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Biggest-ever Asian Games ready for liftoff in China after Covid delay
The biggest Asian Games in history, boasting about 12,000 competitors -- more than the Olympics -- will open on Saturday in the Chinese city of Hangzhou after a year's delay because of Covid. Athletes including world and Olympic champions will fight for medals in 40 sports from athletics, swimming and football to eSports and bridge. Nine sports, among them boxing, break dancing and tennis, will serve as qualifiers for next year's Paris Olympics. The Games were supposed to take place last September but were postponed because of China's strict zero-Covid rules, before China's ruling Communist Party abruptly abandoned the policy. The 19th edition of the Games, which were first held in New Delhi in 1951, throws together competitors from 45 countries and territories across Asia and the Middle East. For China, which hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics in a Covid-secure "bubble" in Beijing, it is a chance to show off its organizational, sporting and technological prowess after the pandemic years cut the country off from the sporting world. "We have overcome a lot of challenges but we are now fully conditioned to hold a successful Games," Chen Weiqiang, chief spokesperson for the Games, said on Wednesday. Sport meets politics The Games will be staged at 54 venues -- 14 newly constructed -- mostly in Hangzhou but also extending to cities as far afield as Wenzhou, 300 kilometres (180 miles) south. The centerpiece is the "Big Lotus" Olympic stadium with a capacity of up to 80,000 where athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies will be staged. President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony and meet Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad there, along with other visiting leaders, Chinese state media says. Assad is making his first visit to ally China since the war erupted in Syria in 2011. Russian President Vladimir Putin likewise attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, along with Xi, and weeks later launched the invasion of Ukraine. Hangzhou, a city of 12 million people an hour's bullet train from Shanghai, is famed in China for its ancient temples, gardens and its beloved West Lake. It is also the unofficial home of China's tech industry, notably the birth place of Jack Ma's Alibaba. The Games will showcase some of the latest tech to come out of the city, including driverless buses, robot dogs and facial recognition. China medal dash Hosts China have topped the medals table at every Asian Games since 1982 and are expected to do so again by the time the curtain comes down on October 8. They should reign in swimming, with Qin Haiyang fresh from his heroics at the world championships, where he announced himself as the new undisputed breaststroke king. The 24-year-old swept all three men's events and set a new world record in the 200m. In athletics, another of the most closely watched sports, India's Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra will defend his Asian Games javelin crown. His nearest competitor should be world silver medalist Arshad Nadeem from arch-rivals Pakistan and the countries are also on a collision course in cricket and hockey. ESports, in what is seen as a step toward Olympic inclusion one day, will make its full Asian Games debut having been a demonstration sport five years ago. Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as "Faker", has god-like status in League of Legends and will lead the South Korean charge at the futuristic-looking China Hangzhou Esports Centre. There is an added incentive which has caused controversy in South Korea -- winning gold will exempt them from having to do military service. A feature of the Asian Games is that it includes sports that are a little more quirky than the Olympics. Xiangqi -- also known as "Chinese chess" -- the card game bridge and the ancient wrestling discipline of kurash are all on the menu. Although the Games officially open on Saturday, the sporting action began on Tuesday, when North Korea returned to major international competition for the first time since the pandemic with a 2-0 win over Taiwan in men's football. The post Biggest-ever Asian Games ready for liftoff in China after Covid delay appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UK sustainability, digitization ally
The United Kingdom is the country’s partner in the promotion of sustainability and digitization, according to Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual. At the 3rd ASEAN Economic Ministers-United Kingdom Consultations on 20 August in Semarang, Indonesia, Pascual acknowledged the vital role of the British government in advancing regional economic integration, particularly in the areas of sustainability and digitalization. He said this includes new cooperation initiatives of the UK on the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility, which aims to increase access to finance for green infrastructure, and the British International Investment, which plans to open satellite offices in the region, including in the Philippines. Pascual also expressed appreciation to ASEAN and UK officials for the progress made in the implementation of the initiatives outlined under the Joint Ministerial Declaration on Future Economic Cooperation. Initiatives expanded Pascual also called on ASEAN and UK officials to consider expanding initiatives to support the region’s digital transformation agenda, particularly the intended ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement. “As the Philippines targets to transition into a green economy, a partnership with the UK will be integral in advancing sustainable and digitalized processes,” the DTI said in a Facebook post. Also, the UK Government is eyeing to establish a Joint Trade and Economic Committee or JETCO with the Philippines to improve partnerships in terms of trade. With this, Pascual welcomed UK’s interest to strike an agreement with the Philippines to form a committee that would boost both countries’ trade and economy. “This will serve as a platform to enhance economic relations, promote more trade and investments, and address related issues,” according to Pascual. The UK established JETCO with different countries to address trade barriers and improve the flow of trade in goods and services. In Southeast Asia, the UK has JETCO with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The post UK sustainability, digitization ally appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden salutes ‘new era’ of united Japan, S.Korea in face of China
US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea said Friday they saw a "new chapter" of close three-way security cooperation as the Asian allies joined a first-of-a-kind summit that has already rattled China. Going tieless at the bucolic Camp David presidential retreat, Biden praised the "political courage" of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in turning the page on historical animosity. "Your leadership, with the full support of the United States, has brought us here because each of you understands that our world stands at an inflection point," Biden told a joint news conference in the wooded hills outside Washington. Biden insisted the summit was not about China, which has been flexing its muscle both at home and in Asia under President Xi Jinping, including with major exercises around self-ruling Taiwan. But in a joint statement, the three leaders said they opposed the "dangerous and aggressive behavior" of China in maritime disputes in the East and South China Sea. "We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific," it said. The two US allies largely see eye to eye on the world -- and together are the base for some 84,500 US troops -- but such a summit would have been unthinkable until recently due to the legacy of Japan's harsh 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula. But Yoon, taking political risks at home, has turned the page by resolving a dispute over wartime forced labor, and is now calling Japan a partner at a time of high tensions with both China and North Korea. Yoon said he hoped to be "forward-looking" and called the summit a "historic day" in bringing a "firm institutional basis" to the three nations' joint relationship. The three leaders also agreed to a multi-year plan of regular exercises in all domains, going beyond one-off drills in response to North Korea, and made a formal "commitment to consult" during crises, with Biden saying they would open a hotline. The leaders also agreed to share real-time data on North Korea and to hold summits every year. Camp David marks the first time the three countries' leaders have met for a standalone summit, not on the sidelines of a larger event, and is the first diplomatic event since 2015 at the resort, which is synonymous with Middle East peacemaking. 'You can never become a Westerner' Even if Biden said the summit did not target China, Rahm Emanuel, the blunt-speaking US ambassador to Japan, took another tone when he previewed the meeting, saying the three nations were defying China with the United States showing, "We are the rising power; they are declining." Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the two economically developed Northeast Asian democracies instead to work with Beijing to "revitalize East Asia." "No matter how blond you dye your hair or how sharp you shape your nose, you can never become a European or American, you can never become a Westerner," he said in a video shared on official media. "We must know where our roots lie," he said. But China's pressure tactics have led to a sharp deterioration in its favorability in Japan and South Korea, which have traditionally been more discreet than the United States in their comments. Tensions have also risen with North Korea, which has launched a volley of missiles in recent months and is feared to respond to the summit with new action. The leaders' joint statement renewed a call on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and urged all nations to enforce sanctions. As the Camp David summit opened, North Korea said it had scrambled jets in response to what it called a US spy plane's incursion. Global allies The summit also set its focus beyond North Korea and even Asia. Tokyo and Seoul have offered a major boost to Ukraine as major non-Western powers joining pressure against Russia's invasion. Kishida said greater cooperation with South Korea was "almost inevitable" in light of the "crisis" in the world order. "Due to Russia's aggression of Ukraine, the international order is shaken from its foundation. The unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas are continuing and the nuclear and missile threats of North Korea are only becoming even greater," Kishida said. The summit aims to institutionalize three-way cooperation to make it difficult for any reversal by a future leader -- a South Korean president who again seizes on hostility with Japan or, potentially, a return of Donald Trump, who has disparaged US troop commitments overseas as wasteful. To the surprise of many observers, Yoon's embrace of Japan has drawn relatively muted protests at home. Yoon, a conservative, has quickly become a close US ally, with Biden welcoming him for a rare state visit in which the South Korean leader regaled the audience by singing "American Pie." But Yoon is constitutionally prohibited from serving more than a single term, which ends in 2027. The post Biden salutes ‘new era’ of united Japan, S.Korea in face of China appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden salutes ‘new era’ of united Japan, S. Korea in face of China
US President Joe Biden on Friday hailed a "new era" of unity with the leaders of South Korea and Japan as the allies unveiled new three-way security cooperation at a first-of-a-kind summit that has already rattled China. Going tieless in the Camp David presidential retreat, Biden praised the "political courage" of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in turning the page on historical animosity. "Our countries are stronger -- and the world will be safer -- as we stand together. I know that's a belief that we all three share," he told them as he opened the talks in the mountains west of Washington. Biden said the three would pursue "this new era of cooperation and renew our resolve to serve as a force of good across the Indo-Pacific and, quite frankly, around the world." The two treaty-bound US allies largely see eye to eye on the world -- and together are the base for some 84,500 US troops -- but such a summit would have been unthinkable until recently due to the legacy of Japan's harsh 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula. But Yoon, taking political risks at home, has turned the page by resolving a dispute over wartime forced labor, and now calling Japan a partner at a time of high tensions with both China and North Korea. "Today will be remembered as a historic day, where we established a firm institutional basis and commitments to the trilateral partnership," Yoon said. The three leaders will agree to a multi-year plan of regular exercises in all domains, going beyond one-off drills in response to North Korea, and will announce a "commitment to consult" during crises, said Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security advisor. The leaders will also agree to share real-time data on North Korea and to hold summits every year, officials said. Camp David marks the first time the three countries' leaders have met for a standalone summit, not on the sidelines of a larger event, and is the first diplomatic event since 2015 at the resort, which is synonymous with Middle East peacemaking. You can never become Westerner Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security advisor, said the summit would have an "affirmative vision" on how the countries can deliver together and was "not taking aim at a country." But Rahm Emanuel, the blunt-speaking US ambassador to Japan, took another tone when he previewed the summit, saying that the three powers "created something that is exactly what China was hoping would never happen." For Emanuel, the former congressman turned ambassador, China should understand one thing: "We are the rising power; they are declining." China has flexed its muscle both at home and in Asia under President Xi Jinping, exerting disputed maritime claims and carrying out major exercises near Taiwan, the self-ruling democracy claimed by Beijing. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the two economically developed Northeast Asian democracies instead to work with Beijing to "revitalize East Asia." "No matter how blond you dye your hair or how sharp you shape your nose, you can never become a European or American, you can never become a Westerner," he said in a video shared on official media. "We must know where our roots lie," he said. But China's pressure tactics have led to a sharp deterioration in its favorability in Japan and South Korea, which have traditionally been more discreet than the United States in their comments. Tensions have also risen with North Korea, which has launched a volley of missiles in recent months and is feared to respond with new action in response to the summit. As the Camp David summit opened, North Korea said it had scrambled jets in response to what it called a US spy plane's incursion. Global allies But the summit hopes to move beyond a focus on North Korea or even just Asia. Tokyo and Seoul have offered a major boost to Ukraine as major non-Western powers join pressure against Russia's invasion. The summit aims to institutionalize three-way cooperation to make it difficult for any reversal by a future leader -- a South Korean president who again seizes on hostility with Japan or, potentially, a return of Donald Trump, who has disparaged US troop commitments overseas as wasteful. To the surprise of many observers, Yoon's embrace of Japan has drawn relatively muted protests at home. Both Japanese and South Koreans feel that there are "a number of fundamentally aligned values and interests that should bring them together," said Mira Rapp-Hooper, senior director for East Asia and Oceania on the National Security Council. Yoon, a conservative, has quickly become a close US ally, with Biden welcoming him for a rare state visit in which the South Korean leader regaled the audience by singing "American Pie." But Yoon is constitutionally prohibited from serving more than a single term, which ends in 2027. The post Biden salutes ‘new era’ of united Japan, S. Korea in face of China appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl-Vietnam initiate talks on agreement re South China Sea
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said both the Philippines and Vietnam had already initiated talks on an agreement regarding territorial claims in the South China Sea. Speaking to outgoing Vietnam Ambassador to the Philippines Hoang Huy Chung in a farewell call, Marcos underscored the importance of maritime cooperation between the two countries. He also expressed hope that such an accord could bring some stability to the region. "Now that we are going to start discussions on the agreement that we have between the Philippines and Vietnam, I think it is a very, very important – it will be a very, very important part of our relationship and it will bring an element of stability to the problems that we are seeing now in the South China Sea," the President said. President Marcos said the agreement "will be a very big step" between the Philippines and Vietnam. For his part, Chung said he wanted to stay longer to build up stronger and closer relations with the Philippine government as he emphasized that the country considered Vietnam as one of its strategic partners. The ambassador said Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong extended his gratitude to President Marcos and the Philippine government for working closely with them, especially on their common interest in the West Philippine Sea and the prevention of further incidents in the Philippine waters. Chung also expressed his endorsement of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea framework for resolving maritime conflicts in the South China Sea, an area where Vietnam also asserts its ownership of certain disputed areas. He acknowledged the imperative of safeguarding the unhindered movement of vessels and aircraft in the disputed sea route, a conduit through which more than a trillion dollars' worth of trade traverses annually. "And President, Vietnam, we have every respect for your thought that you are a friend to all, none enemy," Chung told President Marcos. Marcos then thanked Vietnam's longstanding positive rapport with the Philippines, a connection that has persisted since the era of his late father, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Sr. Marcos affirmed that the sentiments have endured, with the Philippines consistently maintaining a kind and empathetic role as a neighboring ally in Asia, particularly concerning agricultural, diplomatic, security, and defense matters. The post Phl-Vietnam initiate talks on agreement re South China Sea appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden, Modi sending China message
US President Joe Biden has embraced Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he has few other world leaders, because he is laser-focused on opposing China, putting aside any worries about the Hindu nationalist’s authoritarian tendencies. With two dinners — one formal and the other more casual — a meeting with leading CEOs, and a long list of concrete commitments, including agreements on US engines for India’s new domestic fighter-jets and a sizable semiconductor factory, Biden gave Modi the full pomp of a state visit. Biden is “trying to tell the world that America is back. We’ve got partners and allies and we’ve got India on our side of the ledger,” said Aparna Pande, a South Asia expert at the Hudson Institute. Biden hopes to “send a message to China — you have your people and I have my people and India is among mine,” she said. The joint statement for Modi’s visit, according to former State Department official Tamanna Salikuddin, was “remarkable” in its scope and included defense deliverables on par with what the US would give a NATO or other treaty ally. “The depth and breadth of what we’re committing to with India is really putting them in a totally different basket. And I think that is what Modi wanted,” said Salikuddin, now director of South Asia programs at the US Institute of Peace. Despite renewed efforts to defuse tensions, the Biden administration views China as the most significant long-term rival to the United States. Both Biden and Modi publicly downplayed the significance of China, but in his speech to the US Congress, where he supported a “free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” Modi made a clear allusion, drawing approving nods from lawmakers. The world’s most populous nation, India, which has a rapidly expanding economy, has a protracted territorial dispute with China that is widely viewed negatively in India. The post Biden, Modi sending China message appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Blinken on rare Beijing visit in bid to lower temperature
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday began the highest-level trip by a US official to China in nearly five years as the two powers looked to notch down the temperature in an escalating rivalry. Both sides have voiced guarded hope of improving communication and preventing conflict, with the world's two largest economies at odds on an array of issues from trade to technology and regional security. Officials though have played down hopes of a major breakthrough during Blinken's two days in Beijing. Blinken was originally scheduled to visit in February but abruptly scrapped his plans as the United States protested -- and later shot down -- what it said was a Chinese spy balloon flying over its soil. US President Joe Biden played down the balloon episode as Blinken was heading to China, saying: "I don't think the leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on." "I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional," Biden told reporters Saturday. Biden said he hoped to again meet President Xi Jinping after their lengthy and strikingly cordial meeting in November on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Bali, where they agreed on Blinken's visit. "I'm hoping that, over the next several months, I'll be meeting with Xi again and talking about legitimate differences we have but also how there's areas we can get along," Biden said. The two leaders are likely to attend the next G20 summit, in September in New Delhi, and Xi is invited to travel to San Francisco in November when the United States hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Blinken will see top Chinese officials including over a banquet at the state guesthouse in the ancient Diaoyutai gardens. He has said he would seek to avoid "miscalculations" and to "responsibly manage" relations with the country identified by US policymakers across party lines as the greatest challenge to Washington's global primacy. "Intense competition requires sustained diplomacy to ensure that competition does not veer into confrontation or conflict," Blinken said Friday in Washington. - Array of disputes - The United States and China are at odds over a slew of issues including trade, technology and Taiwan. Beijing has not ruled out seizing Taiwan by force and has conducted military drills twice since August near the self-governing democracy, in response to top US lawmakers' actions. Ahead of Blinken's visit, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the United States needed to "respect China's core concerns" and "give up the illusion of dealing with China 'from a position of strength'". Beijing has been especially irritated by Biden's restrictions on the export of high-end semiconductors to China, with the United States both fearing their military application and eager to prevent the communist state from dominating next-generation technologies. In a rising domestic priority for the United States, Blinken is expected to press China to curb precursor chemicals sent to Latin America to produce fentanyl, the powerful painkiller behind an addiction pandemic that kills tens of thousands of Americans a year. "We're going to discuss this issue directly, and we're going to be looking for steps to reduce the scale of the problem," said a US official traveling with Blinken. Washington has also lashed China over human rights, with Blinken's visit the first by a cabinet member since the United States formally accused Beijing of genocide against the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority. - Keeping allies close - As part of the Biden administration's focus on keeping allies close, Blinken spoke by telephone with his counterparts from both Japan and South Korea during his 20-hour trans-Pacific journey. Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, traveled to Tokyo for separate three-way meetings involving Japan and both South Korea and the Philippines. In recent months the United States has reached deals on troop deployments in southern Japan and the northern Philippines, both strategically close to Taiwan. Blinken before departure also met in Washington with his counterpart from ally Singapore, who voiced hope that the United States would stay as a power but also find ways to coexist with a rising China. Blinken's "trip is essential, but not sufficient", Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said. "There are fundamental differences in outlook, in values. And it takes time for mutual respect and strategic trust to be built in." Blinken is the first top US diplomat to visit Beijing since a stop in 2018 by his predecessor Mike Pompeo, who later championed no-holds-barred confrontation with China in the final years of Donald Trump's presidency. The Biden administration has gone further than Trump in some areas, notably semiconductors, but has remained open to cooperation in limited areas such as climate. Experts say China sees more predictability with Biden than with Trump, who is running for president again next year. Danny Russel, the top diplomat on East Asia during Barack Obama's second term, doubted Blinken's brief trip would resolve fundamental differences. "But his visit may well restart badly needed face-to-face dialogue and send a signal that both countries are moving from angry rhetoric at the press podium to sober discussions behind closed doors." sct/je/leg © Agence France-Presse The post Blinken on rare Beijing visit in bid to lower temperature appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Myanmar confirms deadly air strike as international outcry rises
Myanmar's ruling junta confirmed on Wednesday that it carried out an air strike on a village in which dozens of people were reported killed, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers. The official death toll from the Tuesday morning strike on the remote Kanbalu township in the central Sagaing region remains unclear, with at least 100 fatalities reported by the BBC, The Irrawaddy, and Radio Free Asia. A villager involved in rescue and recovery efforts at Pazi Gyi village -- who asked not to be named to protect his safety -- said body parts had been strewn across the site of the attack, and estimated the death toll to be higher than 120. Following a coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in 2021, the military's crackdown on dissent and armed groups opposed to their rule has left more than 3,200 people dead, according to a local monitoring group. UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was "horrified" by the deadly air strike, whose victims he said included schoolchildren performing dances, with the global body calling for those responsible to be brought to justice. On Wednesday, the villager told AFP it was difficult to identify the dead. "We can not identify anymore who is who among the dead because they all became pieces," he said. The man estimated about 80 bodies had been cremated on Wednesday, with rescuers halting efforts to recover roughly 40 more bodies "because we were afraid of more air strikes". Village strafed Tuesday's strike saw military aircraft strafe Pazi Gyi, where scores of locals had gathered to mark the opening of a local defense force office connected to junta opponents, a witness told AFP. One fighter jet and a helicopter were involved in the attack, a security source told AFP. The junta confirmed Wednesday it had "launched limited air strikes" after receiving a tip-off from locals about the event. It did not say how many were killed but insisted the military had tried to minimize harm to civilians. "We heard that more people were killed because of big explosions from weapons and ammunitions... displayed at the opening event," a junta statement said. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun late on Tuesday said some of the dead were anti-coup fighters in uniform, though "there could be some people with civilian clothes". The spokesman went on to blame mines planted by the People's Defence Force -- coup opponents -- for some of the deaths. Sagaing region -- near the country's second-largest city of Mandalay -- has put up some of the fiercest resistance to the military's rule, with intense fighting raging there for months. The attack came as Myanmar was preparing to mark the Buddhist new year -- Thingyan -- which begins Thursday and traditionally involves public water fights, but celebrations are expected to be muted. International condemnation "As the people of Myanmar celebrate their New Year, the EU is deeply shocked by reports of the latest atrocity committed by the military regime in Sagaing, taking the lives of dozens of innocent civilians," EU foreign affairs spokesperson Nabila Massrali said. France's foreign ministry said in a statement that the "abominable" strike demonstrated "the strategy of indiscriminate violence the Myanmar junta has inflicted on Myanmar's people for more than two years". UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and reiterated his call "for the military to end the campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country", according to a statement from his spokesperson. Washington also denounced the "reprehensible" attack. "We strongly condemn the regime's air strikes and urge the regime to cease the violence," US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet tweeted. Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phil Robertson said the strike was likely to have a chilling effect across Myanmar society. "I think this will cause greater fear amongst the people," he told AFP. "I think in the future, communities will be reluctant to hold a... mass gathering of any sort, recognizing that they could be bombed". According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Myanmar conflict tracker, the military has carried out 689 air and drone strike attacks since the coup. Rights groups have called for the international community to further restrict Myanmar's access to aviation fuel in the wake of the attack. But Bangkok-based security analyst Anthony Davis told AFP that demand was "divorced from reality". "Russia is a firm ally of the junta and one of the world's largest oil exporters. Do we seriously believe Moscow will sit and watch the Myanmar Air Force being slowly grounded for a lack of aviation fuel?" he said. The post Myanmar confirms deadly air strike as international outcry rises appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Myanmar confirms deadly air strike as international outcry mounts
Myanmar's ruling junta has confirmed that it carried out an air strike on a village in which dozens of people were reported killed, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers. UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was "horrified" by the deadly air strike, whose victims he said included schoolchildren performing dances, with the global body calling for those responsible to be brought to justice. The death toll from the Tuesday morning strike on the remote Kanbalu township in the central Sagaing region remains unclear, with at least 50 fatalities and dozens of injuries reported by BBC Burmese, The Irrawaddy and Radio Free Asia, as well as by a witness contacted by AFP. Myanmar's military has cracked down on dissent following a February 2021 coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government, with the ensuing unrest leaving more than 3,200 people dead, according to a local monitoring group. Tuesday's strike saw military aircraft strafe Pazi Gyi village, where scores of locals had gathered to mark the opening of a local defense force office connected to junta opponents, a witness told AFP. One fighter jet and a helicopter were involved in the attack, a security source told AFP. The junta confirmed Wednesday it had "launched limited air strikes" after receiving a tip-off from locals about the event. It did not say how many were killed but insisted the military had tried to minimize harm to civilians. "We heard that more people were killed because of big explosions from weapons and ammunitions... displayed at the opening event," a junta statement said. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun late on Tuesday said some of the dead were anti-coup fighters in uniform, though "there could be some people with civilian clothes". The spokesman went on to blame mines planted by the People's Defence Force -- coup opponents -- for some of the deaths. Sagaing region -- near the country's second-largest city of Mandalay -- has put up some of the fiercest resistance to the military's rule, with intense fighting raging there for months. Buddhist New Year The attack came as Myanmar was preparing to mark the Buddhist new year -- Thingyan -- which begins Thursday and traditionally involves public water fights, but celebrations are expected to be muted. "As the people of Myanmar celebrate their New Year, the EU is deeply shocked by reports of the latest atrocity committed by the military regime in Sagaing, taking the lives of dozens of innocent civilians," EU foreign affairs spokesperson Nabila Massrali said. While not confirming a toll, the UN said several civilians were killed, with Turk accusing Myanmar's military of once again disregarding "clear legal obligations... to protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities". A rescuer connected to a People's Defence Force group told AFP that children were among the dead. After recovering bodies and transporting survivors to safety, he estimated the death toll could be as high as 100. 'Reprehensible' UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and reiterated his call "for the military to end the campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country", according to a statement from his spokesperson. Washington also denounced the "reprehensible" attack. "We strongly condemn the regime's air strikes and urge the regime to cease the violence," US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet tweeted. Human Rights Watch Asia division deputy director Phil Robertson said the strike was likely to have a chilling effect across Myanmar society. "I think this will cause greater fear amongst the people," he told AFP. "I think in the future, communities will be reluctant to hold a... mass gathering of any sort, recognizing that they could be bombed, they could be attacked." According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Myanmar conflict tracker, the military has carried out 689 air and drone strike attacks since the coup. Rights groups have called for the international community to further restrict Myanmar's access to aviation fuel in the wake of the attack. But Bangkok-based security analyst Anthony Davis told AFP that demand was "divorced from reality". "Russia is a firm ally of the junta and one of the world's largest oil exporters. Do we seriously believe Moscow will sit and watch the Myanmar Air Force being slowly grounded for a lack of aviation fuel?" he said. Myanmar's National Unity Government, a shadow body dominated by former lawmakers from ousted civilian leader Suu Kyi's party, called the strike a "heinous act". "We... share the great pain felt by the families affected by this tragedy," it said in a statement. The post Myanmar confirms deadly air strike as international outcry mounts appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US touts its aid to boost AFP modernization plan
“An irreplaceable US ally for seven decades, the Philippines has been at the forefront of preserving the free and open regional order in Southeast Asia and the greater Indo-Pacific region.”.....»»
PH, US tackle China moves
Top Philippine and US diplomats discussed the swarming of Chinese militia vessels in the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed Washington’s defense obligation to its oldest military ally in Asia......»»
Philippines President Duterte delays exit from U.S. military pact
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines, an old American ally in Asia, is changing its view on whether to scrap a key U.S. military pact, as it explores new ways of benefiting from U.S. defense aid w.....»»
After Trump, Southeast Asia Craves Reliable Ally in Biden
A Joe Biden presidency is likely to involve a deeper U.S. engagement with Southeast Asia, some analysts say, offering trade for their pandemic-hit economies and security leverage against regional h.....»»
After Trump, Southeast Asia Craves Reliable Ally in Biden
A Joe Biden presidency is likely to involve a deeper U.S. engagement with Southeast Asia, some analysts say, offering trade for their pandemic-hit economies and security leverage against regional h.....»»
US welcomes longer suspension of VFA termination
The United States welcomed yesterday the suspension of the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement for the second time as it assured its oldest ally in Southeast Asia of its commitment to strengthen mutual security ties......»»
US spy planes: The monkey on our back
Little did the Philippines realize that its longtime and “traditional ally,” the United States of America, had all along been putting the safety of Philippine airlines and lives of Filipinos in peril over the seas of Asia, particularly in the China Sea and the Yellow Sea......»»
‘Hanggang sa muli’: An unforgettable 4 years
It is with a heavy but full heart that I bid farewell to the Philippines, my home for the last four years. As I think back to my November 2016 swearing-in, I recall vividly the immense pride I felt at being appointed US ambassador to our oldest ally in Asia. Coming from Los Angeles, the […] The post ‘Hanggang sa muli’: An unforgettable 4 years appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Hanggang sa muli: An unforgettable four years
It is with a heavy but full heart that I bid farewell to the Philippines, my home for the last four years. As I think back to my November 2016 swearing in, I recall vividly the immense pride I felt at being appointed US Ambassador to our oldest ally in Asia......»»
Inclusion of ESports in 2021 SEA Games gets boost
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) found an ally in the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) which called on its member federations to lobby for the inclusion of esports as a medal sport in next year’s Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games. AESF Director General Sebastian Lau on Wednesday wrote National Electronic Sports Federation of the Philippines (NESFP) President Ramon Suzara about the continental federation’s intense bid for esports’ inclusion in the Vietnam 31st SEA Games set from November 21 to December 2 next year. “I am writing this letter to seek your support in driving our Olympic collaboration agenda for the upcoming 2021 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi,” Lau wrote. “We found out the news that Vietnam has not included esports as one of the official games, and currently it is in a process where the participating counties send an [appealing] letter to the hosting country Vietnam.” Vietnam organizers said they are hosting no more than 36 sports — from an initial of 46 — because their SEA Games budget were cut almost in half because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Esports didn’t survive the cut. The NESFP is the only e-sports association in the country that is recognized and certified by the AESF and the Global Esports Federation. “The AESF would like our federations in Southeast Asia to be united and support the Olympic collaboration agenda,” Lau said. “To further support our unification, we would like to encourage you to advocate the inclusion of e-sports as a medal event at the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi.” “This lobby from the AESF is a welcome development for esports,” Suzara said. “All SEA Games countries have already adopted esports and they would want the sport to be played in Vietnam next year.” E-sports has risen by leaps and bounds that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed for its inclusion as a demonstration sport in Paris 2024. Indonesia has included e-sports as a demonstration sport when it hosted the 18th Asian Games in 2018. The Philippines made esports a medal sport during the 30th SEA Games last December, winning three of the six gold medals at stake. Thailand clinched two golds and Malaysia one, while Vietnam settled for three bronze medals. AESF is recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia and lists 45 member countries, including all 11 countries in the SEA Games Federation. It is based in Hongkong. .....»»
China: PH is ‘straying down a dangerous path’
MANILA, Philippines — China continued to blame the Philippines and its ally, the United States, for the continued tensions in the disputed West Philippine Sea. In a statement on Thursday, Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian warned that the Philippines is going down a dangerous path. READ: No letup in Chinese water cannon attacks.....»»