NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed concern over the unrest that led to a change of government in neighboring Bangladesh and the attacks on Hindus and other minorities there.
Modi addressed his nation from New Delhi’s 17th-century Mughal-era Red Fort on its 78th Independence Day and assured Bangladesh that India would continue to support it in developing its economy.
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NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed concern over the unrest that led to a change of government in neighboring Bangladesh and the attacks on Hindus and other minorities there.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument during the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument during the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument during the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A joint contingent of Indian army, air force and navy march in to present guard of honor to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before his arrival at the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument for the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
The front compound of the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument is decorated in India's national colors for the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
"We hope the situation gets normal there soon,” Modi said in a speech broadcast live.
Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on Aug. 5 after weeks of violent protests that prompted her ouster.
She is likely to stay in New Delhi until she decides where she will seek asylum. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power in Bangladesh and is expected to organize fresh elections.
During the protests in Bangladesh, many Hindu homes, shops and businesses were attacked. Yunus met with Hindu community leaders earlier this week and assured them of their protection.
The student-led protests began in July against a quota system for government jobs that critics said benefitted people with connections to Hasina’s party. The protests morphed into a movement against her government, leaving more than 300 people dead including students and police officers in the ensuing violence.
Aug. 15 marks India’s independence from British colonialists in 1947, but it was also the day in 1975 when Bangladesh's first leader after independence, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the father of Hasina, was assassinated in a military coup.
Hasina survived by not being in the country. India gave her refuge, and she lived in Delhi from 1975 until her return to Bangladesh in 1981.
Modi said Thursday that India believes in peace and not war, and is on the path of rapid economic development. It aspires to be a developed nation by 2047 when it completes 100 years of independence from British colonialists, he added.
In his nearly 90-minute speech, Modi did not refer to India’s tense ties with neighboring Pakistan and China, or any steps to improve relations with them.
Wearing a flowing, cream-colored turban printed with small stripes of orange, yellow and black, he said the government over the next five years would focus on driving domestic growth through skill development, job production and the promotion of small businesses.
More than a decade after he first took office as prime minister, Modi is under pressure to generate more jobs to help sustain growth.
He said India will be guided by the ideals of self-reliance and global partnerships to thrive in science and technology, establish industries, and attain food and energy security. He said India was attracting large investments from abroad that he hoped would turn the country into a manufacturing hub.
Modi returned as India’s prime minister for a third five-year term in recent national elections. His Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party failed to win a majority of its own in the 543-member lower house of Parliament, but formed the government with the help of its allies.
His government's budget presented to Parliament last month said the inflation rate is stable and moving toward the government’s 4% target, while the economy grew at a sizzling 8.2% rate in the last fiscal year.
The 2024-25 budget proposed a $24 billion package for job creation over the next five years, raising spending on loans for small- and medium-sized businesses. It allocated $18 billion to support agriculture and farm technology, such as climate-resilient seed varieties.
Modi on Thursday also called for a non-discriminatory uniform civil code that would govern marriage and other aspects of life of all citizens regardless of their religion. Hindus constitute nearly 80%, and Muslims 14%, of India’s 1.4 billion people. They have separate personal laws covering marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument during the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument during the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument during the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument during the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A joint contingent of Indian army, air force and navy march in to present guard of honor to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before his arrival at the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument for the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
The front compound of the 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort monument is decorated in India's national colors for the country's Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
SINGAPORE (AP) — Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world’s richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor.
After a brief farewell ceremony, Francis, the Vatican delegation and journalists traveling with him flew to Singapore aboard local carrier Aero Dili's only aircraft, an Airbus A320. It landed about three hours later in Singapore, where Francis had no public events scheduled for the rest of the day.
Francis wrapped up his visit to East Timor with a rally Wednesday morning of its young people, who make up the majority of the 1.3 million population. He urged them to work together to build their young country, using the foundations of older generations who formally secured their independence from Indonesia in 2002, to grow in peace, prosperity and reconciliation.
“Go forward with the happiness of youth, but don’t forget one thing,” Francis told them. “You are the heirs of those who persevered in founding this nation. For this, don’t lose your memory, the memory of those who persevered with so much sacrifice to consolidate this nation.”
The 87-year-old pope, who is on the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate, ditched his prepared remarks to speak off the cuff in his native Spanish, as he often does when he's around young people.
The joyous encounter came just hours after around 600,000 people — or nearly half the population — packed a seaside park for Francis’ Mass. It was held on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed 35 years ago, when East Timor was under brutally oppressive Indonesian rule.
Francis came to East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, to encourage it more than two decades after it secured independence as it struggles with poverty and high unemployment.
In his final remarks at the end of the liturgy, Francis warned the Timorese today to beware of the “crocodiles” who come ashore and “want to change your culture, your history.”
It was an apparent reference both to East Timor’s past, as a colonial possession of first Portugal and then Indonesia, but also its current attractiveness to international commercial interests eager to develop its natural gas reserves.
The oil and gas industry is the bedrock of the Timorese economy and the main source of government revenue. Development of the promising offshore Greater Sunrise gas field, shared between Australia and East Timor, has been stalled for more than two decades — mainly over the question of which country the fuel should be piped to.
Timorese officials believe that piping gas into their country would deliver more benefits for their people despite the added logistical challenges. In an interview last week, President Jose Ramos-Horta said any alternative would have to be “a very persuasive proposal.”
Francis, who is from Argentina and is history’s first Latin American pope, has long railed against multinational companies that exploit poor countries for their natural resources for their own benefit without taking care to adequately compensate the local population or care for the environment.
“And don’t go near those crocodiles because they bite, and bite a lot, a lot,” Francis said Tuesday night, using a term in Spanish that means both “to bite” and to accept bribes.
The huge turnout in East Timor was a testament to the devout Catholic faith of its people and their reverence of the church, which strongly backed the Timorese’ fight for independence. Francis praised the Timorese for having not only built up their country from scratch, but reconciled with Indonesia after securing independence in 2002.
One of the Timorese who campaigned for that independence, Fransisco Dionisio Fernandes, was a 15-year-old acolyte at the Dili Mass celebrated by St. John Paul II on the same field as Francis.
He went on to become one of the most vocal pro-independence activists in East Timor, known locally by his nom de guerre Maukura. But he chose the path of nonviolent resistance rather than joining the guerrillas, preaching a message of reconciliation with Indonesia that Francis underscored during his visit.
“What’s past is past, every nation certainly has its dark history, and we cannot erase history,” Fernandes said in an interview. “East Timor has made a great effort to reconcile the wounds of the past and found a way to pursue a process of genuine reconciliation.”
Fernandes, who became a career diplomat, said the focus was now on the future.
“Now is the time for Timorese to fight for the development and people’s welfare. With the principle of mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty, we rebuild together with Indonesia which is destined to be brothers.”
East Timor remains one of the poorest in the world, with around 42% living below the poverty line. It struggles with high levels of unemployment and malnutrition. Nearly two-thirds of the country’s citizens are under 30 years old, making youth job creation a high priority.
From Dili, Francis was flying to Singapore, one of Asia’s economic powerhouses. The city-state’s transformation from a colonial port lacking natural resources into an economic power since its independence from Malaysia in 1965 has long been touted as a success story.
It enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world, and is known for its safety and low crime rate. But it is also one of the most expensive cities to live in and its competitive work environment makes for a stressful, overworked people.
Francis has no official program in Singapore on Wednesday other than a private meeting with his Jesuit confreres.
Niniek Karmini reported from Dili, East Timor. Eileen Ng contributed to this report from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Pope Francis travels in a buggy after he arrived in Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Pope Francis travels in a buggy as he greets the volunteers on his arrival in Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Pope Francis is welcomed by dancing children as he arrives at Singapore Changi International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Pope Francis is heading to Singapore for the final leg of his 11-day trip to Asia and Oceania. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is welcomed by dancing children as he arrives at Singapore Changi International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Pope Francis is heading to Singapore for the final leg of his 11-day trip to Asia and Oceania. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis greets the volunteers on his arrival in Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Pope Francis travels in a buggy as he greets the volunteers on his arrival in Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Pope Francis is accompanied by East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta to abroad a plane to Singapore at Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis is accompanied by East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta to abroad a plane to Singapore at Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Airport staff wave to Pope Francis at Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Airport staff wave to an airplane which Pope Francis aboard at Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis is welcomed by dancing children as he arrives at Singapore Changi International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Pope Francis is heading to Singapore for the final leg of his 11-day trip to Asia and Oceania. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Volunteers wait to greet Pope Francis on his arrival in Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
People display a East Timor national flag to show it to Pope Francis taking off with his flight from Díli, East Timor and bound to Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
From left, Pope Francis is welcomed by Singapore's Minister of Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong and his wife (name not given) and the Ambassador of Singapore to the Holy See Ang Janet Guat Har as he arrives at Singapore Changi International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Pope Francis is heading to Singapore for the final leg of his 11-day trip to Asia and Oceania. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis greets before the meeting with young people in Centro de Convencoes in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Pope Francis is welcomed during the meeting with young people in Centro de Convencoes in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Pope Francis waves out of the car on the day of the Holy Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu during his apostolic trip to Asia, in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Willy Kurniawan/Pool Photo via AP)
Pope Francis waves from the popemobile as he tours the crowd of faithful at the end of a mass at the seaside park of Tasitolu, 8 kilometers west of Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Alessandro Di Meo/pool via AP)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Men and women in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
People wait for Pope Francis outside the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, ahead of a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
People wait for Pope Francis outside the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, ahead of a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Students singi and chant on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is welcomed as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis wears an East Timor traditional Tais scarf he received upon his arrival at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor for a meeting with young people, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Tais are usually made for ceremonial use, along with feathers, coral, gold and silver. It has the symbolic meaning of respect towards guests, friends, relatives and ancestors. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is welcomed as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
