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INTERNATIONAL THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 Japan seeks to sell sub-hunting jet to UK TOKYO: Japan is asking Britain to buy its P-1 subma- to India. A P-1 sale to Britain would be Japan’s first Kawasaki Heavy. “In general it is a matter of national Boeing P-8, already built and operated by the United rine-hunting jet in a deal that could top $1 billion, a major military deal outside the Asia-Pacific region. Abe policy, so if there is a decision that results in an order, States, the closest ally to both Britain and Japan, the major step in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to arms wants Japan’s defence suppliers to move into the glob- we will follow that.” Britain’s Ministry of Defence was sources said. Deployed by the US Navy last year, the exports after decades of self-imposed restrictions, al arms market through tie-ups that will help bring not immediately able to comment. first squadron armed with torpedoes and anti-ship people with knowledge of the proposal said. Britain down procurement costs and strengthen the nation’s missiles operates from Okinawa in southwestern Japan has not formally decided it will buy new maritime military to counter China’s growing military might. STRATEGIC DIALOGUE near China. Boeing officials in Tokyo were unavailable patrol planes, having cancelled an order for nine built Even if Britain doesn’t buy, the P-1 could benefit Senior Japanese and UK officials will have a chance for comment. In its most recent order in February, the by BAE Systems in 2010 due to delays and cost over- from being treated as a genuine contender. to discuss the idea on Monday at a strategic dialogue US Navy said it would buy 16 additional P-8s at a cost runs, and the P-1, made by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, “If the UK gives it serious consideration, then the P- in London organised by independent British and of $150 million each. If Japan can offer a P-1 variant would face stiff competition from Boeing’s P-8 1 will garner attention internationally,” one Japanese Japanese think-tanks. The P-1, designed to patrol tailored for the British military that is competitive on Poseidon, the three sources told Reuters. source said. “It has potential customers beyond the UK, Japan’s territorial waters from the Pacific to the East price and capability, it could represent a viable alterna- Japanese officials raised the issue of London buy- like New Zealand, Norway and Canada, with large mar- China Sea, where Beijing claims small islands held by tive. Jointly building a P-1 that taps into Britain’s expe- ing the P-1 to replace the British-made Hawker itime areas,” said UK consultant Simon Chelton, a for- Tokyo, will be the country’s principal sub hunter for rience building the Nimrod would allow London to Siddeley Nimrod, which was retired in 2011, when mer BAE Systems Plc executive and defence attache at decades to come. Japan’s navy plans to buy around 20, retain rights over radar and sensing technology it they met their UK counterparts to discuss defence- the British Embassy in Tokyo. costing about 20 billion yen ($170 million) each, over would lose by buying a US aircraft regulated by the equipment cooperation at the Farnborough Air Show “We are considering a number of options in regard the next five years, though cracks in the fuselage and Pentagon, one source said. near London in July, the sources said. to defence equipment sales, but we don’t comment on wing and engine problems have delayed its entry into Last year Japan and Britain agreed on a deal that After Abe eased curbs on military exports in April, specific deals,” said Japanese Defense Ministry’s service. No announcement from Britain of any replace- will see Mitsubishi Electric Corp partner with European his Defense Ministry has been looking to tap foreign spokesman Hirofumi Takeda. ment for the Nimrod, which tracked Soviet undersea missile maker MBDA to develop a medium-range air- markets for its cocooned weapons makers, including “We are not aware of the discussion so we can’t activity during the Cold War, is expected before May’s to-air missile for the F-35 stealth fighter, which both potential deals to sell subs to Australia and seaplanes comment,” said Teppei Kobayashi, a spokesman for general election. Its least risky option could be the countries plan to deploy. — Reuters Bangladesh court bans reporting of oppn chief’s son DHAKA: A Bangladesh court yesterday porters to block railway lines, highways and banned local media from reporting speeches ports since Monday as part of efforts to top- by the son of the besieged opposition leader, ple her arch-rival Hasina and pave the way for after authorities sought to muzzle dissent fresh elections. amid a wave of deadly anti-government Tarique Rahman, 50, has especially irritat- protests. Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of ed Hasina’s government after claiming that opposition leader Khaleda Zia and her heir her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-widely apparent, has made a series of speeches and regarded as the hero of Bangladesh’s 1971 comments criticizing Prime Minister Sheikh independence war from Pakistan-was in fact Hasina and her independence hero father. a stooge of Islamabad. Rahman, who has been living in London In a series of speeches in London he has since 2008, was declared a fugitive more than also claimed that his own father, late military a year ago for failing to appear in Bangladesh dictator Ziaur Rahman, was actually the coun- courts in connection with corruption cases. try’s first president instead of Hasina’s father. The High Court’s ruling yesterday coincides One of the nation’s leading private televi- with deadly protests which authorities have sion networks, ETV, was on Tuesday forced off blamed on Zia, although the judges made no the air in most parts of the country, and its mention of the violence in their decision. owner was detained, one day after telecast- “The court said as long as he remains a ing a vitriolic speech by Tarique Rahman live fugitive, no print, electronic or social media from London. Police said the detention of ETV can publish or broadcast any news on his chairman Abdus Salam was connected to the speeches, statements or meetings in the station’s airing of “pornographic” material. But country,” deputy attorney general Biswajit a senior editor at the channel rejected this as Roy said. Zia, confined by authorities to her a smokescreen, designed to muzzle free office since Saturday, has called on her sup- speech. — AFP Indonesia arrests foreigners in ‘massive’ drug bust JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities said yes- crystal methamphetamine from a ship that terday a major Hong Kong drug lord had had departed from the southern Chinese DHAKA: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir (center), acting secretary general of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, waves his hand to sup- been arrested and more than 860 kilo- city of Guangzhou. The boat returned on porters as he is escorted by policemen to a court in Dhaka yesterday. — AP grams (1,900 pounds) of crystal metham- Monday morning with the drugs, which phetamine seized, following a three-year had been packed into one-kilogram coffee investigation into a global syndicate. Three sachets and concealed in 42 white rice other Hong Kong residents, as well as a sacks, he said. Malaysian and four Indonesians, were also “The drugs were brought illegally into Tail of AirAsia jet detained in the “massive” bust on Monday, the port, transferred onto a vehicle and and all could face the death penalty, then driven to the car park of a shopping National Narcotics Agency spokesman mall in Jakarta. Three buyers who were Sumirat Dwiyanto said. He said Indonesian Hong Kong nationals were waiting in authorities had been monitoring the head another car,” he said. found underwater of the ring, a Hong Kong man only identi- A Malaysian accomplice acted as a look- fied by his initials of W.C.P., since 2012 after out. “We are questioning them now before intelligence officers learnt he was part of a naming them suspects. But all nine could major global drug ring. be charged with drug smuggling, which Searchers now ‘desperately trying to locate black box’ “W.C.P is a drug dealer who has been liv- carries the death penalty,” he added. ing in Indonesia for more than 15 years. He Dwiyanto declined to give an estimate for is part of an international syndicate, head- the street value of the drugs, but said it was JAKARTA/PANGKALAN BUN: The tail of a crashed ing operations in Indonesia,” Dwiyanto said. a “massive” haul and the biggest for the AirAsia jet has been found upturned on the sea bed A statement from the agency said seven agency. about 30 km (20 miles) from the plane’s last known countries had been following the syndi- Crystal methamphetamine, commonly location, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said yesterday, indicating the crucial black box recorders cate. Dwiyanto said W.C.P had sent a fishing known as “ice”, is a highly addictive drug. may be nearby. boat to sea from a port in west Jakarta last Trafficking narcotics carries the death Flight QZ8501 vanished from radar screens over Friday to collect nearly 863 kilograms of penalty in Indonesia. — AFP the northern Java Sea on Dec 28, less than half-way into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second- biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore. There were no survivors among the 162 people on board.