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London — Nearly 30,000 migrants crossed the Channel to Britain from mainland Europe in small boats in 2023, an annual drop of more than a third, government figures released Monday showed. However, the unauthorized arrivals of 29,437 people on the southeast English coast remains the second largest yearly tally since officials began publishing the numbers in 2018. The perilous journeys across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes have become a huge political problem for the Conservative government, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledging last year to "stop the boats." One of five key promises he made for 2023, the persistently high number of arrivals could haunt the Tory leader as he bids to win a general election due this year. Sunak said last month there was no "firm date" for meeting his pledge. The beleaguered leader will likely point to a 36 percent reduction in small-boat arrivals last year, after a record 45,000 migrants made the journey in 2022. His ministers have claimed Britain's £480 million ($610 million) agreement with France to increase efforts to stop the migrants is starting to pay off, alongside fast-track return deals struck with countries such as Albania. But the main Labour opposition -- which has enjoyed double-digit poll leads for the duration of Sunak's nearly 15 months in power -- says he has failed to keep his promise and his immigration policy is in chaos. The ruling Conservatives had hoped to deter the crossings by preventing all migrants arriving without prior authorization from applying for asylum and sending some to Rwanda. But the policy remains stalled after the UK Supreme Court ruled that deporting them to the east African country is illegal under international law. The cross-Channel journeys on small inflatable vessels, which are often overloaded and unseaworthy, has repeatedly proved deadly. In one of the latest tragedies, at least six men died and dozens more required rescuing in August after a small vessel bound for the southeast English coast from France sank. In November 2021, at least 27 people drowned when their dinghy capsized. 

DHAKA — A court in Bangladesh on Monday sentenced Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to six months’ imprisonment for labor law violations, prosecutors said, a case his supporters have claimed is politically motivated. Yunus, 83, and his Grameen Bank won the 2006 peace prize for their work to lift millions out of poverty by granting tiny loans of under $100 to the rural poor of Bangladesh, pioneering a global movement now known as microcredit. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, accused him of 'sucking blood from the poor.' His supporters say the government is attempting to discredit him because he once considered setting up a political party to rival Hasina's Awami League.  Yunus and three employees from Grameen Telecom, a company he founded, were convicted on Monday of violating labor laws. Responding to petitions submitted by the convicts, the court however granted them bail pending a possible appeal.  "The court granted their bail, giving them one month to file an appeal against the verdict of the court," prosecutor Khurshid Alam Khan said. Khaja Tanvir, one of Yunus' lawyers, said the case is politically motivated and targeted at harassing Yunus. Human rights groups have accused the government of Hasina, who is seeking her fourth consecutive term of five in an election on Jan. 7, of targeting political dissent. 

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Before settling in New York City like thousands of other migrants this year, Abdoul, a 32-year-old from West Africa, took an unexpected detour: Weeks in a remote Texas jail on local trespassing charges after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. "I spent a lot of hours without sleeping, sitting on the floor," said Abdoul, a political activist who fled Mauritania, fearing persecution. He spoke on the condition that his last name not be published for fear of jeopardizing his request for asylum. Starting in March, Texas will allow police to arrest migrants who enter the state illegally and give local judges the authority to order them out of the country. The new law comes two years after Texas launched a smaller-scale operation to arrest migrants for trespassing. But although that operation was also intended to stem illegal crossings, there is little indication that it has done so. The results raise questions about the impact arrests have on deterring immigration as Texas readies to give police even broader powers to apprehend migrants on charges of illegal entry. Civil rights organizations have already sued to stop the new law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, calling it an unconstitutional overreach that encroaches on the U.S. government's immigration authority. On Thursday, the Justice Department told Abbott that it will also bring a lawsuit unless Texas reverses course on the new law by next week, according to a letter that was first obtained by Hearst Newspapers. Since 2021, Texas authorities have arrested nearly 10,000 migrants on misdemeanor trespassing charges under what Abbott has called a "arrest and jail" operation: Border landowners enter agreements with the state authorizing trespassing arrests, clearing the way for law enforcement to apprehend migrants who enter the U.S. through those properties. The arrests have drawn constitutional challenges in courts, including claims of due process violations. More recently, one landowner asked officials to stop the trespassing arrests on their property, claiming authorities never had permission in the first place. Abbott had predicted the trespassing arrests would produce swift results. "When people start learning about this, they're going to stop coming across the Texas border," he told Fox News in July 2021, when Texas-Mexico border crossings reached 1.2 million that fiscal year. That number has ticked up even higher over the past fiscal year, topping 1.5 million. "They're still coming through here," said Sheriff Tom Schmerber of Maverick County, where Abdoul crossed the border and was quickly arrested in July. Abbott suggested this month Texas may soon phase out the trespassing arrests as it moves forward with illegal entry charges that can be enforced most anywhere in the state, including hundreds of miles from the border. The trespassing arrests have been a cornerstone of Abbott's nearly $10 billion border mission known as Operation Lone Star that has tested the federal government's authority over immigration. Abbott has also sent an estimated 80,000 migrants on buses to Democratic-led cities, strung up razor wire on the border and installed buoy barriers on the Rio Grande. Last week, Abbott sent a flight of 120 migrants to Chicago in an escalation of his busing operation. The mission is visible in Maverick County, where many of the arrests have taken place. Patrol cars are parked every few miles along the two-lane roads leading to the border city of Eagle Pass. Along the Rio Grande, state troopers from Florida, one of several GOP-led states that have sent National Guard members and law enforcement to the border, work in tandem with Texas officials. Abdoul was arrested in the city's Shelby Park, a small piece of greenery touching the river with a ramp for boaters. It was the Fourth of July when Abdoul set foot on American soil for the first time. Officers standing nearby asked him a few questions and quickly took him into custody. He said that he was given small food portions in jail and was so miserable he would say anything to get out. He pleaded guilty to trespassing, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail. It's unknown how many of those arrested on the border for trespassing remain in the U.S., were deported, were allowed to stay to seek asylum, or had their cases dismissed. But Kristen Etter, an attorney who said her legal organization has represented more than 3,000 migrants on the trespassing charges, said the majority of their clients were allowed to stay and seek asylum. She said many migrants seek out law enforcement at the border because they want to surrender. "If anything, rather than being a deterrent, it is attracting more people," she said. The trespassing arrests are spearheaded by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which said the state's border operation has resulted in more than 37,000 total criminal arrests. Spokesperson Ericka Miller said officers have stopped gang members, human traffickers, sex offenders and others from entering the country. "Had we not been there, all of it likely would have crossed into the country unimpeded," Miller said in an email. "The state of Texas is working to send a message to those considering crossing into the country illegally to think again." Rolando Salinas, the mayor of Eagle Pass, signed a blanket trespassing charge affidavit to allow arrests like Abdoul's on park grounds during a spike in migrant crossings in July. Following local backlash, he rescinded the affidavit before signing it again weeks later. Ultimately, Salinas said, he supports the operation because it has brought needed law enforcement personnel to the city. "Our force is not big enough to maintain the peace of Eagle Pass if we have 10-15,000 people coming through," Salinas said. State Rep. David Spiller, who authored the new arrest law Abbott signed this month, said he believes border crossings would be much higher without the trespassing prosecutions. But he said those cases add to prosecutors' workloads, depend on cooperation from landowners, and, even if defendants are convicted, the offense is not deportable under federal law. Those charged, Spiller said, are presumably assimilating into the U.S. population. "We're doing what we can, but we're only slowing down that process," Spiller said. "We haven't stopped anybody." Abdoul went to New York City after his release, where he said he was allowed to stay at a shelter for a month. He now rents a room with a cousin and is awaiting a work permit. Then, he said, he will get a job and try to go to school until an immigration judge decides his future next spring. "When everything is finished and my case is guaranteed, I want to go to school because I started school and my dream is to be well educated," Abdoul said.

WASHINGTON — The renewed military cooperation between North Korea and Russia in 2023 could increase threats to global security in coming years, analysts said. As Russia’s Ukraine war approaches the second anniversary of the February 2022 invasion, Moscow has turned to North Korea for help in replenishing its depleted stockpile of arms. In exchange, Russia has suggested it will help develop weapons that Pyongyang wants, including a spy satellite. North Korea claimed on November 28 that a satellite it launched into orbit the week before had taken photos of critical U.S. sites, including the Norfolk Naval Station, the Newport News shipyard, the White House and the Pentagon. The South Korean intelligence agency believes Pyongyang was able to launch the satellite only because of technological assistance from Russia, according to South Korean lawmakers who were briefed by the agency in late November. Previous launch attempts failed in May and August. Indo-Pacific countries, including Taiwan and Australia, as well as European countries such as the U.K., France and Ukraine, described the satellite launch as a threat to their national security.  “We fear in particular that Russian counterparts [are acting] for the benefit of the North Korean regime,” said French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna following a November 23 meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. She said these actions are causing “destabilizing activities in the region in defiance of [U.N.] Security Council resolutions.” China has not condemned Pyongyang’s satellite launch or arms dealings between North Korea and Russia and has not used its leverage to curb North Korea’s threatening behavior despite multiple requests from Washington and Seoul. Robert Rapson, charge d’affaires and deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul from 2018 to 2021, said Beijing does not feel threatened by these developments. "In fact, it probably views them as useful for its posturing and policies toward the U.S., South Korea and Japan,” he said. At a U.N. Security Council meeting on November 27, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Pyongyang's satellite launch, which uses prohibited ballistic missile technology, is part of an effort to “advance its nuclear weapons delivery system.” Ken Gause, senior adversary analytics specialist at the Center for Naval Analyses, said Moscow would be “willing to help” Pyongyang enhance its Hwasong-18 ICBMs. North Korea on Monday conducted its fifth intercontinental ballistic missile test of the year. The missile was a Hwasong-18 ICBM, North Korea's state-run KCNA said Tuesday. It was the third Hwasong-18 ICBM that Pyongyang has tested after launches in April and July. Other weapons Pyongyang “desperately” wants are modern fighter aircraft and air defense systems, said Gary Samore, former White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Obama administration.  Samore said Pyongyang is looking to update its “very antiquated” air defense capabilities “to protect itself against the air superiority advantage” of the U.S. and South Korea.  The arms dealings between North Korea and Russia seem to have solidified when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia and met with its leader, President Vladimir Putin, in September. Putin appeared to nod to indicate Russia’s willingness to help Kim enhance its satellite technology during the September 13 meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Amur region. Kim visited a fighter jet plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on September 16 and the Knevichi Airbase and the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok the next day. But as early as 2022, Pyongyang had been delivering artillery shells to Russia for its war in Ukraine, according to the White House. In January, the White House released satellite imagery showing North Korea sending shipments of arms to Russia via railcars the previous November. The White House released another set of satellite images on October 13 showing more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition leaving from North Korea's port of Najin. Evans Revere, acting assistant secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs during the George W. Bush administration, said arms deals between Moscow and Pyongyang, which violate sanctions, are a "serious matter." He continued, “The only question is how substantial and how much of an egregious violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions.”

RAMALLAH — Thousands of doses of vaccines against childhood diseases including polio and measles have begun entering the Gaza Strip to help deal with a growing health emergency in the besieged enclave, the Palestinian health ministry said on Monday. Israel's ground offensive has effectively stopped normal health services in Gaza, including vaccinations against highly contagious childhood diseases that had been brought under control by mass immunization programs. The ministry said supplies, estimated to be sufficient to cover vaccinations for between 8 and 14 months, had entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt with the aid of Egyptian government cold storage facilities. Israel announced on Friday that it would facilitate the entry of the vaccines to help prevent the spread of disease. Yasser Bouzia, head of international relations in the health ministry in Ramallah, said there were estimated to be some 60,000 new born babies in Gaza, who would normally receive vaccination but who have been largely cut off from medical services. He said administering the vaccines would be difficult because most of Gaza's population had been driven from their homes, with hundreds of thousands living in tents or other temporary accommodation. The vaccines against diseases including rubella, polio, measles and mumps come from supplies purchased by the Palestinian health ministry and also donated by UNICEF, the United Nations children's fund, the ministry said.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has renewed his threat to take over the democratic island of Taiwan, while, while Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called for peaceful coexistence with Beijing. The new year comments come just ahead of the Taiwan presidential election that could have a big impact on China-Taiwan relations. More from VOA’s Bill Gallo in Taipei, Taiwan.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Bangkok — Thailand has seen an eventful year filled with twists and turns that has reshaped the country’s political and societal landscape. A new government has ended nearly a decade of military rule, but the wishes of Thai people remain unfulfilled. Thailand saw a return to power for the Pheu Thai party, now led by real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin, following the May general elections. Pheu Thai’s pathway to government meant they had to form a coalition including pro-military parties after election winners the Move Forward Party were blocked by the Thai Senate. But the return of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra following 15 years of exile could boost optimism towards Pheu Thai. Party founder Thaksin had been sentenced to eight years in prison upon his return but was given a royal pardon slashing the sentence to just one year. That leniency, and his popularity, have raised questions about how Thaksin’s influence will affect Thailand’s political landscape in the future. Economic focus  Prime Minister Srettha has pledged to focus on improving Thailand’s economy. “The so-called holiday period for the Srettha administration is likely over now and the public will expect more results in how the government will spur economic growth following lackluster economic performance for nearly a decade under the military and semi-military regime,” Pravit Rojanaphruk, a veteran journalist and analyst told VOA. The World Bank estimates Thailand’s economy will grow by about 3.2% in 2024. Thailand’s growth rate was considered lackluster in 2023, reaching the lower end of its previously forecasted range of 2.5% - 3.0%. Srettha’s main pledge is the promise of a digital wallet handout of $290 (10,000 Thai baht) to 50 million Thais in 2024 to boost the local economy. But observers are skeptical of Thailand’s 30th prime minister’s ability to accelerate the economy. One way could be through further foreign investment. Srettha has met with U.S. President Joe Biden, and sought investment from tech giants Google and Microsoft. He has courted China leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to boost trade and tourism. Srettha has avoided taking sides on global political tensions but wants the world to know that Thailand is open for business.   Tourism returns One of the most crucial industries for business in Thailand is tourism.  In 2019 more than 39 million visitors arrived in the country, contributing 12% of Thailand’s gross domestic product. Since taking office, Srettha has tried to boost tourism by loosening visa restrictions for visitors from big markets such as China, Russia and India. Thailand now expects 27 million international visitors by this year's end.  Gary Bowerman, a tourism analyst, believes Thailand will be pleased with the number of arrivals this year, but the country will need to evolve to remain competitive. “Tourism in Southeast Asia in 2024 will be highly competitive and destinations must diversify their travel offerings, engagement strategies and inbound market mixes to cater to both short-stay visitors and travelers wanting to explore more of the country over an extended period of time. Finding that balance will be challenging,” he told VOA. But tourism could be affected should officials not find a solution for Thailand’s sporadic mass shootings. Thailand suffered its third mass shooting in as many years at the popular shopping mall in downtown Bangkok in October, when a Thai minor killed at least three people, including one Chinese national. The killing saw thousands of concerned Chinese tourists cancel their trips to Thailand. Thai officials still insist Thailand is a safe destination and have predicted 35 – 40 million international arrivals in 2024. But the shootings have also prompted government officials to look at Thailand’s gun laws, some of the most lenient in Asia. Tourism could also be hampered if Thailand sees a return of street protests and political unrest. Despite winning the most votes in the 2023 general elections, and being backed by millions of Thai youths, the Move Forward Party’s future is uncertain over its calls to amend Thailand’s royal defamation law. Next year Thailand’s Constitutional Court will rule whether the party’s controversial pledge undermined the monarchy. If they agree that it does, the party risks being dissolved. Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, once a president-elect, also faces political disqualification in 2024 over allegations of having shares in a media company prohibited by Thai law. “For the meantime, the agenda for monarchy reform, a key aspiration among many young politically alert voters remain unfulfilled as Move Forward Party is the only party pledging for the reform. Come January the party could be disbanded by the Constitutional Court if found to have acted unconstitutionally by making the electoral pledge to reform the controversial lèse-majesté law and its former leader Pita Limjaroenrat who pushed for the policy banned from politics for 10 years. Thus, uncertainties loom large in January 2024,” Pravit added.  Digital rights declining According to an annual report released in October by the Manuysha Foundation, in partnership with Freedom House, Thai authorities continue to persecute dissident and opposition voices online. Emilie Palamy Pradicihit, founder of Manuysha, says addressing online persecution is “crucial” for the new government. “The pervasive use of surveillance technologies against political activists further compounds these challenges. Looking ahead to 2024, addressing these issues is crucial for fostering a more open and inclusive internet environment,” she told VOA. Marriage equality bill Thailand is progressing in its effort to pass a marriage equality bill. If the law is passed, Thailand would be the first country in Southeast Asian to allow same-sex marriage. Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn, a Thailand human rights associate at Fortify Rights, hopes the law will pass. “The parliament’s decision is a monumental step for Thailand to provide full and equal rights for LGBTI+ people. We mostly hope to see the bill gets passed, at least in the parliament house before June, so that we can celebrate in Pride,” she said.   Cannabis policy In June 2022 Thailand's Food and Drug Administration officially delisted cannabis from the country's narcotics list, which has sparked thousands of cannabis stores, and pop-up stalls to open throughout Thailand. But Srettha told U.S. media in September that Thailand would seek a law to allow cannabis use only for medical reasons. The comments have Thailand’s cannabis community concerned. But Kitty Chopaka, a cannabis activist in Bangkok, insists cannabis is here to stay. “Going back is not an option no matter what our PM said. The only way forward is to regulate,” she told VOA.  

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen used her last New Year’s address Monday to urge both sides of the Taiwan Strait to resume “healthy and orderly exchanges,” emphasizing that the only option for Taiwan is to keep safeguarding democracy and peace. “We also hope the two sides will jointly seek a long-term and stable way of peaceful coexistence under peace, parity, democracy and dialogue,” she said during the speech, which came one day after Chinese leader Xi Jinping said China would “surely be reunified” with Taiwan. Since Taiwanese presidents often focus on relations with China during the New Year’s address, some analysts say Tsai’s message is centered on the importance for Taiwan of maintaining its democratic way of life. “She emphasized the need for Taiwan to maintain its autonomy as well as its defense capabilities, which are consistent with her cross-strait policies,” Chen Fang-yu, a political scientist at Soochow University in Taiwan, told VOA by phone. During her address, Tsai said Taiwan’s efforts to deepen engagement with the international community and its attempt to initiate defense reform, which includes the assessment of its defense strategies and modernization of weapon and defense systems, has helped Taiwan win the trust of the world as well as deal with China with confidence and calmness. “What is even more different from the past is that Taiwan is no longer forgotten, and the 23.5 million people of Taiwan have participated in changing the world,” Tsai said, adding that “Taiwan” has been the keyword in the world for the last eight years. Highlighting the growing competition between democracy and authoritarianism, Tsai said Taiwan will stick to defending democracy and peace by showcasing its determination for self-defense. “We have to show our determination to defend the democratic and free way of life so that the world will recognize that Taiwan is an indispensable and crucial player of global democracy and peace,” she said, adding that Beijing and Taipei have the shared responsibility to defend the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region. The speech comes 12 days before Taiwanese head to the polls for a hotly contested presidential election that will determine who succeeds Tsai in May 2024 and the direction that the democratic island will take for the next four years. Tsai’s eight-year term as Taiwanese president witnessed rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait and saw Taiwan trying to deepen relations with like-minded democracies around the world. Some experts say Tsai intended the speech to showcase how international Taiwan has become amid the ongoing domestic debate about how the island should handle its relationship with China. “She wants to normalize Taiwan politics and Taiwan's international standing in a way that isn't completely framed by cross-strait issues,” Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, told VOA by phone. During his New Year’s address Sunday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated that Taiwan and China will surely be reunited. “All Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” he said. As Taiwan’s two main opposition parties try to frame the current state of cross-strait relations as dangerous and on the brink of war, Chen in Taiwan said such rhetoric may limit the effect of Tsai’s message of safeguarding democracy and Taiwan’s determination to defend itself. “In the past, whenever Xi made tough remarks, Taiwanese people would react strongly,” he told VOA. “However, the opposition parties in Taiwan have successfully created a feeling that people no longer want to talk about cross-strait relations when it comes to domestic policies. This may limit the effect of Tsai’s rhetoric on democracy and Taiwan’s determination to defend itself.” Apart from showcasing Taiwan’s efforts to deepen ties with the international community and its willingness to uphold the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, Tsai also laid out her administration’s efforts to diversify Taiwan’s trade and economic relations, pointing to the trade agreements that Taiwan has signed with the U.S., Britain and Canada. “These trade agreements are crucial steps in response to the new global situation and now Taiwan can directly engage with the world,” she said, adding that the island is no longer confined in the mentality that it needs to prioritize engagement with China before engagement with the international community. Chong from Singapore said Tsai’s efforts to diversify Taiwan’s economic and trade relations over the last eight years have helped the island to become less susceptible to economic pressure from China while enhancing its ability to withstand economic turbulence in general. “Having a more diversified risk portfolio means that Taiwan is going to be more able to withstand other kinds of economic ups and downs,” he said. As China ramps up efforts to interfere in Taiwan’s upcoming presidential and legislative elections, unleashing a combination of economic coercion and disinformation campaigns, Tsai urged Taiwanese to be aware of China’s attempts and the false information originating from China. “Taiwan’s national security agencies are aware of China’s efforts to interfere in the election,” she said. Since a new president is guaranteed to emerge from the election scheduled on Jan. 13, Chong and Chen both agree that there is a risk that Tsai’s efforts to deepen Taiwan’s ties with the international community could be eroded, depending on which candidate wins the election. “While the basic principles of her approach are sticky since all three contenders talking about deterrence first and essentially somehow continuing Tsai’s path, it ultimately [still] depends on the policies of who comes next, whether they consolidate what Tsai has done, or whether they make an effort to systematically dismantle the direction that she has set for Taiwan,” Chong said.  

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.