought for me.”India have twice been World Cup runners-up, in 2005 and 2017.The hosts topped Australia’s 331-7 against India earlier in the current tournament — which was itself a new record chase for a women’s one-day international.It meant seven-time champions Australia suffered their first defeat in the ODI World Cup since 2017, when India beat them in the semi-final.India appeared to be in deep trouble at 59-2 in the 10th over with Shafali Verma (10) and star batter Smriti Mandhana (24) dismissed.But Rodrigues and Kaur rode out the storm and then took the attack to the opposition in front of a sizeable, partisan crowd.- Dropped chances -A key moment in the game came when Australia captain and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy dropped Rodrigues when she was on 82.Annabel Sutherland broke through to dismiss Kaur for 89, with India needing another 113 for victory.Rodrigues had another reprieve when she was put down by Tahila McGrath on 106 and stayed cool despite Deepti Sharma’s run out for 24 and then Richa Ghosh’s dismissal for 26.Kaur said she did not “have words to express myself”.”Feeling great, we’ve been working for so many years,” she said. “It’s an amazing feeling.Healy said her team had let themselves down.”Did not finish with the bat well, did not bowl that great, dropped chances in the field,” she said. “But ultimately, outdone in the end.”Australia earlier elected to bat in overcast conditions and Phoebe Litchfield smashed 119 off 93 balls.India struck regular blows after a second-wicket partnership of 155 between Litchfield and Ellyse Perry, who made 77 after overturning an early lbw decision.But Ashleigh Gardner ensured that Australia’s good start did not go to waste, contributing a brisk 63 before a clatter of wickets in the final over.Spinners Shree Charani and Deepti took two wickets each.Both teams wore black armbands in memory of 17-year-old Australian cricketer Ben Austin, who died Thursday after being struck with a ball while training in Melbourne.

India batsman Shreyas Iyer said Thursday he was “getting better every passing day” after lacerating his spleen when falling heavily in a one-day clash against Australia.The 30-year-old vice-captain doubled over in pain after pulling off a sensational catch to remove Alex Carey in the third ODI in Sydney on Saturday.He was rushed to hospital with the Board of Control for Cricket in India revealing he suffered internal bleeding.”I’m currently in recovery process and getting better every passing day,” Iyer said on social media in his first comments since the incident.”I’m deeply grateful to see all the kind wishes and support I’ve received — it truly means a lot to me.”Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts,” he added.India’s Twenty20 captain Suryakumar Yadav on Tuesday said doctors and physiotherapists described the injury as “rare”. “But rare things happen to rare talent. God is with him and he will recover soon and we will take him along with us,” he said.Iyer is not part of India’s T20 squad, which will play the second of five matches against Australia at a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.The opening game in Canberra was washed out.

Pakistan said Wednesday that peace talks with Afghanistan had failed, in a blow to hopes for a lasting truce after the South Asian neighbours’ deadliest border clashes in years.The violence, which killed more than 70 people and wounded hundreds, erupted following explosions in Kabul on October 9 that the Taliban authorities blamed on Pakistan.Both sides had been holding talks in Istanbul aimed at securing peace.”Regrettably, the Afghan side gave no assurances, kept deviating from the core issue and resorted to blame game, deflection and ruses,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on X after four days of negotiations brokered by Qatar and Turkey.”The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution.”Tarar said Pakistan engaged with Afghanistan in the spirit of peace, but accused Kabul of “unabated support to anti-Pakistan terrorists”.”We will continue to take all possible measures necessary to protect our people from the menace of terrorism,” he added.Hours later, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned on X that “any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures”.Afghanistan has not commented so far.It is not clear whether negotiators from both sides remain in Istanbul, and the Turkish foreign ministry did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for Afghanistan’s interior ministry, told Afghan media outlet Ariana News on Tuesday that any attack would be met with a response “that will serve as a lesson for Pakistan and a message for others”.Relations between the one-time allies, who share a 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) frontier, have soured in recent years over accusations from Islamabad that Afghanistan harbours militant groups which stage attacks in Pakistan.Of particular concern is the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad accuses the Taliban authorities of allowing to use Afghan territory as a “training-cum-logistic base and jump off point for terrorist activities”.The Taliban government has consistently denied the allegations.- Border shut -A Pakistani security source, who was not authorised to speak publicly, said Tuesday the Afghan delegation initially agreed to take “credible and decisive action” against the TTP, but “reversed its position repeatedly after instructions from Kabul”.After the October 9 explosions in the Afghan capital, which coincided with a visit to New Delhi by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi, the Taliban launched a retaliatory border offensive. Pakistan responded with strikes. An initial 48-hour ceasefire lapsed before a second truce emerged on October 19 following talks in Doha, also brokered by Qatar and Turkey.The border between the two neighbours has been closed for more than two weeks, and news of the state of the talks was met with despair.Abdul Jabbar, a vehicle spare parts trader in the Pakistani border town of Chaman, told AFP the closure was “very concerning” for businesses.”Trade suffers greatly. Both countries face losses — both are Islamic nations,” the 40-year-old said.A resident, Ehsanullah, told AFP he was disappointed the talks had failed.”May God make the talks successful so that peace, brotherhood, and trade can be restored,” the 26-year-old said.In Spin Boldak on the Afghan side, a driver had told AFP that “fruit is rotting” in trucks.”There are 50 to 60 trucks, some with apples, others with pomegranates and grapes,” said 25-year-old Gul, who only gave his first name. The violence killed at least 50 Afghan civilians and wounded 447 others in one week, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told AFP on Monday.Pakistan’s military said on October 12 that 23 personnel had been killed and 29 wounded, without detailing civilian casualties.burs-abs/rsc

Persistent rain forced the opening Twenty20 clash between Australia and India to be abandoned on Wednesday, leaving Suryakumar Yadav stranded on 39 and Shubman Gill on 37.After being sent in on a chilly Canberra night, the visitors raced to 97-1 off 9.4 overs before being forced off for a second time by the weather with no more play possible.India got off to a solid start with their newest T20 sensation Abhishek Sharma signalling his intent immediately, advancing down the wicket to Josh Hazlewood on his first ball.He clobbered four boundaries in a quick-fire 19, but the gung-ho innings came to an end against Nathan Ellis, deceived by a slower ball and caught by Tim David at mid-off.Skipper Yadav slammed a giant six off Hazlewood before they were forced off by drizzle on 43-1 from five overs.When they returned after 45 minutes and with the game reduced to 18 overs, the runs began flowing for Yadav and Gill as they upped the ante. But the rain came back and they went off again having reached 97-1 and that proved the end of the match.The second game is at a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

Bangladesh’s fugitive ex-leader Sheikh Hasina warned Wednesday that holding elections without her party — the first since her overthrow — was “sowing the seeds” of further division in her country.In written responses to AFP, her first interview since being ousted, Hasina also condemned her crimes against humanity trial as a “jurisprudential joke”, adding she believed a guilty verdict was “preordained”.Toppled in August 2024 by a student-led uprising that ended her 15-year autocratic rule, Hasina fled by helicopter as crowds stormed her palace.The UN says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as she tried to cling to power — deaths now at the centre of her trial.The 78-year-old former prime minister has been in hiding ever since, hosted by old ally India.But she remains defiant, and, in comments likely to enrage the many who say she made a ruthless bid to maintain power at all costs, she said she “mourned all the lives lost during the terrible days” when students were gunned down in the streets.She warned that the ban on her Awami League by the interim government of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was deepening a political crisis in the country of 170 million people, ahead of elections slated for February 2026.”Elections without the direct participation of all major parties, including the Awami League, cannot be credible,” she said.While she has issued social media messages to supporters, her response to AFP marks her first direct communication with journalists since her overthrow.”Without the participation of the Awami League, he is sowing the seeds of future division in the country,” she added.”Yunus must reinstate the Awami League to give Bangladeshis the choice they deserve.”- ‘Capital crimes’ -Rights groups long accused her government of a litany of abuses, including the murder of rivals, suppression of opposition parties, rigged courts and one sided elections.Bangladesh’s interim government banned Hasina’s Awami League in May under amendments to the anti-terrorism act — a move Human Rights Watch condemned as “draconian”.”Free and fair elections require genuine competition, the ability of all parties to campaign, and the electorate’s right to choose between alternatives,” Hasina said.”Elections are a competition of ideas. You cannot ostracise a party because you don’t like their policies.”Her rivals, long crushed under her rule, are now resurgent.The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is seen as the frontrunner, while Jamaat-e-Islami, the Muslim-majority country’s largest Islamist party, is rising in popularity.Hasina meanwhile has defied court orders to return to attend her trial on whether she bears command responsibility for the deadly crackdown, charges amounting to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam has accused Hasina of being “the nucleus around whom all the crimes were committed” during the uprising, and has called for the death penalty if found guilty.”The charges themselves are rejected in full and are not supported by any evidence,” Hasina said.”It has been appointed by an unelected administration consisting of my political opponents to try me in absentia for capital crimes.”A verdict is due on November 13.”A guilty verdict is pre-ordained, sadly, and I will not be surprised when it comes,” she said.- ‘Open fire on crowds’ -Hasina was defended by a state-appointed lawyer, but said she would only recognise an “impartial” process, such as one at the International Criminal Court (ICC). “The charge that I personally directed security forces to open fire on crowds is bogus,” she said, although she admitted that “some mistakes were certainly made within the chain of command”.”But on the whole, the decisions made by senior government officials were proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimise the loss of life.”The prosecution, who insist the trial was fair, have played audio tapes verified by police that suggested Hasina directly ordered her security forces to “use lethal weapons” against protesters.Hasina claimed the recordings had been “taken out of context”.She also pointed to a crackdown on her loyalists since her fall, including when security forces in February launched “Operation Devil Hunt”, arresting thousands accused of trying to “destabilise” the country.At the same time, she gave no information on the fate of the hundreds, if not thousands, of missing victims reported to have vanished into secret detention centres during her rule.Earlier this month, lawyers for the Awami League requested that the ICC investigate reported “retaliatory violence”.This includes allegations of “beatings and lynchings” which have “no realistic prospect” of being prosecuted in Bangladesh, senior British barrister Steven Powles KC said in a statement.As for the future, when asked by AFP if she plans a return to politics, Hasina replied: “My priority is the welfare and stability of Bangladesh.”

Parties approved to participate in Myanmar’s junta-organised elections started campaigning on Tuesday, two months ahead of a poll being shunned at home and abroad as a ploy to legitimise military rule.Myanmar has been consumed by civil war since the military snatched power in a 2021 coup, deposing and jailing democratic figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi after her party won the last election by wide margins.The junta has lost swathes of the country to pro-democracy guerrillas and powerful ethnic-minority armed factions, but has touted elections as a path to reconciliation.Rebels have pledged to boycott the vote in huge enclaves they control, while human rights groups and a UN expert have denounced the poll’s restrictive conditions in junta-held zones.”This election means nothing to me,” said one 60-year-old man in Sittwe city, the capital of western Rakhine state. “It is not a genuine election and I see no one supporting it.””People are struggling with their own problems,” he added, speaking on condition of anonymity for security concerns in a region where fighting has triggered a humanitarian crisis.”I see more and more beggars in town as people are starving. People have no jobs and so the election seems like a distant prospect. They have no time to be interested in it.”There will be 57 parties on the ballot when polls take place in phases beginning on December 28.State media said on Tuesday that the second round was set for January 11, but subsequent rounds and a result date have not been announced.Suu Kyi’s vastly popular National League for Democracy — which won 82 percent of elected seats in the last poll in 2020 — will not run because the junta dissolved the party after jailing her and making unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud.The gate was locked at the deserted party headquarters in Yangon on Tuesday, an AFP journalist said.- ‘Just want to go home’ -The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) began its campaign by unveiling election billboards in the capital Naypyidaw, where voting will be held in most constituencies in the first phase of the election.Several thousand USDP members and supporters attended a kick-off event in the city, including candidates Mya Tun Oo and Tin Aung San, both former generals and current ministers under US sanctions.Campaigning is expected to be generally low-key with high security amid the civil war.”It is unlikely I will go for voting and I have no idea if I am on the voter list,” said one civilian displaced by fighting to the central city of Mandalay, speaking anonymously for security reasons.”We are not very interested,” he added. “We just want to go home.”In Yangon, about 300 supporters of the pro-military party, dressed in green and white, gathered at its office, an AFP journalist saw.Red and green party flags lined the street, with around a dozen armed soldiers and police patrolling the area.Khin Maung Soe, Yangon regional chairman of the USDP, said his party planned to campaign in townships the Union Election Commission had designated and where security could be ensured, like Yangon.”There won’t be any parading on the street,” he said.The junta has conceded elections will not take place in one in seven national parliament constituencies, many of them active war zones, while martial law remains in place in one in five townships.The military government has introduced laws punishing those who protest against the election with up to a decade in prison, and new cybercrime laws police the internet for communications that “disrupt unity”.Diplomatic sources told AFP on Monday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will not send election observers to Myanmar.Numerous rights groups lobbied the 11-nation bloc to hold back monitors, lest they lend legitimacy to a vote which they say will be neither free nor fair.