Philippines formally protests Chinese plans to set up garrison in Spratlys

Manila on Tuesday summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest against China's plans to establish a military garrison on the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.


The Department of Foreign Affairs said it summoned Ambassador Ma Keqing to lodge the complaint and also to object to the arrival of a military-escorted Chinese fishing fleet near the contested Spratly Islands.


The Chinese defense ministry announced plans to operate troops from Chinese-held Sansha or Woody Island in the Paracels on Monday, a month after Beijing designated the island as China's administrative center for both the Paracel and Spratly groups.


While the Philippines does not have territorial claims on the Paracels, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said the Chinese plan to administer both island groups from Sansha was unacceptable.


"The Philippine government has expressed its grave concern and registered its strong protest over the Chinese government decision to establish a military garrison in Woody Reef," Hernandez told reporters.


China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, which is believed to hold vast amounts of oil and gas, while the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam each claim portions.


Disputes have flared in recent weeks, with Vietnam and the Philippines criticizing what they call Chinese encroachment.


China and South Vietnam once administered different parts of the Paracels but after a brief conflict in 1974, Beijing took control of the islands.


The Philippine Coast Guard monitored a fleet of 29 fishing vessels, a cargo vessel, and three other ships including one Chinese navy vessel near Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef on July 18, Hernandez said.


"The use of armed government vessels to escort fishing vessels that conduct non-fishing activities is a violation of Philippine territory and a violation of (the) obligation of states under international law," Hernandez said.-Interaksyon (July 24, 2012 6:05PM)

Malaysian tycoon seeks $300-M dispute payout

Malaysian tycoon Ananda Krishnan on Tuesday called on Singapore's high court to enforce an arbitration center order for his former Indonesian business partner James Riady to pay out $300 million.


The sum was awarded to Krishnan in 2010 by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, a body set up to settle complex business disputes, after the pair had a falling-out over a failed Indonesian pay-television venture.


Krishnan heads the Astro communications empire of Malaysia, while Riady manages the Lippo Group of Indonesia.


Krishnan, represented by senior British lawyer David Joseph, argued in court that Riady had to pay the sum because Lippo had missed the deadline for appealing the arbitration center's decision.


"There is no remaining available process for (Lippo) to challenge the awards or their validity," Joseph said.


"The awards are final and binding and are recognized as such under Singapore statute. Being final and binding, the courts should enforce them."


Joseph also highlighted correspondence between lawyers representing Astro and Lippo, in an effort to prove that Riady was fully aware of the time limit for appealing the decision.


The legal battle between the two Southeast Asian tycoons is shaping up to be a drawn-out, acrimonious affair as similar cases have been filed in courts in Hong Kong, Malaysia and London.


Riady is the deputy chairman of Lippo Group, a conglomerate with assets in media and financial services, and the son of the firm's founder Mochtar Riady.


The elder Riady is estimated by Forbes business magazine to be worth $650 million, making him Indonesia's 38th richest man, according to a list issued in November 2011.


Krishnan is Malaysia's second-richest man with a net worth of $9.9 billion as of March 2012, according to Forbes. He has interests in communications, broadcasting, oil and gas.


The hearing will end on Wednesday.-Interaksyon (July 24, 2012 5:35PM)

China eyes airstrip near Pag-asa Island

Courtesy: National Geographic

China is reportedly planning to build its first airstrip adjacent to the Pag-asa Island, a Philippine-held territory in the hotly contested Spratlys Island.


The construction of the airstrip at the Subi Reef has yet to start but Beijing is reportedly eyeing the back of a four-story building as location for the new airstrip.


The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei have interlocking territorial claims over the region while China, Vietnam and Taiwan are claiming the entire hotly-contested region as an integral part of their respective maritime domain.


Aside from a two four-story buildings, two troop quarters, China has also installed a big radar dome and a lighthouse within the six kilometers long and 3.7 kilometers wide reef.


At the northern tip of the reef is a lighthouse that can be seen from Pag-asa during good weather.


The Philippine’s aerial territorial patrol also spotted a Chinese landing ship armed with three heavy weapons moored in Subi Reef.


“As we have gathered, China is planning to replicate in Subi Reef what the Malaysians have done in their occupied Layang-Layang Reef,” Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon said.


Layang-Layang is currently being marketed by the Malaysian government as one of its finest dive resorts in the region. From a reef, Malaysian developed the area into an island resort with an airport, a hotel and a naval detachment.




Subi Reef is only 12 nautical miles from the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island, seat of the Kalayaan Island municipality in the Spratly region, which are within the 64,976 square miles territorial jurisdiction of Kalayaan Island municipality under the province of Palawan.


China deploys military garrison


Beijing will establish a military garrison on a group of disputed islands in the South China Sea, its defense ministry said yesterday.


The move will likely spark further tensions with its neighbors.


The troops will operate from Sansha in the Paracel Islands, one of two archipelagos in the West Philippine Sea that are claimed by both China and Vietnam.-The Philippine Star (July 24, 2012)

Asian economies to integrate despite sea row - experts

Despite the present tensions over the disputed territories at the South China Sea, experts from the Asian Development Bank believe that Asian economies will continue to integrate.


ADB analysts said economic integration in the region has been dictated by the economic considerations and not by political factors.


"Asian integration will continue despite geopolitical tensions. On the ground, in the last few years, especially after the Lehman collapse in the Fall of 2008, the business sector in Asia has continued working on its business with other Asian countries and emerging markets outside Asia. The integration process in the region is more market-driven than in Euorpe," said Iwan Azis, ADB Office of Regional Economic Integration head.


Lei Lei Song, principal economist at the ADB Office of Regional Economic Integration, added that the ADB is willing to become an "honest broker" among the parties in the South China Sea disputes.


"Were there no cooperation, there would be no utilization of natural resources, which would be not good for everybody. As an independent multilateral development bank, ADB can demonstrate the benefits of cooperation, and try to find a mutually beneficial way to develop natural resources," Song said.


Manila and Beijing have been engaged in a standoff over the Scarborough Shoal since April following discovery of eight Chinese fishing vessels within the Philippines' claim of 200-mile exclusive economic zone.


Although the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been viewed as a "talk shop", Azis said the group could play a "critical role" in forging Asian economies closer.


"The 'talk shop' characterization is largely due to a narrow perspective of integration. ASEAN has played a major role in various aspects, not just in the economic arena, and some are even deeper than the economic area. One can always develop counter-factual scenarios about the 10 countries, i.e., what would happen if there were no ASEAN? But even in the economic aspect its role in Asian integration is very critical. For example, in ASEAN+3. Since ASEAN+3 is the most quoted example of Asian economic integration, the association will definitely play a strategic role in Asian integration," he said.


The lack of common currency in the region is also unlikely to deter the economic integration of Asian countries.


"A common currency has never been a concrete plan in Asia. Discussions among scholars and analysts, yes. But among policy makers, never. Realistically, a basket currency can be anticipated but in very long run," Azis said.


Song said the present difficulty of the Eurozone should serve as a lesson to the Asian economies.


"There are many more pre-conditions for a common currency than we previously thought. And Asia is far from satisfying those pre-conditions. A common currency is not feasible for Asia for the moment. In the very, very long run, there might be a common currency. But it would be a very very long run," Song added.


To facilitate intra-regional trade, however, Song said Asian economies should discuss exchange rate policy and this is where a basket of currency could come in.-The Philippine Star (July 23, 2012 8:04PM)

Vietnam, Laos and Mozambique do least to halt trade in animal parts—WWF

Vietnam, Laos and Mozambique are the countries that do the least to crack down on an illegal trade in animal parts that is threatening the survival of elephants, rhinos and tigers, the WWF conservation group said on Monday.

In its 'Wildlife Crime Scorecard' report, it said 23 countries surveyed mostly in Africa and Asia, the main sources and destinations of animal parts, could all do more to enforce laws banning a trade that WWF said was increasingly run by international crime syndicates.

"Last year had the largest number of elephants poached in Africa on record," Wendy Elliott, WWF Global Species program manager, told Reuters in a telephone interview about the report.

There had been many large seizures of elephant ivory of more than 800 kg (1,760 lbs), she added, a sign that "there is a growing involvement of organized crime in this trade."

"Poor performances by key countries are threatening the survival of wild rhinos, tigers and elephants," the WWF said in a statement about the report's findings, which are due to be presented at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Geneva (CITES) this week.

CITES bans virtually all trade in elephant ivory, rhino horns and tiger parts—often used in traditional medicines—in order to try to save them from extinction. The animals are also under threat from other factors such as loss of habitat, climate change and pollution.

Red to green

The report, which gave red, yellow or green marks to signal failure, partial failure or progress, gave worst marks to Vietnam, Laos and Mozambique with two red marks apiece.

Elliott said that demand for ground-up rhino horn in Vietnam had partly been spurred by an ill-founded rumor that it helped cure cancer. WWF urged Vietnam to do more to crack down, suggesting it tackled the Internet advertising of rhino parts.

Demand in Vietnam "has fuelled a poaching crisis in South Africa. A record 448 South African rhinos were killed for their horns in 2011 and the country ... has lost an additional 262 already this year", it added.

WWF said Mozambique had failed to halt the involvement of its citizens in rhino poaching in South Africa and had not controlled the ivory trade despite some improved checks at ports.

Laos and Vietnam had failed to report how they would comply with a ban on the captive breeding of tigers for medicine, it added. Laos was also failing to control the ivory trade.

China, traditionally a major market for animal parts, was awarded green marks for its efforts to slow the illegal trade in rhinos and tigers, but a yellow mark for its work on the trade in elephant ivory, prized when carved into costly ornaments. WWF said Beijing should do more to police its domestic ivory market.

India and Nepal were the only nations to get green ratings for all three animals.

Elliott said many nations already had sufficiently strict laws. "The problem now is really enforcement," she said. "The solution is not to ban the trade—it’s already illegal."-GMA News (July 23, 2012)

Filipino food to go global - DTI

MANILA - Filipino food is expected to leap forward globally as food producers continue to offer unique flavors that captivate the world food market, the Department and Trade and Industry (DTI) said in a news release.


In her speech read during the recent food fair dubbed as “Eats more fun in the Philippines,” DTI Undersecretary for Regional Operations and Development Group (RODG) Merly M. Cruz said food trend analysts predict that Filipino food will soon be assimilated into the global mainstream culture much like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai food.


The fair showcased the food products of about 200 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country. It displayed products such as bagnet and longanisa from the Ilocos provinces, organic and unpolished rice from Nueva Ecija, dessert food and other delicacies from Pampanga and Laguna, malunggay food products from Batangas, pinangat and pili products from Bicol, coffee from the province of Kalinga, honey and vinegar from Benguet, and fruit-flavored wines from Agusan del Sur.


“Some experts believe that this trend is just taking off, and that the unique Filipino blend of European and Asian flavors will soon capture the taste buds of the world market,” Cruz said. This unique Filipino food blend is the combination of the best techniques from its foreign influences.


Out of the $3 billion Philippine food exports in 2011, $1.72 billion are processed food and $52.2 million are beverages. As of the first quarter of 2012, Philippine food exports already accounted for $1 billion. One-half of this figure or $517.6 million are processed food, and $32.2 million are beverages.


In 2011, the major markets for Philippine processed food are the US, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. In the first quarter of 2012, the same food importers topped the list with the addition of China. China became the second importer of our process food, from its 10th position in 2011.


For beverages, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, US, and Korea are the major importers of the Philippines in 2011. For the first quarter of 2012, Thailand, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, and Hong Kong SAR are the major markets of the country for beverages.


The food fair is part of the government’s effort to help promote the products of MSMEs, and make them to contribute in attaining inclusive growth in the country.


Cruz said that this is a good time to be a Filipino entrepreneur because the Aquino administration has recognized the potential of the MSME sector as a driver for national economic growth, and a critical element in poverty alleviation.

Considered as the backbone of the Philippine economy, these enterprises comprise 99.6 percent of all registered business in the country. One-half of these enterprises are food producers.


“The DTI, through the Bureau of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development (BMSMED), as well as its regional and provincial offices, will ensure the successful implementation of SME programs through close coordination and monitoring of quantifiable performance outcomes," Cruz said.


"This is a very exciting time to be a Filipino entrepreneur. Let us all work together to achieve the potential to be among the world's top economies hopefully in our lifetime, but definitely in our children’s, by laying a strong foundation for the future," she added.-Interaksyon

WORLD NEWS: Syria threatens to use chemical weapons if attacked

DAMASCUS - Syria admitted on Monday it possesses chemical weapons and warned it would use them if attacked though not against its own civilians, as regime troops battled rebels in Damascus and Aleppo.


The warning by foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi comes amid growing international concern that Damascus is preparing to deploy its chemical arsenal in the repression of a 16-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.


"Syria will not use any chemical or other unconventional weapons against its civilians, and will only use them in case of external aggression," Makdissi told a news conference.


"Any stocks of chemical weapons that may exist, will never, ever be used against the Syrian people," he said, adding that in the event of foreign attack, "the generals will be deciding when and how we use them."


Makdissi stressed later in an email that Syria would "never use chemical and biological weapons during the crisis... and that such weapons, if they exist, it is natural for them to be stored and secured."


Kassem Saadeddine, spokesman for the joint command of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA), said Makdissi's remarks gave cause for concern.


"The regime admits having chemical weapons, and as it has not signed any treaties. That proves that it will not hesitate to use them," Saadeddine told AFP.


Makdissi's comments come a day after the United States said it would "hold accountable" any Syrian official involved in the release or use of the country's chemical weapons.


The ministry spokesman also said Syria firmly rejected a demand by the Arab League that Assad step down.


"We are sorry that the Arab League has descended to this level concerning a member state of this institution," he said.


"This decision only concerns the Syrian people, who are the sole masters of the fate of their governments."


A meeting late Sunday in Doha of Arab League foreign ministers issued a statement calling on Assad to "renounce power," promising he and his family would be offered "a safe exit."


"There is agreement on the need for the rapid resignation of President Bashar al-Assad," Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani said after the meeting.


Makdissi also vowed Syrian forces would soon regain control of several border posts that rebel forces seized along the frontier with Iraq and Turkey.


The rebels "will not hold onto them and they will be gone in a few days," he said.


On the ground, Syrian regime forces raided several districts of Damascus on Monday, including Mazzeh, where where a plume of black smoke could be seen after night-time clashes in the capital, an AFP reporter said.


Activists reported clashes during the night in Syria's second city of Aleppo, and a rights watchdog reported 18 people killed Monday across the strife-torn country, including nine civilians, six soldiers and three rebels.


"Regime troops raided the edges of the Razi area of Mazzeh, Nahr Ayshe (southern Damascus) and Lawane in Kfar Sousa (in the southwest)," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.


-- 'Abuses against shopowners' --


The watchdog added that troops proceeded "to carry out abuses against shopowners and inhabitants of the houses they raided."


State news agency SANA said the army had "restored security" in the Razi outskirts, "surrounding and killing several terrorists."


Elsewhere, rebels and troops clashes violently in Syria's commercial hub Aleppo, where the rebel FSA says a war of "liberation" is underway.


Clashes engulfed the eastern Sakhur and Hanano City districts, leading residents to flee the areas, the Observatory said.


Largely excluded from the violence and protests of the country's 16-month uprising until recently, Aleppo has emerged as a new front in the battle between rebel fighters and the regime.


Regime troops also used helicopters to pound the central city of Homs -- symbol of the uprising -- and nearby rebel-held Rastan on Monday, activists said.


The Observatory said on Monday that the death toll in fighting across Syria on Sunday stood at 123, including 67 civilians, 22 rebels and 34 soldiers.


The watchdog group said that more than 19,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad's regime began in March 2011.


The Britain-based Observatory meanwhile said at least 23 people were "summarily executed" by regime forces in Damascus.


"Sixteen people, most of them younger than 30, were summarily executed by shooting on Sunday in Mazzeh," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. Seven others were executed in a similar fashion in Barzeh.


It was unclear whether the executions were of civilians or rebels fighters.


Fighting has intensified since a Wednesday bombing that killed national security chief General Hisham Ikhtiyar, Defence Minister General Daoud Rajha, Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat and General Hassan Turkmani, head of the regime's crisis cell on the uprising.


The EU meanwhile beefed up sanctions against Assad's regime on Monday and agreed to tighten an arms embargo by inspecting vessels and planes suspected of carrying arms, diplomats in Brussels said.


EU foreign ministers began talks in Brussels with an agreement to freeze the assets of 26 Syrians and three firms close to the Assad regime in the 17th round of sanctions since protests erupted last year, diplomats said.-Interaksyon (July 23, 2012 10:09PM)

Philippines refuses to budge on South China Sea row

President Benigno Aquino III refused to budge on Monday on a territorial dispute with China, asking Beijing to respect Manila's rights in the South China Sea and announcing plans to upgrade military capabilities.


Addressing a joint session of the Philippine Congress for the third time since his election in 2010, Aquino asked the Filipino people to unite behind his government's efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully.


"If someone enters your yard and told you he owns it, will you allow that?," Aquino said. "It's not right to give away what is rightfully ours. And so I ask for solidarity from our people regarding this issue. Let us speak with one voice."


The South China Sea has become Asia's biggest potential military flashpoint as Beijing's sovereignty claim over the huge area has set it against Vietnam and the Philippines, as the three countries race to tap possibly huge oil reserves believed to lie under the seabed.


Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have claims on parts of the sea.


The row was a central issue at an acrimonious Southeast Asian regional summit last week that ended with members failing to agree on a concluding statement for the first time in 45 years.

Aquino said the Philippines had shown restraint by pulling out its navy ship and replacing it with a civilian vessel when Chinese fishing boats entered Scarborough Shoal, which lies in the South China Sea about 124 nautical miles west of the main Philippine island of Luzon.


The Philippines insists it has sole jurisdiction over the uninhabited shoal because it lies within the country's 200 mile exclusive economic zone.


"It's not too much to ask the other side to respect our rights just as we respected their rights," Aquino said, adding that as the nation's leader, "I must uphold the law of the land."


Not picking a fight


Aquino also announced plans under a 75 billion-peso ($1.8 billion) military modernization fund to acquire a refurbished frigate, C-130 planes, utility and combat helicopters, communication equipment, rifles and mortars.


"This is not about picking a fight. This is not about bullying. This is about attaining peace. This is about our capability to defend ourselves," he said.


Philippine defense and military officials say they are worried by China's "creeping imposition" of its claims in disputed areas in the South China Sea, a violation of an informal code of conduct adopted in Cambodia in 2002.


The two countries have faced off on a number of occasions in the disputed waters, and earlier in the year they were involved in a month-long standoff at Scarborough Shoal.


Last year, the Philippines scrambled aircraft and ships to the Reed Bank area after Chinese navy ships threatened to ram a Philippine survey vessel.


Beijing said last month it had begun "combat-ready" patrols in waters it said were under its control in the South China Sea, after saying it "vehemently opposed" a Vietnamese law asserting sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly islands.


The stakes have risen in the area as the US military shifts its attention and resources back to Asia, emboldening its long-time ally the Philippines and former foe Vietnam to take a bolder stance against Beijing.


The United States has stressed it is neutral in the long-running maritime dispute, despite offering to help boost the Philippines' decrepit military forces. It says freedom of navigation is its main concern about a waterway that carries $5 trillion in trade -- half the world's shipping tonnage.-Interaksyon (July 23, 2012 11:00PM)

Phl keen on SEA plan for power, gas pipeline link

The Philippines is keen on joining an interconnected electricity grid and gas pipeline planned by Southeast Asian members to increase available power and fuel supply.


But the Philippines’ participation is hinged on available connection from nearby countries and the resolution of pricing and regulatory issues, the Energy chief said.


“There was a lot of interest about investment opportunities in the (Association of Southeast Asian Nations),” Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said.


“There is a program called the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), which is supposed to interconnect the countries that can export electricity to countries that need to buy electricity,” Almendras said.


Almendras said the members also discussed the Trans-ASEAN Pipeline Project that is still in the planning stage.


Officials of member countries met last week for the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

For the ASEAN grid, Almendras said Malaysia should first join the project.


“If Malaysia connect that undersea cable [from eastern Malaysia-Borneo to western Malaysia-Kuala Lumpur], then we can participate in the APG,” Almendras said, adding that it is easy to lay undersea cables from Borneo to Palawan.


To date, principles in the APG are already implemented in Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand that are selling electricity to one another. Indonesia, for its part, wants to interconnect with Thailand.


The memorandum of understanding for the APG was signed in 2007 to help ensure greater regional energy security and sustainability on the basis of mutual benefit.


Almendras said the APG will be relevant to countries like Singapore that has no land to accommodate new power plants while Laos and Malaysia record a surplus due to large-scale power generation projects.


The power industry in the Philippines, for its part, has been hampered by lack of investments on the back of government bureaucracy, opposition to power projects and environmental concerns.


Furthermore, Almendras said another big problem arises from regulatory and pricing issues given the subsidized electricity prices for other ASEAN countries.


Meanwhile, the Philippines is also looking to join an interconnected gas pipeline project.


“Indonesia is saying they are going to put up a lot of gas by 2016, so they are also interested in finding ways to sell their gas,” Almendras said.


“We are interested in that discussion because we know that natural gas is the way to go,” Almendras said.-The Philippine Star (July 23, 2012)

WORLD NEWS: At least 90 killed in Syria Saturday — rights group

At least 90 people were killed across Syria on Saturday, as the clock started ticking on a 30-day deadline for violence to abate sufficiently for a troubled UN observer mission to remain in place.


At least 41 civilians were among the dead as clashes rocked both of the country's largest cities, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.


In the capital, 12 civilians were killed, seven of them by sniper fire, the Britain-based watchdog said. Among them were a couple and their son, gunned down in Bab Tuma, a previously quiet Christian neighborhood of the Old City.


Two bodies were also recovered from a home in the Midan district of south Damascus, scene of a major counter-offensive by special forces and elite Republican Guards units against rebel fighters earlier in the week.


The Observatory had few immediate details on casualties from what it said were very fierce clashes between troops and rebels in second city Aleppo. It said one rebel fighter had died of his wounds.


The renewed bloodshed came a day after the Security Council added a "final" 30 days to the mandate of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria, tasked with overseeing a ceasefire that was supposed to have taken effect in April but which has been violated daily.


A resolution passed unanimously late Friday said any further extension would only be considered if UN chief Ban Ki-moon "reports, and the Security Council confirms, the cessation of the use of heavy weapons and a reduction in the level of violence sufficient to allow UNSMIS to implement its mandate."


The vote came a day after 302 people were killed in what the Observatory said was the deadliest day of the more than 16-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.-GMA News (July 22, 2012)

PHL, SKorean coast guards to start joint exercise in Manila

The Philippine and South Korean Coast Guards will start a joint exercise in Manila Monday to enhance their cooperation and coordination in responding to maritime activities.


An announcement posted on the Philippine Coast Guard website said the Joint Operations Exercise will be held on July 23 to 28.


It said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Anti-Terrorist Unit (CGATU) and the Korean Coast Guard (KCG) Special Sea Attack Team (SSAT) will take part in the exercise.


"The exercise is a result of the KCG-PCG Bilateral Meeting conducted last 25-26 May 2012 in Seoul, South Korea which aims to enhance the interoperability of the two countries in terms of maritime activities," it said.


Heading the 10-member KCG-SSAT will be Senior Superintendent Yoon Tai Yeon, the Deputy Director of KCG Counter Terrorism Unit.-GMA News (July 22, 2012)

Malaysia to evacuate its nationals from Syria

KUALA LUMPUR — Prime Minister Najib Razak said Malaysia will immediately evacuate its nationals from strife-torn Syria and shut its mission there in response to the worsening security situation.


Foreign Minister Anifah Aman had sought Najib's approval to evacuate Malaysians as violence escalated across Syria.


"In this regard, I feel our embassy in Syria ought to be closed immediately following the latest developments there," the prime minister was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency late Saturday.


There are about 140 Malaysians in Syria, mainly students, expatriates and five diplomats including the ambassador, who is to return home.


Heavy clashes raged between Syrian troops and rebels on Saturday, with at least 90 people killed nationwide amid a surge in fighting between the army and anti-government rebels.


More than 17,000 people have died since the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in March last year, according to Red Cross officials. -GMA News (July 22, 2012)

China to deploy new military garrison in West Philippine Sea

The People’s Liberation Army, China’s central military authority, has approved the  deployment of a military garrison in the newly declared Sansha City in the sparsely populaterd West Philippine Sea, said a report posted on China’s Ministry of National Defense website.


China's announcement is just the latest in a series of recent actions that have expanded its physical presence in the vast disputed waters and defied condemnation around the region.

The report said that the military garrison will be “responsible for managing the city’s national defense mobilization, military reserves and military operations.”

The Chinese defense ministry likewise said that military troops to be sent to the newly established garrison will be under the dual leadership of Hainan province’s military sub-command and Sansha City’s civilian leaders.


China had envisioned Sansha City as administering the West Philippine Sea including the Spratly Islands.

The announcement came despite a diplomatic protest lodged by the Philippines against China over the establishment of Sansha City. 

The Philippine protest said that “the extent of the jurisdiction of the city violates Philippine territorial sovereignty over the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc and infringes on Philippine sovereign rights over the waters and continental shelf of the West Philippine Sea.”

Aside from the Spratly Islands, Sansha City—which was established by the Chinese Cabinet last June 21—also claims political sovereignty over the Paracel Islands and Macclesfield Bank.

Portions of these territories are also being claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Kalayaan

On Wednesday, Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr. said Filipinos have been settled in the islands since 1978, whereas China is forming the government of its Sansha City there only now. Kalayaan town, by Chinese reckoning, falls under Sansha's jurisdiction.

"Yung ating local government matagal na, 34 years na. Ako ay Filipino citizen, ang Kalayaan ay part ng Pilipinas, so sa Pilipinas tayo nagre-report," Bito-onon said in an interview on dzBB radio.

He said he is supposed to administer some 95 islands, shoals, reefs and atolls but some areas there have already been occupied by Vietnam, China and Malaysia.

Of the 95 islands, he said only 41 are occupied.

But Bito-onon said he hopes the Philippines and China can come to an "agreement on cooperation and co-existence."

He said that Kalayaan town, a fifth-class municipality, has only one village – Barangay Pag-asa. It has a population of "250-plus," he added.

"(We are) the smallest town in the Philippines," he said.

But he also admitted there is virtually no government office there, although the residents in the town are all Filipinos. He said they are developing fisheries and tourism.

He also said that while some Chinese fishing vessels would stop by the area, they would only ask for water and then leave.

Chinese infrastructure

A separate Reuters report meanwhile said that China is also planning to build structures such as buoy tenders, supply bases, light stations and radio stations in Sansha City.

"We are also planning to cruise regularly in Sansha in the future and set up a daily cruising mechanism when conditions are ready in order to safeguard China's sovereignty and maritime interests," Zhang Wei, head of the ship supervision division of China’s Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, said in the report.

Last week, China also began setting up an organizing committee for the legislative body of Sansha, the beginnings of the city’s government.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei, however, had earlier said that China will cooperate in the “peaceful resolution of disputes” in the West Philippine Sea.

“The Chinese side is willing to work together with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea comprehensively and effectively,” the official said in a report posted on the Chinese government’s official web portal.-Interaksyon (July 22, 2012 9:06PM)

Vietnam activists hold another anti-China rally

HANOI - About 200 protesters brought parts of central Hanoi to a brief halt on Sunday in the third rally this month against Beijing's perceived territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea.


Demonstrators shouting "Down with China's aggression!" brought traffic around Hoan Kiem Lake in the center of the Vietnamese capital to a standstill as they marched towards the Chinese embassy.


They were prevented from getting close to the mission building by security forces -- who broke up similar rallies last year -- but no arrests were made, according to witnesses.


The protests come at a time of rising regional tensions over the South China Sea, which is believed to contain vast oil and gas deposits and is the subject of a web of competing claims between Beijing and its neighbours.


On Friday, Southeast Asian nations vowed to work towards a "code of conduct" in the disputed waters, a week after divisions over the territorial issues marred a regional ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh.


Vietnam and the Philippines have recently accused Beijing of increasingly aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.


Hanoi and Beijing have a long-standing territorial dispute over the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which both countries claim, and frequently trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration and fishing rights.

Relations between the pair have soured recently, with Vietnam attracting China's ire last month after it adopted a law that places the Spratlys under Hanoi's sovereignty.


China's state-backed China National Offshore Oil Corp. also said it was seeking bids for exploration of oil blocks in disputed waters -- a move slammed by Vietnam.


Protests are rare in authoritarian Vietnam.


Anti-China rallies last year were allowed to go ahead without interference initially, but authorities later clamped down, briefly detaining dozens of people after talks between Hanoi and Beijing.


China says it has sovereign rights to the whole South China Sea, which also has major international shipping routes. The sea is also subject to overlapping claims by Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.-Interaksyon (July 22, 2012 6:45PM)

China steps up fight vs Tibetan separatism

BEIJING - China's propaganda chief has ordered officials to intensify the fight against separatism in Tibet, a report said Sunday, following a series of self-immolations in protest at Beijing's rule.


Li Changchun, ranked fifth in the hierarchy of the ruling Communist Party, called for the campaign during an inspection tour of Lhasa, where he visited the Jokhang Temple, the center of Tibetan Buddhism, the People's Daily reported.


"The lifeblood of Tibet rests in ethnic unity, social harmony and stability," the paper quoted Li as saying during his visit to the Himalayan region last week.


"We must guide officials and the people to continually strengthen their understanding of the great (Chinese) motherland and people and deepen and expand the fight against separatism."


Li, China's top propaganda official, also urged an education campaign to "underscore the historic fact that Tibet is an inseparable part of China", and which should form "the ideological basis for the fight against separatism and the maintenance of stability".


During his trip, Li also visited the Potala Palace, once the home to the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's highest spiritual leader who fled Tibet following a failed uprising in 1959.


Li's comments come after a teenage Tibetan Buddhist monk self-immolated in a Tibetan-inhabited region of neighboring southwest China last week, the 42nd Tibetan to set fire to themselves in recent months.


The 18-year old monk, identified as Lobsang Lozin, set himself alight in Bharkham county in Sichuan province, which borders Tibet, as he marched towards a government office, the India-based Central Tibetan Administration said in a statement.


The monk died on the spot, the statement said.


Tibetans have long chafed under China's rule over the vast Himalayan plateau, saying that Beijing has curbed religious freedoms and their culture is being eroded by an influx of Han Chinese, the country's main ethnic group.


Beijing, however, says Tibetans enjoy religious freedom and have benefited from improved living standards brought on by China's economic expansion.


On May 27 two men set themselves on fire in front of the Jokhang Temple, the renowned center for Buddhist pilgrimage, in the first such incident to occur in Lhasa.


Lhasa was the scene of violent anti-Chinese government protests in 2008, which later spread to other areas inhabited by Tibetans, and authorities have kept the city under tight security ever since.-Interaksyon (July 22, 2012 5:08PM)

WORLD: Taiwan to get new powerful rocket system: report

TAIPEI - Taiwan is scheduled to take delivery next month of a powerful multiple-launch rocket system aimed at neutralizing former rival China's amphibious landing capabilities, local media reported Sunday.


The weapon, called Ray Ting 2000 or "Thunder 2000", will be put into service in August, said the Taipei-based Liberty Times, as the military plans to phase out the current rocket system introduced three decades ago.


"After it is armed with the new weapons, the military will see its anti-landing capability be greatly enhanced," said an unnamed military source quoted by the newspaper.


Taiwan defense ministry officials were unavailable for comment on the report.


The multi-barrel system, developed by military research unit Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology, can launch 40 rockets in a minute with a range of 45 kilometres (28 miles), said military experts cited by the report.


That longer-range capability can neutralize amphibious craft before they reach the shore, they added.


The truck-mounted launchers can be combat ready in eight minutes, less than half the time the current system needs to position itself, the report said.


The ministry plans to produce more than 50 systems at a cost of 14.5 billion Taiwan dollars (US$483 million), local media has reported.


Ties between Beijing and Taipei have improved markedly since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party became president in 2008 on a platform of beefing-up trade and tourism links.


Ma was reelected in January for a second four-year term.


But China still considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to take it back even if it means war.


The island has governed itself for more than six decades since splitting from the mainland in 1949 at the end of a civil war, and has sought to modernize its forces to ward off external threats.-Interaksyon (July 22, 2012 4:17PM)

Property boom transforming Philippine skylines

MANILA - As a Philippine property boom gathers pace, even Paris Hilton, Donald Trump, and high-fashion house Versace are getting a piece of the action. The good times are into their fourth year, fuelled by steady economic growth, Western firms offshoring jobs to the Philippines, the buying power of millions of Filipinos working abroad and low interest rates.

"It just so happens that today the stars are aligned... we have never seen the economy this bullish," said Antonino Aquino, president of Ayala Land, one of the country's biggest property developers.


Ayala Land is one of the main players in what industry figures describe as an unprecedented construction boom that is transforming the skyline of the nation's capital, as well as many provincial cities.


In Manila, formerly sleepy pockets such as the Fort army base and the rundown Eastwood industrial zone have become chic, new business districts, catering mainly for the fast-growing outsourcing sector.

At the Fort, Ayala Land this year broke ground on its $714-million One Bonifacio High Street project, which when completed in 2017 will host the Philippine Stock Exchange, a Shangri-La hotel, and retail outlets.


The project also has a 63-story residential tower, with 298 suites ranging from $500,000-$1.9 million that sold out last month in 96 hours, according to the company.


Across the country, more than 850,000 square meters (9.1 million square feet) of office space and 14,000 residential units will enter the market this year, property consultants CBRE Philippines said in a report.


It said many of the residential units catered for a growing middle-class on the fringes of Manila and other urban centres.

The building boom has also spread to hotels, shopping malls, and casinos, triggering hopes of a long-anticipated take-off of the underdeveloped tourism industry.


Three of the world's biggest gaming industry leaders are building a $4-billion, 100-hectare (247-acre) Entertainment City complex of casinos on Manila Bay. The first of the casinos are set to open early next year.


Meanwhile, Trump, the New York mogul, has put his name to a $150-million, 56-story, curtain-glass-walled Trump Tower that broke ground in the financial district this year.


"High-end buyers look for key differentiated features," said Robbie Antonio, managing director of Century Properties that is behind the Trump Tower development.


He said 70 percent of the 220 residential units, which are worth up to $1.86 million each, have been sold.


The firm is putting up a nearby tower designed by the Versace fashion house -- the first of its kind in Asia -- featuring individual wading pools as well as its iconic Medusa-head brand imprinted on lamp shades and cutlery.


Century also flew in socialite and hotel heiress Hilton to Manila last year to help design and promote a suburban Manila residential project that features a man-made beach.


Industry players say the property boom reflects the overall status of the nation's economy as it picks up steam after decades of underperforming compared with many of its Asian neighbors.


The economy grew 6.4 percent in the first quarter, the stock market has surged 20 percent this year to hit all-time highs, and the country's credit rating has been bumped up to just a step below investment grade.


The central bank's benchmark interest rates are also at historic lows -- 4.0 percent for the benchmark borrowing rate -- ensuring large piles of cheap cash for property development.


Aside from the macro economic picture, real estate analysts point to the outsourcing phenomenon as one of the key drivers of the property boom.


From virtually nothing a decade ago, outsourcing now employs more than 600,000 people and is worth $11 billion annually, according to the main industry association which is forecasting 15 percent growth in the years ahead.


Many of the skyscrapers are being built to cater for the outsourcing workforce, which performs a myriad of tasks from call centre duties to designing architectural plans for foreign firms.


Meanwhile, roughly nine million Filipinos who work overseas are sending large chunks of the $22 billion they earn -- equal to 10 percent of the nation's gross domestic product -- back home, often investing in real estate.


The frenetic building pace has some quarters anxious over a potential property bubble, with the global economic woes adding to concerns.


But Rick Santos, CBRE Philippines chief executive, remains bullish, in large part because of the expected continued growth in the outsourcing sector.


"As economies in the West tighten, global companies will see it in their interest to outsource their non-core functions to save on costs, " Santos told an industry briefing recently.


Ayala Land's Aquino also said local market had not seen the price bubbles that preceded crashes in other countries, where property values suddenly doubled or tripled.


"The price increases have been very close to or a little more than the inflation rate," Aquino said.


Trump Tower developer Antonio added: "We are confident that there's still a demand that has to be met."-Interaksyon (July 22, 2012)

China vows to implement sea ‘code of conduct’ with ASEAN

China has pledged to “work together” with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in implementing a legally binding “code of conduct” aimed at thwarting any major armed conflict in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said maritime conflicts should be resolved in accordance with historical facts and all international laws including the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The Chinese side is willing to work together with the ASEAN members to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) comprehensively and effectively,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted by Xinhua, China’s news agency, as saying.

This came after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations belatedly agreed Friday on a common statement on how to handle conflicting territorial claims in the West Philippines Sea.

The new statement calls in general terms for implementation of ASEAN-promoted principles for peaceful resolution of maritime disputes, including avoiding use of force, resolving the conflicts in accordance with international laws, and an early signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

Hong said as a signatory to the UNCLOS, China attached importance to safeguarding the principles and mission of the Convention.

Hong said UNCLOS sought to establish a legal order for the seas and oceans “with due regard for the sovereignty of all States,” and it neither served as an international treaty to address disputes over territorial sovereignty between states nor as evidence used to judge over the disputes.

The countries concerned should address the disputes over the maritime demarcation in the South China Sea, after the land disputes have been resolved, in accordance with historical facts and all international laws including UNCLOS, he added.

“China attaches importance to its ties with the ASEAN,” Hong said, adding the country is committed to promoting friendly neighborhood and reciprocal cooperation with the ASEAN to push ahead with the cooperation in East Asia with joint efforts.

The spokesman said China and ASEAN shared common interests and responsibilities in keeping Asia’s development and maintaining regional peace and stability against the backdrop of the ongoing international financial crisis.

“The two sides should continue to promote their strategic communication in pursuit of a reciprocal and win-win situation, with mutual respect and trust in mind as well as handle the relationship between the two sides from strategic and long-term perspective,” he added.

Various longstanding disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei straddle busy sea lanes that are believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits. Many fear the disputes could spark a violent conflict.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the resource-rich sea, which is home to vital shipping lanes, but Asean members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims in the area.

The six-point agreement, which does not give details about specific incidents, follows intense diplomatic efforts by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who visited Hanoi and Manila on Wednesday followed by Phnom Penh.

Divisions over the territorial disputes with Beijing earlier prevented ASEAN from issuing its customary joint statement at the conclusion of a meeting in Phnom Penh on July 13, an unprecedented occurrence in the bloc’s 45-year history. -Philippine Daily Inquirer (July 21, 2012 9:16PM)

WORLD: UN chief blasts Syria for not protecting civilians

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Saturday that Syrian authorities have "manifestly failed" to protect civilians and called on the international community to act to stop the violence.


"The Syrian government has manifestly failed to protect civilians and the international community has a collective responsibility to live up to the UN charter and act on its principles," Ban said during a visit to Croatia's Brijuni Island as part of a week-long Balkans tour.


Ban added that he was "deeply distressed by the rising death toll and the number of people forced to flee their homes" as heavy clashes between troops and rebels raged in Syria's second city Aleppo Saturday, according to activists.


The capital Damascus was calm after a day of fierce fighting.


Ban praised the United Nations' Security Council vote a day earlier to allow a "final" 30-day mandate extension to the troubled UNSMIS observer mission charged with overseeing a peace plan for Syria.


"The unanimous vote (Friday) on resolution 2059 is a constructive sign. Now the council must redouble efforts to forge the united way forward and exercise collective responsibility under the charter of the UN," he stressed.


The UN secretary general also called on the parties in Syria, government and opposition forces alike, "to stop armed violence without any conditions".


"The extension of the UNSMIS mandate for only 30 days is a strong signal that the onus is above all on the parties, with the Syrian government in the first place who must stop the killings and the use of heavy weapons against population centres," Ban said.-Interaksyon (July 21, 2012 9:05PM)

Malaysia FM makes sudden visit to Manila to discuss ASEAN's common position on sea disputes

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman made a sudden trip to Manila Friday to meet and discuss with his Philippine counterpart, Albert del Rosario, a "disagreement" within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) over the handling of territorial disputes with China.


The visit by Aman, who met Del Rosario at the Department of Foreign Affairs at around 7 a.m., was the latest in the flurry of sudden trips by top diplomats concerned by the ASEAN rift and wanted to seek a quick resolution.


A DFA statement said Del Rosario and Aman discussed “issues of common concern, among which was the statement on ASEAN’s six-point principles on the South China Sea.”


At the meeting, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said Malaysia “has agreed to the six-point principles that has already been discussed between the Philippines and Indonesia” two days ago.


Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa flew to Manila on Wednesday and met Del Rosario to seek his support for the adoption by ASEAN of the six principles to mend the differences and foster the regional bloc’s unity.


Natalegawa proposed that ASEAN agree on the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea or DOC; support for the guidelines of the DOC; need for early conclusion of regional code of conduct on the South China Sea; principle of full respect for universally-recognized principles of international laws, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; continued exercise of self-restraint and non-use of force; and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.


Manila, which has long been advocating the same principles, backed Natalegawa’s proposal, which will reportedly be issued as a joint statement by the ASEAN.
Hernandez did not say if there is already a consensus for a unified statement outlining the six principles.


“We hope to hear from Indonesia as soon as possible,” he said. “We have to wait for the announcement of the foreign minister and I heard it will be before the weekend.”


Last week, Cambodia, this year’s host of the ASEAN’s rotating chairmanship and a known Chinese ally, did not issue a joint communiqué when its Foreign Minister, Hor Namhong, blocked any mention of the Philippines’ territorial row with China in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, on April 10.


The non-issuance of the communiqué, a traditional statement issued at the end of ASEAN meetings, was unprecedented in the 45-year-history of the ASEAN, which also includes Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.


Territorial disputes involving four ASEAN members –- the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei -- and China and Taiwan over the resource-rich waters, also known as West Philippine Sea, has divided the ASEAN.


While some members like the Philippines and Vietnam are aligned with the United States and other Western countries calling for a rules-based and multilateral approach in solving the disputes, other members aligned with China like Cambodia and Laos toe Beijing’s line either by not openly backing a multilateral approach or opposing it outright.


The Philippines and Vietnam, two claimants that recently had the most number of confrontations with China over the West Philippine Sea, have accused Beijing of becoming increasingly aggressive in asserting its claims.


Overlapping claims to the contested waters, islands and reefs, where undersea gas deposits have been discovered in several areas, is feared to be Asia's next flashpoint for war. - Philippines News Agency (July 20, 2012)

Singaporean drug courier nabbed at NAIA

A Singaporean man has been arrested for attempting to smuggle about 3.6 kilos of shabu into the country, authorities said.


The suspect was identified as Danny Boon, 34. Boon boarded a Thai Airlines flight TG 624 from Bangkok to Manila.


He was arrested at the Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).


However, Bangkok Airport authorities already informed the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency about the questionable substance the airport security x-ray found on his checked-in luggage.


When arrested, police found some 3.6 kilos of shabu in his luggage. He admitted it was not his first time to visit the Philippines.


A follow-up operation also resulted to the arrest of a Nepalese woman who was supposed to pick up the illegal drugs from him in a hotel in Malate, Manila.


Authorities withheld the name of the Nepalese pending further follow-up operation for the possible arrest of other suspects. -Black Pearl Media (July 21, 2012 3:49PM)