It's 2021 and the NPA Is Still a Threat in Central Visayas by Marit Stinus-Cabugon

Today’s News 24 May 2021 (Monday)

A. NAVY NEWS/COVID NEWS/PHOTOS Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

B. NATIONAL HEADLINES Title Writer Newspaper Page 1 MM mayors to meet on vaccine slot sale R Villanueva P Star 1 2 doses of Pfizer, astra effective vs India Reuters PDI A1 2 variant

C. NATIONAL SECURITY Title Writer Newspaper Page 3 Multilateral approach better in WPS dispute - H Flores P Star 1 Leni 4 DFA: Pinoys can disregard Chines law T Santos PDI A3 5 China’s Coast Guard law is ‘valis’ only within R Mabasa M Bulletin 8 its borders - Locsin 6 Phl ‘di apektado ng China Coast Guard Law G Garcia Ngayon 2 - DFA 7 Pinas ‘di apektado ng China Coast Guard G Garcia PM 2 law 8 Pilipino tinatakot ng China na mangisda sa J Bondoc Ngayon 4 sariling dagat

D. INDO-PACIFIC Title Writer Newspaper Page U.S considered nuke strike on China - D Tribune B13 9 Ellsberg 10 UN calls for full adherence to Gaza ceasefire P Star 11

E. AFP RELATED Title Writer Newspaper Page 11 AFP to get 10 more helicopters M Punongbayan P Star 8 12 CHR to probe CPP-NPA atrocities K Cruz M Times A3 CHR to probes into 1, 506 IHL violations by P Gutierrez P Journal 2 13 CTG

F. CPP-NPA-NDF-LCM Title Writer Newspaper Page JOMA: No order to assassinate NTF-ELCAC J Andrade PDI A3 14 Officials 15 Bong Go vows govt aid for rebel returnees B Tamayo M Times A2 16 Go reaches out to ex-rebels D Tribune 3 Mga paglabag ng CPP-NPA iimbestigahan D Franche Ngayon 2 17 ng CHR Mga pagpatay ng CPP-NPA iimbestigahan D Franche PM 2 18 ng CHR

G. MNLF/MILF/BIFF/ASG Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

H. EDITORIAL-OPINION-COMMENTARY-SPECIAL Title Writer Newspaper Page 19 Scarborough fiasco J Enrile M Times A1 20 Friendships cost less A Cardona D Tribune A5 21 Sui generis Miriam D Tribune A4 22 A citizen army for defense R Farolan PDI A7 2021 and the NPA is still a threat in M Cabugon M Times A6 23 It’s Central Visayas R Tiglao M Times A1 24 Trillanes’ Magdalo Putschists behind retired generals’ anti-Duterte group?

I. ONLINE NEWS Title Link NATIONAL NEWS No hero’s welcome for stranded overseas https://www.scmp.com/week- Filipino workers asia/people/article/3134332/philippines- 25 battles-covid-19-what-happened-vow-no- migrant-left Education officials urge using all means to https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/24/edu 26 teach cation-officials-urge-using-all-means-to-teach/ https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/groups-slam- 27 Groups slam CHED’s bid for ‘flexible learning’ as new norm cheds-bid-for-flexible-learning-as-new-norm/ Yerba Buena tablet: Clinically https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/yerba-buena- 28 proven,100% Filipino-made analgesic tablet-clinically-proven100-filipino-made- analgesic/ 29 Quakes hit Zambales, Davao Occidental https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141220 Heat index in 18 areas still within https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/heat-index-in- 30 'dangerous' level 18-areas-still-within-dangerous-level/ Context is king: Tugade explains why https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/context-is-king- 31 progress in LRT-1 Cavite Extension project tugade-explains-why-progress-in-lrt-1-cavite- is a big deal extension-project-is-a-big-deal/ PSA to roll out Nat'l ID Step 2 online https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/psa-to-roll-out- 32 registration in 14 areas on May 24 natl-id-step-2-online-registration-in-14-areas- on-may-24/ NAVY NEWS Robredo backs retired military officers’ https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/robredo-backs- 33 push for united stand against China retired-military-officers-push-for-united-stand- against-china/ Robredo pushes for inclusion of other https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1435633/robredo- 34 countries in settling WPS row pushes-for-inclusion-of-other-countries-in- settling-wps-row Multilateral approach better in West https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/05/24 35 Philippine Sea dispute – Robredo /2100398/multilateral-approach-better-west- philippine-sea-dispute-robredo Fishermen still afraid to fish at https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio 36 Scarborough Shoal n/788572/fishermen-still-afraid-to-fish-at- scarborough-shoal/story/ Robredo congratulates aide-de-camp for https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/robredo- 37 promotion in PH Navy congratulates-aide-de-camp-for-promotion-in- ph-navy/ AFP RELATED Marcos seeks to reform AFP pension fund https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/23/mar 38 setup cos-seeks-to-reform-afp-pension-fund-setup/ CHR to probe 1,506 IHL violations by CPP- https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141188 39 NPA-NDF Lawyers’ group seeks immediate probe in https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/23/lawy 40 red-tagging of member ers-group-seeks-immediate-probe-in-red- tagging-of-member/ - https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/ibp-defends- 41 IBP defends lawyer against ‘red tagging’ lawyer-against-red-tagging/ NolCom soldiers receive timely assistance https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/24/nol 42 com-soldiers-receive-timely-assistance/ 4 years after siege, Marawi sees slow but https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/24/4- 43 sure progress years-after-siege-marawi-sees-slow-but-sure- progress/ Bong Go vows govt aid for rebel returnees https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/24/news/ 44 national/bong-go-vows-govt-aid-for-rebel- returnees/1800405 Barangay officials surrender loose firearms https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/23/bar 45 angay-officials-surrender-loose-firearms-2/ File complaints vs. cops who harass pantry https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141228 46 organizers INDO-PACIFIC NEWS Amid ‘swarming,’ fishing ban, PHL, China https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/24/ami 47 hold bilateral talks d-swarming-fishing-ban-phl-china-hold- bilateral-talks/ China's Coast Guard law is 'valid' only https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/chinas-coast- 48 within its borders — Locsin guard-law-is-valid-only-within-its-borders- locsin/ ‘Too weak’: Chinese scholars warn of https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 49 knowledge gap with American peers article/3134371/our-american-studies-are-too- weak-chinese-scholars-warn Xi Jinping on development of Tibet http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0523/c90000- 50 9852936.html Why China is building gleaming new https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 51 government facilities in Africa article/3134224/why-china-building-gleaming- new-government-facilities-africa Indian media show double standards in https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1224 52 smearing China on virus origin as govt 241.shtml opposes 'India variant' reference China invading Bhutan in a gradually, https://www.hindustantimes.com/world- 53 stealthily: Report news/china-invading-bhutan-in-a-gradually- stealthily-report-101621759471821.html The death of George Floyd and a year of https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/the-death-of- 54 turmoil in US george-floyd-and-a-year-of-turmoil-in-us/ Bernie Sanders, Progressives Call Out https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders- 55 Antisemitism Amid Israeli-Palestinian progressives-call-out-antisemitism-amid- Conflict israeli-palestinian-conflict-1593918 U.S. waiting to see if North Korea wants to https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us- 56 engage in diplomacy waiting-see-if-north-korea-wants-engage- diplomacy-2021-05-23/ Biden makes strong case for engagement, https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021 57 but North Korea unlikely to react soon: /05/103_309266.html experts South Korea-US alliance expands beyond https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021 58 security /05/120_309263.html Moon and Biden wrap up 'best summit https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/ ever' with agreements aplenty 23/national/politics/bidenmoon-summit- 59 koreaus-north- korea/20210523192000461.html Vice FM says stability, peace in Taiwan http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=202 60 Strait have direct impact on S. Korea's 10523000253 national interest World’s Supply of Chips Is in Danger https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/202 Unless Taiwan Gets Vaccines 1-05-23/world-s-supply-of-chips-is-in-danger- 61 unless-taiwan-gets-vaccines?srnd=premium- asia Vietnam holds parliament election amid https://www.reuters.com/world/asia- 62 new COVID-19 outbreak pacific/vietnam-holds-parliament-election- amid-new-covid-19-outbreak-2021-05-23/ G7 meeting highlights differences between https://the-japan- 63 Japan, Europe on coal-based power news.com/news/article/0007424494 Japanese government and Olympics https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23 64 organizers leaning toward allowing fans at /national/olympic-games-spectators/ games No change in plans to hold Tokyo https://the-japan- 65 Olympics, Kato suggests news.com/news/article/0007424737 IOC VP Gets Backlash for Saying https://www.voanews.com/east-asia- 66 Olympics Are on, Virus or Not pacific/ioc-vp-gets-backlash-saying-olympics- are-virus-or-not Soviet Union sought end to island row in https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23 67 1972 amid Japan-China thaw /national/soviet-union-end-island-row/ EU denounces Myanmar junta's electoral https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/eu- 68 body plan to dissolve Suu Kyi party denounces-myanmar-juntas-electoral-body- plan-dissolve-suu-kyi-party-2021-05-23/ More than 125,000 Myanmar teachers https://www.reuters.com/world/asia- 69 suspended for opposing coup pacific/more-than-125000-myanmar-teachers- suspended-opposing-coup-2021-05-23/ Myanmar coup unleashes crystal meth https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/myanmar- 70 bonus for cartels coup-unleashes-crystal-meth-bonus-for- cartels-wk8zhk9v6 Clashes intensify in anti-junta conflicts https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Myanmar- 71 Coup/Myanmar-coup-latest-Clashes-intensify- in-anti-junta-conflicts https://asiatimes.com/2021/05/why-myanmars- 72 Why Myanmar’s civil war won’t be like Syria’s civil-war-wont-be-like-syrias/ Country's economic situation better after https://www.nst.com.my/news/government- 73 recovery measures, says Muhyiddin public-policy/2021/05/692452/countrys- economic-situation-better-after-recovery Malaysia decides against lockdown https://www.thejakartapost.com/seasia/2021/0 74 despite surge in COVID-19 5/23/malaysia-decides-against-lockdown- despite-surge-in-covid-19-cases.html Aussie PM eyes stronger ties with PH in https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/aussie-pm- promoting 'open, inclusive, stable, eyes-stronger-ties-with-ph-in-promoting-open- 75 prosperous, free' Indo-Pacific region inclusive-stable-prosperous-free-indo-pacific- region/ Jubilation and devastation as Gazans https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jubilation- 76 celebrate ‘victory’ and-devastation-as-gazans-celebrate-victory- g8pw6tcv7 Life slowly resumes in ravaged Gaza Strip https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23 77 after ceasefire /world/gaza-strip-life-resumes-ceasefire/ Hamas scores 'victory' over Palestinian https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23 78 rival Fatah following battle with Israel /world/hamas-victory-fatah/ https://thediplomat.com/2021/05/is-chinas-belt- 79 Is China’s Belt and Road Initiative a Threat to the US? and-road-initiative-a-threat-to-the-us/ Pacific to Indo- https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/aspis- 80 ASPI’s decades: Asia– Pacific decades-asia-pacific-to-indo-pacific/ DEFENSE NEWS Naval FOBs can prevent China forays https://manilastandard.net/news/top- 81 stories/355286/-naval-fobs-can-prevent-china- forays.html Solon wants forward naval bases in West https://news.abs- 82 Philippine Sea cbn.com/news/05/23/21/solon-wants-forward- naval-bases-in-west-philippine-sea Whitsun Reef Standoff: Implications for the https://www.chinausfocus.com/peace- U.S.-Philippine-China triangle in the South security/whitsun-reef-standoff-implications-for- 83 China Sea the-us-philippine-china-triangle-in-the-south- china-sea Maritime Patrol Aircraft in the Asia-Pacific https://defense.info/featured- 84 Area story/2021/05/maritime-patrol-aircraft-in-the- asia-pacific-area/ Racing the Sun to Protect America: https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/05/r 85 Lessons from the solar storm of May 1921 acing-sun-protect-america/174162/ Growing mystery of suspected energy https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/ 86 attacks draws US concern may/23/growing-mystery-of-suspected-energy- attacks-draws-/ Republican lawmakers warn against https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/ 87 ‘politicized environment’ in Defense may/23/james-inhofe-mike-rogers-question- Department matthew-lohmeier/ Will Pakistan give US post-Afghanistan https://asiatimes.com/2021/05/is-pakistan- 88 military bases? poised-to-give-us-new-military-bases/ As U.S. Scales Back in Mideast, General https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/202 Says China, Russia May Step in 1-05-23/us-general-as-us-scales-back-in- 89 mideast-china-may-step-in?srnd=premium- asia Top general: Russia, China will look to https://thehill.com/policy/international/middle- 90 expand influence in Middle East as US east-north-africa/554994-top-general-russia- pulls back china-will-look-to-expand https://asiatimes.com/2021/05/socom-preps- 91 SOCOM preps for ‘battle in the cognitive space’ for-battle-in-the-cognitive-space/ Blinken Defends U.S. Arms Sale To Israel https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2 92 Under Fire From Sanders, AOC 021/05/23/blinken-defends-us-arms-sale-to- israel-under-fire-from-sanders-aoc/ US and South Korea scrap bilateral missile https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- 93 guidelines relations/Biden-s-Asia-policy/US-and-South- Korea-scrap-bilateral-missile-guidelines The US Navy has a new ocean to worry https://www.businessinsider.com/luria-not- 94 about, it's not clear how it's going to deal clear-how-navy-will-handle-arctic-russia-china- with it, top lawmaker says 2021-5 Years late and billions more: The USS https://www.stripes.com/news/us/years-late- 95 Gerald R. Ford is a lesson in how the and-billions-more-the-uss-gerald-r-ford-is-a- Navy builds ships lesson-in-how-the-navy-builds-ships-1.674378 USSOCOM Comments On Potential https://www.navalnews.com/naval- 96 Amphibious MC-130J Plane news/2021/05/ussocom-comments-on- potential-amphibious-mc-130j-plane/ Space Force looking to build new radar https://spacenews.com/space-force-looking-to- 97 sites to track objects in high orbits build-new-radar-sites-to-track-objects-in-high- orbits/ Accusation of China rebuffing military talks https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1224 98 with US 'aims to shift blame' 243.shtml Are China's Bases in the South China Sea https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/are- 99 Really "Unsinkable Aircraft Carriers"? chinas-bases-south-china-sea-really- unsinkable-aircraft-carriers-185906 China’s New ‘Mini Aircraft Carriers’: A https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/05/chinas- 100 Threat To The U.S. Military? new-mini-aircraft-carriers-a-threat-to-the-u-s- military/ New-type self-propelled mortars join PLA https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1224 101 Xinjiang Military Command service in 207.shtml plateau region China Is Training to Fire Artillery at 'High https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/china- 102 Altitudes'. Why Bother? training-fire-artillery-high-altitudes-why-bother- 185725 PLA airborne troops in heavy equipment http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0523/c90000- 103 airdrop training 9852926.html China put one of its most advanced air- https://www.businessinsider.com/china-puts- 104 defense missiles to an extreme test upgraded-hq-9-missile-system-to-extreme-test- 2021-5 China’s top diplomat heads to Russia on https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 105 security talks mission article/3134559/chinas-top-diplomat-heads- russia-security-talks-mission Yang Jiechi to hold China-Russia strategic https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-05-23/Yang- 106 security consultation Jiechi-to-hold-China-Russia-strategic-security- consultation-10uI7dplfvW/index.html Japan Increasing Size Of Its Navy, Will https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/05/japan- 107 Acquire Two AEGIS Combat Warships increasing-size-of-its-navy-will-acquire-two- aegis-combat-warships/ Japan SDF members receive Moderna https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23 108 shots before work at mass vaccination /national/sdf-vaccination/ centers Pro-democracy protesters seize police https://www.hindustantimes.com/world- post, kill security forces in Myanmar news/prodemocracy-protesters-seize-police- 109 post-kill-security-forces-in-myanmar- 101621767466478.html Fighters of Chin State Are No Strangers to https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/chi 110 Hardship, Repression in Myanmar n-fighters-05232021030736.html Police and soldiers killed in eastern https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/24/pol 111 Myanmar amid heavy fighting ice-and-soldiers-killed-in-eastern-myanmar- amid-heavy-fighting/ State trials of Tsirkon hypersonic missile https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/na from Russian Navy Admiral Gorshkov val-news/naval-news- 112 frigate to start in June archive/2021/may/10189-state-trials-of-tsirkon- hypersonic-missile-from-russian-navy-admiral- gorshkov-frigate-to-start-in-june.html Knockout punch: Russians mean business https://asiatimes.com/2021/05/knockout- 113 in the Arctic punch-russians-mean-business-in-the-arctic/ HMS Queen Elizabeth Set Sails For Her https://www.navalnews.com/naval- 114 Maiden Operational Deployment – CSG21 news/2021/05/hms-queen-elizabeth-set-sails- for-her-maiden-operational-deployment-csg21/ Maiden operational deployment for British https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/na Navy Carrier Strike Group led by HMS val-news/naval-news- Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier archive/2021/may/10188-maiden-operational- 115 deployment-for-british-navy-carrier-strike- group-led-by-hms-queen-elizabeth-aircraft- carrier.html Life under Israeli occupation: The misery at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de the heart of the conflict fence/life-under-israeli-occupation-the-misery- 116 at-the-heart-of-the- conflict/articleshow/82875482.cms Tehran to withhold nuclear site footage https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archiv 117 from watchdog es/2021/05/24/2003757959 Semiconductor Shortage Shines Light On https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/artic 118 Weak Supply Chain les/2021/5/21/semiconductor-shortage-shines- light-on-weak-supply-chain The Art of War in the Age of Peace https://nationalinterest.org/feature/art-war-age- 119 peace-185645 COVID NEWS Ivermectin now on retail solon https://manilastandard.net/news/national/3552 120 — 85/ivermectin-now-on-retail-solon.html Wuhan Lab Staff Hospitalized With Covid- https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponcian 121 Like Symptoms Before Confirmed o/2021/05/23/report-wuhan-lab-staff- Outbreak, New Intelligence Finds hospitalized-covid-19-symptoms-virus-origins/ Do fake Covid-19 vaccine arrests in China https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/arti 122 herald global crime wave? cle/3134124/do-fake-covid-19-vaccine-arrests- china-herald-global-crime-wave How a Covid-19 variant put Singapore https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health- 123 back in defensive mode environment/article/3134497/far-out-woods- how-covid-19-variant-put-singapore-back Indonesia finds new COVID-19 cluster https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/i 124 after cargo ship infections ndonesia-finds-new-covid-19-cluster-after- cargo-ship-infections-14869512 Herd immunity stalemate faces Asia’s https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health- - environment/article/3134408/vaccine- 125 ‘zero Covid’ economies hesitancy-puts-asias-zero-covid-economies- hong India’s capital Delhi to ease COVID-19 https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india- 126 restrictions as cases drop reports-daily-rise-coronavirus-cases-240842- 2021-05-23/ Two COVID shots effective against India https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare- variant - English health body pharmaceuticals/two-covid-shots-effective- 127 against-india-variant-english-health-body- 2021-05-22/ India battles fatal fungal threat https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archiv 128 es/2021/05/24/2003757956 Black fungus: Things to know https://manilastandard.net/news/world- 129 news/355283/black-fungus-things-to- know.html U.S. CDC looking into heart inflammation https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare- in some young vaccine recipients pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-investigating-heart- 130 problem-few-young-vaccine-recipients-nyt- 2021-05-22/ Moderna, Novavax to produce more https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare- 131 COVID-19 vaccines in S.Korea pharmaceuticals/moderna-south-korea-sign- production-deal-mrna-vaccines-2021-05-22/ Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak Across https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020- 132 the World coronavirus-cases-world- map/?srnd=coronavirus 133 Covid map: Where are cases the highest? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105

J. OPINION/EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Title Link 134 Trillanes' Magdalo putschists behind https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/24/opinion/ retired generals' anti-Duterte group? columns/trillanes-magdalo-putschists-behind- retired-generals-anti-duterte-group/1800390 135 Nansha nonsense https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/23/nans ha-nonsense/ 136 Sui generis Miriam https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/24/sui- generis-miriam/ 137 A citizen army for defense https://opinion.inquirer.net/140532/a-citizen- army-for-defense 138 It's 2021 and the NPA is still a threat in https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/24/opinion/ Central Visayas columns/its-2021-and-the-npa-is-still-a-threat-in- central-visayas/1800381 139 Displacement https://manilastandard.net/opinion/editorial/35527 3/displacement.html 140 Carpio has skeletons in the closet https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/23/carpi o-has-skeletons-in-the-closet/ 141 Logical analysis and democracy https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/24/opinion/ columns/logical-analysis-and- democracy/1800389 142 Blind loyalty of past https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/23/blind- loyalty-of-past/ 143 China-ASEAN cooperation in South https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3 China Sea must start somewhere 134307/how-china-and-asean-can-build- foundations-south-china-sea 144 How Biden’s broken Middle East policy https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3 will complicate the US’ Indo-Pacific pivot 134405/how-bidens-broken-middle-east-policy- to compete with China will-complicate-us-indo 145 Lifting missile restrictions https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2021/ 05/202_309250.html 146 ASEAN’s Myanmar dilemma https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/05/23/asean s-myanmar-dilemma/ 147 Taiwan must choose war or peace https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archi ves/2021/05/24/2003757928 148 Events in Myanmar leave ASEAN behind https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/05/23/events -in-myanmar-leave-asean-behind/

As Philippines battles Covid-19, what happened to vow of ‘no migrant left behind’?

Published May 23, 2021, 5:00 PM by Raissa Robles

For nearly two months now, Elena (not her real name) has been stuck in Lagos after her contract as an office employee ended. She is among a group of overseas Filipino workers in Nigeria hoping to catch a flight home.

“On April 7, we bought economy-class tickets with the Ethiopian Airlines. The only available flight was April 30 because of a travel cap” of 2,500 daily arrivals imposed by the Philippines, said Elena, who did not want to disclose her name.

Two days before they were due to travel, Elena said the workers each paid US$100 to take a Covid-19 swab test. But when they tried to check in online the next day, “we learned that our flight was cancelled”.

The Philippine government had imposed new travel restrictions due to the surge in Covid- 19 cases around Manila. To alter their travel dates, the workers have to pay Ethiopian Airlines a US$1,100 rebooking fee, which “we can’t afford”, said Elena, who is in her forties.

Elena’s predicament is a part of a growing crisis for President Rodrigo Duterte’s government. Long hailed as heroes, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are now being left in the lurch as Manila struggles with containing the pandemic.

The Philippines has a total caseload of over 1.1 million, making it the second-worst affected nation in Southeast Asia. It has spent more than a year in various stages of lockdowns.

“There are more than 10 million Filipinos abroad at any given time,” said Troy Dooley, programme head of the Philippine chapter at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a leading inter-governmental group.

An “unprecedented” 791,623 Filipino workers were repatriated last year, Dooley said.

Since the Philippines created an aggressive labour migration policy three decades ago, there has never been such a mass return.

The IOM interviewed 8,332 of the returnees and released its findings on Thursday in a survey titled, The Covid-19 impact assessment on returned overseas Filipino workers.

The results were sobering:

• Close to 60 per cent of returnees came from five places: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Hong Kong

• Returnees were mostly in their mid-30s (with 51 per cent of them male), who had at least 10 years of schooling and had been providing for five to eight member-households on monthly salaries averaging from 20,000-50,000 pesos (US$400-1,000)

• Female returnees in two places – Hong Kong and Kuwait – outnumbered males by 82 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively

• 59 per cent of OFWs returned due to the pandemic: their contract was not renewed or they could not find another job, or their employer used it as a reason to fire them

• 48 per cent said they wanted to be OFWs again

• 38 per cent of them came from Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, which is also the hardest hit by the pandemic, while 15 per cent came from the southern island of Mindanao

• 59 per cent of them failed to get their separation pay and 83 per cent of them remained jobless three months after their return.

Dooley said while the results were bleak, there was one bright spot.

Data showed that remittances to the Philippines in 2020 had not significantly fallen, despite earlier predictions by the World Bank and foreign and local analysts that it would drop by up to 20 per cent.

The reality was that “the actual drop was only 0.8 per cent”, Dooley said, from US$33.5 billion in 2019 – contributing nearly 10 per cent of the GDP – to US$33.2 billion.

The reason: while most returnees came from Saudi Arabia which hosts the largest number of OFWs, a large chunk of remittances traditionally comes from the United States, which in 2018 contributed a third, or US$11.4 billion, of the US$33.5 billion total.

‘PLEASE HELP US’

Even as the government has already spent 5 billion pesos (US$104 million) bringing home 519,566 migrant workers, with other OFWs self-repatriating or being sent home by employers, labour secretary Silvestre Bello told President Rodrigo Duterte on April 19 that at least 50,000 Filipinos were still stranded abroad. According to Hans Cacdac, administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the government needed 9.8 billion pesos (US$204 million) to make that happen.

However, a proposed congressional measure for pandemic assistance only allots 4.5 billion pesos (US$93 million) to help OFWs.

Elena said she had appealed to lawmakers on social media “many times” for help, including foreign secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr and presidential palace officials, but no one replied to her.

“Philippines is our country too,” she wrote in one message on Twitter. “Please inform us, OFWs, what your plan is. Are OFWs simply going to be banned from returning? We have no more work … please help us, thank you.”

Elena said she was not aware that as early as March 19, Cacdac had advised OFWs on a public Facebook page devoted to his posts as OWWA chief, to put off coming home.

“Please delay your return home to our beloved country, because of the spike in new Covid-19 cases and the increase in the number (of returning travellers now billeted) in hotel quarantine facilities,” he wrote in one of his advisories.

Cacdac never made his plea official by posting it on the official OWWA website. He briefly mentioned it during a virtual press briefing on April 21, which only Bloomberg picked up.

In the same briefing, Cacdac also stated that the government could not yet help stranded OFWs because it would “run out of money” by May, which was the reason he was asking them to delay coming home.

On May 19, an anchor from CNN Philippines connected with Cacdac via Zoom and asked about the pleas for help by OFWs in African countries.

The OWWA chief supplied a hot line number. Asked about this, Elena said Cacdac “promised that OWWA would help us and we should just wait for their call back”.

INADEQUATE SUPPORT

For labour migration expert Froilan Malit, Jnr, the fact that Manila has left thousands of OFWs stranded abroad, despite Duterte’s vow there would be “no migrant left behind”, came as no surprise.

“I don’t think the government was built to deal with this crisis, institutionally,” said Malit, who works out of Dubai for the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute. Malit, who is also an Associate Professor at Zayed University’s Institute for Social and Economic Research, said that while Manila extended comparatively more support to OFWs than other countries did for their migrant workers, the response was still inadequate and showed the “degree of institutional constraints … and that gap between rhetoric and reality”.

For one, the government’s distribution of cash aid to OFWs through its “Akap”, or Embrace, programme was uneven, he noted.

Each distressed OFW was supposed to get US$200, but this prompted a lot of complaints on social media because a cap on recipients was imposed per country, so not everyone could benefit from the aid.

For instance in Dubai, where some 14,000 Filipinos reported themselves as displaced, the limit was inexplicably set at 10,000.

Malit said most Filipinos in the UAE decided to stay on despite a wage slash by their employers because of the lack of job prospects back home.

“For those semi-skilled and skilled, they can better optimise their skills and talents here,” he said.

OFWs were also anticipating that the UAE would overcome the Covid-19 crisis sooner and more jobs would open, Malit said. He added that the UAE government had already approved the use of several Covid-19 vaccines, and that being vaccinated in UAE’s biggest city, Dubai, was “like ordering an ice cream”.

Ruby Ann Doctolero, 31, was among the lucky ones who was able to return home from the UAE and even received the government’s Akap cash aid.

The former babysitter told This Week in Asia that her Arab employers had given her a return ticket when they decided to wait out the pandemic in Germany.

The cash aid lasted only a month, she said. Now pregnant, she has decided to shelve her plans to apply as a welder in South Korea, where she said women were preferred for the job.

But first she would need to learn welding, which she found was not that easy because the state-funded agency Tesda, which taught the programme, still charged fees.

Doctolero and thousands of OFWs displaced by the pandemic have found themselves saddled with other financial problems.

Besides having mouths to feed, many like her have defaulted on loan payments for their dream homes, the very reason they went abroad in the first place. The IOM survey found “an alarming 83 per cent of OFWs were still unemployed three months after their return to the Philippines”.

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3134332/philippines-battles-covid-19-what-happened- vow-no-migrant-left

Education officials urge using all means to teach

Published May 24, 2021 by Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

If it’s still impossible to hold face-to-face classes due to the pandemic, an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) has underscored the need to harness technology as part of education’s new normal.

“We need to master distance learning now, making all the necessary improvements and perfecting our processes for the DepEd Commons, DepEd TV, DepEd Radio, the DepEd Learning Management System, the DepEd Mobile App, and others,” Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del B. Pascua said.

If there are no face-to-face classes, Pascua stressed, “then we have to devise all means to reach out to our learners and to bring basic education to them.”

“We have to educate, by all means, we have to teach by all means, and our learners have to learn by all means,” Pascua added during the first-ever Asia Pacific Public Sector Digital Summit recently. Pascua was joined by Alvin Ong, Chief Information Officer of the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in the panel chaired by Anthony Salcito, Vice President for Worldwide Education of Microsoft Corp.

Pascua also emphasized the importance of the Public Education Network (PEN), which will fast-track the digital connectivity of all public schools and DepEd offices nationwide.

“With this network, schools will become connectivity hubs for all the households around it so that contents are made available to every learner in the community even without internet bandwidth,” he said. “If this connectivity is reinforced by internet bandwith availability, then it is a big leap forward.”

Pascua also hinted at a future DepEd project, which aims to update and pattern DepEd TV after streaming services to allow learners to study their learning materials at their own pace. “Those who need more time and repetition can easily review and go back to all the lessons, while those who learn in a faster pace can access new lessons and other lessons outside of their grade levels,” Pascua pointed out.

Meanwhile, in terms of re-imagining education in the new normal, Pascua shared that he advocates for the continuation of online and broadcast learning platforms post-pandemic since classroom shortage remains an issue in the country.

“With that kind of interface, our education curriculum can adapt to the needs of the entire nation and even the world. Then, our basic education becomes relevant and liberating for it serves what our nation needs and what our world needs,” Pascua explained.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/24/education-officials-urge-using-all-means-to-teach/ Groups slam CHED’s bid for ‘flexible learning’ as new norm

Published May 23, 2021, 3:49 PM by Jhon Aldrin Casinas

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) drew flak from youth groups for its adoption of a policy implementing flexible learning setup as the new normal in higher education system.

National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) national president Jandeil Roperos said such policy “will exacerbate the effects on students financially, mentally and emotionally, and jeopardize the quality education that is their right.”

“If we look at it another way, flexible learning has also paved the way for corporations to capitalize on the inaccessibility of needed technology – thus putting financial burden on parents and students – which is harder given the rampant lay-offs and rising prices of goods and services,” Roperos said in a statement.

The student union official stressed that face-to-face classes remain to be the most inclusive and accessible option for education in the country.

“It has been a month since lockdown, and frankly, the bursts of calls for academic breaks and academic ease are taking place as a reflection of how exhausting and unsustainable the current set-up in learning is,” she said.

“We need CHED to listen to the students and the other sectors in education and take action from our calls,” she added.

In a webinar last week, CHED Chairman J. Prospero De Vera III said: “From now on, Flexible Learning will be the norm. There is no going back to the traditional, full-packed face-to-face classrooms.”

“If we go back to the traditional face-to-face classroom, we run the risk of exposing our stakeholders to the same risks if another pandemic comes in,” he added.

The Kabataan Partylist has also slammed the proclamation of De Vera, saying that the policy “passes the burden to be ‘flexible’ and ‘adaptable’ to teachers and students while making no actions” to address the issues currently hounding the education sector amid the pandemic.

“We maintain that this is nothing but CHED explicitly ignoring the demand of the students, teachers and parents for a safe return to face-to-face classes. This is gross negligence of duty to the education sector,” the group said in a statement.

“If CHED truly wants students and teachers to perform better, it should support calls to provide student and teacher subsidies and to allocate funding for the safe return to face- to-face classes,” it added.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/groups-slam-cheds-bid-for-flexible-learning-as-new-norm/

Yerba Buena tablet: Clinically proven,100% Filipino-made analgesic

Published May 23, 2021, 11:21 PM by Charissa Luci-Atienza

Yerba buena (Mentha cordifolia Opiz), commonly known as mint, has been used in the country as a cure for headache, toothache, arthritis, and dysmenorrhea.

The University of the Philippines (UP)-Manila has successfully formulated from yerba buena’s extracts a clinical proven herbal medicine for post-operative pain management such as dental extraction, circumcision , child birth and minor surgeries without the side effects of common pain reliever.

“Yerba Buena tablet is the only clinically proven herbal medicine in the Philippines with analgesic effects, It has been proven efficacious for post-operative pain management and does not have the side effects of common NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs),” Ma. Christina Viñas of UP-Manila, one of the presenters of health and wellness technologies during the DOST’s Strategy to Accelerate and Revitalize Technology Transfer (StARTT) in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal,Quezon) Region Technology Transfer Day held on May 7.

She said yerba buena, also known as spearmint or marsh mint, contains Menthalactone β-sitosterol and β-sitosterol β-d-glucoside (BSSG) which has been shown to have analgesic or pain-relieving activity.

“The Tail flick analgesiameter showed its analgesic activity,” Viñas said.

She said human clinical trials have been conducted for Yerba Buena tablet.

“It has been proven safe and effective in relieving moderate to severe post-operative pain after circumcision, dental extractions, and childbirth (post- episiorrhaphy).equivalent to Paracetamol,” she said.

“For time of action, onset of action is within 10 minutes and total relief is complete in 30 minutes to one hour,” she added.

In terms of comparability, Viñas said Yerba Buena tablet had faster set of action in post- dental extraction and post- episiorrhaphy than Paracetamol.

“For its competitive advantages, we have compared Yerba Buena tablet from the famous anti-pain medicines in the market such as Paracetamol, Aspirin and NSAID.Its most significant competitive advantage is the adverse effects. Yerba Buena tablet has been proven to have rare to no side effects. The side effect is only nausea” she said.

Viñas noted that the revenue for the over-the-counter analgesic such as Aspirin and Paracetamol in the Philippines amounted to US$ 120.46 million.

“It has a compounded annual growth rate of 3.2 percent,” she said, citing that the market is expected to have a significant growth rate annually from 2019 to 2023.

She said global revenue for analgesic mostly generated in the United States amounted to US$ 5.36 billion.

“But, we are offering the strong know-how of the technology protected as a trade secret and that trade secret is in a technology transfer document that we will need to manufacture and register and market the Yerba Buena tablet in the Philippine market so you don’t have to invest more on the research and development of the technology,” Viñas said.

“For this Yerba Buena tablet who knows in the future, it will anti-headache just like Biogesic, but you will do is the product marketing to the customers, so you will get the revenue and you will just give us a portion of it through a royalty which UP Manila uses as a revolving fund for our other research and development.”

https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/yerba-buena-tablet-clinically-proven100-filipino-made-analgesic/

Quakes hit Zambales, Davao Occidental

Published May 23, 2021, 6:23 pm by Ma. Cristina Arayata

MANILA – A magnitude 5 earthquake hit Zambales on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The tectonic quake struck 92 kilometers (km) southwest of the municipality of San Antonio at 12:41 p.m. It had a depth of 19 km.

Tectonic quakes are caused by fault movements.

Intensity II was felt in San Antonio, San Narciso, and San Felipe towns, while Intensity I was reported in Quezon City.

Instrumental intensity I was recorded in Marikina City and Olongapo City.

Meanwhile, a magnitude 5.6 tectonic earthquake also struck 258 km southeast of Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental at 10:02 a.m.

It had a depth of 128 km.

Intensity II was felt in General Santos City, while Phivolcs recorded instrumental intensity I in Kiamba, Sarangani.

Reported intensity is the traditional way of knowing the intensity based on reports by people who felt the earthquake, while instrumental intensity is measured using intensity meter that measures ground acceleration.

For both earthquakes, Phivolcs said aftershocks are possible, while it is not expecting any damage.

Damage starts at intensity VI based on Phivolcs' scale.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141220

Heat index in 18 areas still within 'dangerous' level

Published May 23, 2021, 6:19 PM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

The computed heat index values in Dagupan City, Pangasinan and Sangley Point, Cavite reached 47 degrees Celsius (°C) on Sunday, May 23, amid the prevalence of hot and humid weather across the country.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) attributed the hot and humid conditions to the warm easterly winds affecting the country.

Based on the monitoring of PAGASA on Sunday, the top 18 stations that logged “dangerous” heat index values include;

Dagupan City, Pangasinan (47°C, 2 p.m.)

Sangley Point, Cavite (47°C, 2 p.m.)

Ambulong, Batangas (44°C, 2 p.m.)

Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte (44°C, 2 p.m.)

Central Luzon State University Muñoz, Nueva Ecija (43°C, 2 p.m.)

Laoag City, Ilocos Norte (43°C, 2 p.m.)

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Pasay City (43°C, 1 p.m.)

Casiguran, Aurora (42°C, 2 p.m.)

Clark Airport, Pampanga (42°C, 2 p.m.)

Davao City, Davao del Sur (42°C, 2 p.m.)

El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental (42°C, 2 p.m.)

Masbate City, Masbate (42°C, 1 p.m.)

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan (42°C, 2 p.m.)

Butuan City, Agusan del Norte (41°C, 2 p.m.)

Cubi Pt., Subic Bay, Olongapo City (41°C, 11 a.m.)

San Jose, Occidental Mindoro (41°C, 11 a.m.)

Tayabas City, Quezon (41°C, 2 p.m.)

A heat index above 40 is considered “dangerous” due to the high likelihood of heat cramps and heat exhaustion. ℃ So far, the highest heat index in 2021 was registered in Dagupan City, Pangasinan at 53 on May 14.

Meanwhile,℃ PAGASA weather specialist Chris Perez said the heavy rains and strong winds that were felt in some parts of the country on Sunday afternoon were due to localized thunderstorms.

Severe thunderstorms are often associated with bursts of heavy rainfall, lightning, thunder, and gusty winds that usually last up to two hours.

Perez said warm and humid weather will still prevail across most parts of the country on Monday, May 24.

He advised the public to avoid exposure to direct sunlight, especially from late morning to early afternoon.

Stay hydrated and bring protection against the hot weather, he also said.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/heat-index-in-18-areas-still-within-dangerous-level/

Context is king: Tugade explains why progress in LRT-1 Cavite Extension project is a big deal

Published May 23, 2021, 2:40 PM by Ellson Quismorio

The Light Rail Transit (LRT-1) Cavite Extension project has achieved a completion rate of over 50 percent under the Duterte administration.

(Photo from Art Tugade’s Facebook)

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade made this revelation over the weekend in his Facebook account, where he gave context as to how extraordinary the achievement was.

“From being one of the pioneers in establishing railroad network in Asia, ironically, we are trailing behind. From more than a thousand-kilometer railroad network in the 1970’s, our country’s operational railway length drastically shrunk to only 77 kilometers in 2016,” he said.

Tugade said the LRT-1 Cavite Extension was just one of the numerous rail projects that “were left hanging”.

He said the particular project was “delayed for 19 years with no progress ever seen until June 2016”. That month, President Duterte took over from the previous administration.

“Right of Way acquisition started way back in 2007. Unfortunately, 0 [percent] was certified ‘free and clear’ by the independent consultant when we came in. Now, the LRT- 1 Cavite Extension is 55.6 [percent] complete!” he said.

Tugade said that once operational, the 11.7-kilometer railway line “will drastically reduce travel time between Baclaran in Parañaque and Bacoor in Cavite from 1 hour 10 minutes down to 25 minutes.”

He further noted that the LRT-1 Cavite Extension can accommodate 500,000 to 800,000 passengers per day.

“The investment poured by this administration in the railways sector under the Build, Build, Build program is significantly larger than the total railway investments in the last 50 years combined,” Tugade earlier said.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/context-is-king-tugade-explains-why-progress-in-lrt-1-cavite-extension- project-is-a-big-deal/

PSA to roll out Nat'l ID Step 2 online registration in 14 areas on May 24

Published May 23, 2021, 12:37 PM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

The online appointment booking for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Step 2 registration process will be available to 14 cities and municipalities starting on Monday, May 24, said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In a Facebook post on Sunday, May 23, the PSA said the Step 2 online registration process will be available in the following areas.

* Candon City, Ilocos Sur

* Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

* San Fernando City, La Union

* Lingayen, Pangasinan

* Echague, Isabela

* Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija

* Naga City, Camarines Sur

* Masbate City, Masbate

* San Jose, Antique

* Roxas City, Capiz

* Jagna, Bohol

* Bantayan, Cebu

* Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Baybay City, Leyte

“Kung kayo ay nakatira sa 14 municipalities na nabanggit, simula hapon ng May 24, 2021, maaari nang magbook ng inyong appointment para sa Step 2 registration. Maglog-in lamang gamit ang inyong email address o mobile number na ginamit noong kayo ay nag- Step 1 registration,” PSA said in a Facebook post.

(If you live in the 14 municipalities mentioned, starting in the afternoon of May 24, 2021, you can now book your appointment for Step 2 registration. Just log in using your email address or mobile number used when you did the Step 1 registration).

“Samantala, abangan ang mga susunod na anunsyo sa pagbubukas ng online appointment booking sa iba pang mga lugar sa mga susunod na linggo,” it added.

(In the meantime, please watch out for the next announcements on the opening of online appointment booking in other places in the coming weeks).

For updates or other information about PhilSys or Philippine ID, the public is encouraged to just like or message PSA through its official Facebook page, email [email protected], or call the PhilSys hotline 1388.

The online registration for Step 1 started on April 30.

Getting a National ID in ‘three easy steps’

The PSA reiterated that just like the entire registration process, “getting a PhilID is also free or without a delivery fee.”

https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/psa-to-roll-out-natl-id-step-2-online-registration-in-14-areas-on-may-24/

Robredo backs retired military officers’ push for united stand against China

Published May 23, 2021, 4:46 PM by Raymund Antonio

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday, May 23, backed the call of retired military officers for a united stand against China’s increasing aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), stressing the importance for the country to have “one voice” in the maritime disputes.

Robredo said that it’s not helpful for the Philippines’ position for its officials to have contradictory statements on the territorial issues with China.

“Sa akin, may basehan kasi iyong pag-express ng pagkabahala. Actually, hindi lang si Senator Biazon—Cong. Biazon—iyong nag-express nito, pero mahalaga kasi na isang boses sana tayo, (For me, there’s a basis to express concern. Actually, it’s not just Senator Biazon—Congressman Biazon—who expressed about this, but more importantly, we need to have one voice only),” she said during her weekly radio show.

The vice president warned that the country has to be careful on its stand against China, especially because sovereignty and territorial dispute are “very sensitive” issues.

“Hindi ito puwedeng basta-basta lang ang sasabihin. Kailangan calculated, kailangan sisiguraduhin natin na iyong sinasabi natin, hindi tayo malalagay sa alanganin (The statement cannot be taken lightly. It needs to be calculated, we need to be sure that what we’re going to say, we won’t be put in an awkward situation),” she added.

Last week, retired Lieutenant General Edilberto Adan, who served under former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and now heads the Advocates for National Interest (ANI), a group of former police and military officers, called on the President to “have a firm stand” in defending the Philippines sovereignty and sovereign rights in the WPS.

He said during an interview on ANC that the group is requesting President Duterte “to retract some of his statements which do not conform with our national interest.”

Over the weekend, former Senator Rodolfo Biazon, a former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff under former President Corazon Aquino, called to convene the National Security Council (NSC) to come up with a united stand against China’s aggression.

As the author of the Philippines Baseline Law, which serves as the basis for the country’s maritime jurisdiction, Biazon went to The Hague with retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio and former Foreign Affairs chief Albert del Rosario to invalidate China’s sweeping nine-dash-line claim.

Asked about her comments on the dialogue and bilateral talks between the Philippines and China, Robredo quoted experts who already said that bilateral talks will not be helpful for a small country.

“Parang hindi magiging patas, hindi patas iyong standing. Kaya ang pinupush sana natin multilateral talks (It will not be fair, the standing is not fair. That’s why what we are pushing for are multilateral talks),” she said.

Multilateral talks will involved other stakeholders that have an interest in ensuring freedom of navigation and commerce in WPS.

“Kasi iyong tingin natin, mai-equalize lang iyong footing kapag mayroon tayong mga kakampi na pareho iyong ipinaglalaban sa atin (Because we think, we will be in a more equal footing when we have countries on our side that are fighting for the same thing),” Robredo stressed.

This is why the arbitral win is important because this is the basis for countries to rally behind the Philippines, she said.

The win before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) that invalidates China’s nine- dash-line claim will strengthen the resolve of other countries to stand with the Philippines.

“Ito din iyong dahilan, actually. Eto din iyong dahilan kung bakit iyong multilateral talks mas makakatulong para i-protect iyong interest natin kaysa bilateral lang (This is also the reason, actually. This is also the reason why multilateral talks will be more helpful in protecting our interest instead of bilateral only),” Robredo added.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/robredo-backs-retired-military-officers-push-for-united-stand-against-china/

Robredo pushes for inclusion of other countries in settling WPS row

Published May 23, 2021, 9:31 PM by John Eric Mendoza

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday pushed for the conduct of “multilateral talks” to settle the West Philippine Sea row as opposed to the holding of bilateral talks between China and the Philippines.

Speaking in her weekly radio program over AM radio DZXL, Robredo noted that the idea of having multilateral talks is being pushed by experts, noting that having bilateral talks with China will put the Philippines at a disadvantage.

“If it’s bilateral, it’s like we are negotiating from an inferior position because we are small. That’s why I am pushing for multilateral talks,” Robredo said in Filipino.

“When we say multilateral talks, it’s not only the Philippines and China that will be talking but other countries that share the concerns and issues will have to be included as well,” she added. “Even President Duterte has always doubted our capacity to fight as we lack resources, we lack et cetera.”

“This is the reason, actually. This is also the reason why multilateral talks would help protect our interest better than having bilateral talks,” she said.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1435633/robredo-pushes-for-inclusion-of-other-countries-in-settling-wps-row

Multilateral approach better in West Philippine Sea dispute – Robredo

Published May 24, 2021, 12:00 AM by Helen Flores

MANILA, Philippines — If all were to be left to bilateral talks with China, the Philippines would not be able to protect its interests in the West Philippine Sea, Vice President Leni Robredo said yesterday.

“Experts have been saying for a long time that bilateral talks with China will not help our country because we’re too small compared to them. The standing is not equal,” Robredo said over dzXL.

The Vice President has been pushing for a multilateral approach since 2016, urging the government to work with other countries to effectively stand up against Beijing’s actions in disputed maritime territories.

“We should push for multilateral talks, not only with China and the Philippines but with other countries that share our issue, and have the same concern,” Robredo said.

“I believe that we can equalize the footing if we have allies who share the same concerns,” she said.

Her comments came two days after officials of the Philippines and China met virtually for the sixth engagement of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea.

The BCM was established by President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting in 2016.

In a statement on Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said “there was mutual recognition of the importance of dialogue in easing tensions and understanding each country’s position and intentions in the area.”

But Robredo insisted: “Multilateral talks will help in protecting our interest than bilateral talks.”

She said the Philippines’ 2016 arbitral victory over China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea would have encouraged other nations to hold multilateral talks.

“That (arbitral award) would have been the basis for our unity. It would have strengthened our, and other countries’ resolve to hold multilateral talks because we hold an arbitral decision,” she said.

China has rejected any multilateral approach to resolve competing claims in the resource- rich South China Sea.

US Navy disputes PLA claim

Yesterday, the United States Navy belied China’s claim that its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had “expelled” the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur from the Taiwan Strait recently.

USS Curtis Wilbur transited the Taiwan Strait last Tuesday as part of its freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in accordance with international law and then continued to conduct normal operations in international waters, the US Navy’s 7th Fleet said.

It said the PLA’s statement claiming it had “expelled” the US warship is false.

The US Navy referred to the PLA’s claim as the latest in a long string of China’s actions to misrepresent lawful US maritime operations and assert its excessive and illegitimate maritime claims at the expense of Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/05/24/2100398/multilateral-approach-better-west-philippine-sea- dispute-robredo

Fishermen still afraid to fish at Scarborough Shoal

Published May 23, 2021, 8:49 PM by Ma. Angelica Garcia

Several Filipino fishermen in Mariveles, Bataan are still afraid to fish at Scarborough Shoal due to China's implementation of a fishing ban in the West Philippine Sea.

"Mahirap 'yan doon baka mabaril ka ng water gun doon [we might get shot by a water gun]," Gilbert Dagon said in JP Soriano's report on "24 Oras Weekend" on Sunday.

Due to this this, some of the fishermen have decided to fish in other areas such as in Mindoro.

Last week, Malacañang said Filipino fisherfolk should continue fishing in the West Philippine Sea despite China's implementation of a fishing ban in the area.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the position two days after the Philippines protested China's fishing ban from May 1 to August 16, with the Department of Foreign Affairs saying Beijing’s fishing moratorium “extends far beyond legitimate maritime entitlements under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) and is without basis under international law.”

The DFA also said that the unilateral policy infringes on the country’s sovereignty over its waters.

Manila said it does not recognize China’s fishing moratorium as it covers waters in areas where the Philippines exercises” sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction.”

China's fishing ban came almost two years after the June 2019 incident of a Chinese fishing vessel ramming Philippine fishing boat Gem-Ver 1 in Reed Bank, an area within the country's exclusive economic zone as ruled by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2016. The Chinese vessel left the fishermen trying to stay afloat in the sea for hours until they were rescued by a Vietnamese boat.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/788572/fishermen-still-afraid-to-fish-at-scarborough- shoal/story/

Robredo congratulates aide-de-camp for promotion in PH Navy

Published May 23, 2021, 2:51 PM by Raymund Antonio

Vice President Leni Robredo has congratulated one of her aide-de-camps, Lt. Danilo Vidad of the Philippine Navy, who recently got promoted as Lieutenant Commander, which is equivalent to the rank of major in the Philippine Army.

VP Leni Robredo and Lt. Danilo Vidad (OVP photo)

“Amidst the death and sickness of people dear to us, we celebrated a few milestones in the office this week,” she said in a recent Facebook post.

“This week, I had the honor of pinning his (Vidal) new rank. I can definitely say he is a major asset of the AFP and one of the officers who will make a mark in our country’s future,” Robredo added.

Danny, as she calls Vidad, “is one of our prized officers at the VPSD (Vice President Security Detail),” having been one of Robredo’s aide-de-camps since her first day in office.

He graduated Cum Laude from the Philippine Military Academy and took a year off to go to London as a Chevening scholar.

After he finished the course, he rejoined the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as a security officer.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/robredo-congratulates-aide-de-camp-for-promotion-in-ph-navy/

Marcos seeks to reform AFP pension fund setup BYTYRONE JASPER C. PIAD

MAY 23, 2021

EMPHASIZING the need to quickly put up a “new, professionally-run” military pension system, Senator Imee Marcos moved to ensure effective reforms under a new agency that will replace the moribund multi-billion-peso Armed Forces of the Philippines’s Retirement and Separation Benefits System (AFP-RSBS).

In a statement Sunday, Marcos affirmed the urgency to put back in operation the deactivated AFP pension fund for military and uniformed personnel (MUPs), recalling that their salary contributions “used to earn at a higher interest rate than most banks can offer.”

Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, pointed out that no pension fund has yet replaced the AFP-RSBS, which stopped collecting member contributions since its shutdown in 2016 “due to gross mismanagement.”

She recalled that “for the past five years, old and newly recruited MUPs could have made more contributions and earned more interest if a new pension fund was promptly set up.”

The lawmaker lamented that “the longer we wait to replace RSBS, the more we deprive our MUPs and their families of earnings they could have already accumulated.”

Marcos suggested that in order to establish a new pension fund, the caretakers of RSBS should first liquidate all its assets as soon as possible, noting that “it already missed its goal to do so in April, based on the 5-year timeline set after its deactivation.”

“Besides speeding up the reimbursement of all member contributions, the revenue from liquidated assets can be used to seed a new self- sustaining fund, independent of the national budget, which RSBS failed to be,” she added.

The senator noted that only member contributions are being refunded by the RSBS to about 130,000 MUPs, with a completion goal in 2022.

“Payouts of retirement and separation benefits are being covered by allocations in the national budget, but these are increasing each year due to salary hikes and the indexation of benefits,” Marcos said.

The lawmaker explained that “RSBS interest payments also keep growing, in effect depleting the retained resources of GOCCs [government-operated and -controlled corporations],” prompting her to press for an inquiry by the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security to “clarify the financial status of RSBS and its ability to reimburse members’ contributions.”

Recalling claims by RSBS that it remains debt-free and far from bankruptcy, the senator also cited findings by the Commission on Audit (COA) that the pension fund overstated its total assets by P2.54 billion and P2.63 billion in the two years prior to its deactivation.

Moreover, Marcos added the COA “also found discrepancies” in RSBS’s statements on membership contributions with “un-reconciled balances” of P10.24 billion in 2017 and P9.26 billion in 2018. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/23/marcos-seeks-to-reform-afp-pension-fund-setup/

CHR to probe 1,506 IHL violations by CPP-NPA-NDF

May 23, 2021, 10:11 am

CASES OF WILLFUL KILLINGS. Human Rights Commissioner Karen Dumpit (right) receives from Brig. Gen. Jose Alejandro S. Nacnac, Director of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Center for the Law on Armed Conflict (AFPCLOAC) on May 20, 2021, the report on willful killings committed by the CPP-NPA-NDF from 2010 to 2020. (AFPCLOAC photo)

MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has vowed to investigate the 1,506 atrocities and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations committed by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), collectively known as communist terrorist groups (CTGs), from 2010 to 2020.

This, as Brig. Gen. Jose Alejandro S. Nacnac, Director of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Center for the Law on Armed Conflict (AFPCLOAC) on May 20 submitted to CHR Commissioner Karen Dumpit a list of hundreds of willful killings perpetrated by the CTG for the same ten-year period.

“Commissioner Dumpit said they will forward the cases to their regional offices for their investigation. They now have a total of 1,506 cases to investigate. The gathering of other cases are ongoing,” Nacnac said, adding that the recorded CTG atrocities grow by the day.

Nacnac first made public the list of atrocities during the regular press conference of the NTF- ELCAC dubbed as TAGGED: Debunking lies by telling the truth on May 17.

Meanwhile, Makabayan bloc members at the Lower House of Representatives are mum on the AFP report. They have not responded to the Philippine News Agency when sought for comments on May 21, 2021.

Undersecretary Severo Catura, NTF-ELCAC spokesperson on human rights, peace process, and international engagements, said the CTG may be compelled to indemnify victims of their human rights abuses and atrocities in the number of billions of dollars.

Catura, Executive Director of the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat (PHRCS), said under existing local and international laws, particularly the IHL, parties that are found guilty of such abuses and atrocities committed in a situation of internal armed conflict may be compelled by the courts to indemnify their victims.

Under Section 14 of Republic Act No. 9851, or the "Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity" signed into law on 11 December 2009, Catura said the courts follow the principles relating to reparations, including restitution, compensation, and rehabilitation, and determine the amount of the same based on the scope and extent of damages inflicted.

“However, regardless of the amount that shall be determined and demanded by the courts, it cannot equal the pain and suffering brought about by past and present human rights abuses and atrocities perpetrated by the CTGs,” he added.

“It is high time that they are held accountable for their spate of willful killings, their destruction of government and private property, their use of children as combatants, their internal purges, and their wanton disregard for human rights,” he said.

Both Gen. Nacnac and Catura claimed that they shall likewise refer the matter to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that has ably guided the AFP in the strict observance of IHL in their line of duty. The ICRC is a major partner of the Philippine government in the EO 134 Ad Hoc Committee for the State’s continued observance of IHL, co-chaired by the Department of National Defense and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“Likewise, we shall inform the appropriate United Nations body, through the UN Resident Coordinator and the Senior Human Rights Adviser in the Philippines of this development,” Catura said. He reminded that no less than the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, in its report on the human rights situation in the Philippines, mentioned human rights abuses and atrocities committed by the NPA.

The AFP has consolidated 532 incidents of destruction of civilian-owned properties by the CTGs. An example of which was the attack in Taganito Mining Corporation in Claver, Surigao Del Norte in 2011 resulting in the destruction of the facilities and several pieces of equipment. Another group of rebels attacked the nearby Platinum Metals Group Corp. also in Claver. Three hours later, another mine site operated by another Taganito company, Taganito HPAL Corporation, was also attacked by the rebels.

Recently, a total of 289 incidents of willful killing were consolidated by the AFP-CLOAC. These killing incidents committed by the CTGs during the ten-year period caused the deaths of 77 soldiers and 296 innocent civilians or a total of 373 victims of assassinations.

Besides conducting terrorist attacks, records show that the communist group was responsible for the recruitment of 464 child warriors who were rescued by government troops from their hellish plight.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PR) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141188 Lawyers’ group seeks immediate probe in red-tagging of member BYJOEL R. SAN JUAN MAY 23, 2021 IBP President Domingo Egon Cayosa THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has sought an immediate investigation into the reported red-tagging of one of its lawyer- members who provided legal assistance to 11 youths arrested and detained in Angeles City.

IBP National President Domingo Egon Q. Cayosa was referring to lawyer Carlos Castillo of the IBP-Zambales who was reportedly branded a “terrorist” by the Facebook page “Lakbay Kapayapaan” after the latter managed to secure the release of the young activists on bail.

Cayosa indicated that Castillo was just performing his duty as a volunteer lawyer for the IBP. He recounted that University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo L. Concepcion sought IBP’s help for the arrested youths who are also UP students.

The IBP National Center for Legal Aid then alerted its network and IBP Zambales mobilized its Chapter officers and volunteer legal aid lawyers, according to Cayosa. Castillo was one of those who responded and got the detained students released on bail, he added. He said the IBP has brought the red-tagging to the attention of police authorities for investigation.

Detained Senator Leila M. de Lima said the “Lakbay Kapayapaan” Facebook page has been pushing the campaigns of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

De Lima, who has been detained for her alleged involvement in illegal drug operations inside the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa during her stint as justice secretary, slammed Castillo’s red-tagging in her recent statement.

“For responding to the call for urgent legal assistance of arrested youth activists, Castillo is now being called a terrorist,” she said. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/23/lawyers-group-seeks-immediate-probe-in-red-tagging-of- member/

Lawyers’ group seeks immediate probe in red-tagging of member BYJOEL R. SAN JUAN MAY 23, 2021 IBP President Domingo Egon Cayosa THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has sought an immediate investigation into the reported red-tagging of one of its lawyer- members who provided legal assistance to 11 youths arrested and detained in Angeles City.

Detained Senator Leila M. de Lima said the “Lakbay Kapayapaan” Facebook page has been pushing the campaigns of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

IBP defends lawyer against ‘red-tagging’

Published May 23, 2021, 2:44 PM by Jeffrey Damicog The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on Sunday, May 23, defended a lawyer who was “red-tagged” in a social media post for representing 11 students who were arrested on their way to Angeles City to participate in the May 1 Labor Day rally. IBP President Domingo Egon Q. Cayosa was referring to a Facebook post “Lakbay Kapayapaan” which criticized lawyer Carlos I. Castillo Jr. for helping the 11 League of Filipino Students (LFS) members whom it accused of being terrorists. Cayosa recounted that University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo L. Concepcion was the one who sought help from the IBP in providing the students with a lawyer.

“The IBP National Center for Legal Aid alerted its network and IBP Zambales mobilized its Chapter officers and volunteer legal aid lawyers,” he said in response to Concepcion’s appeal. “Atty. Carlos Castillo was one of those who responded and got the detained students released on bail,” he said. “The IBP has brought the red-tagging to the attention of police authorities for investigation,” he added. The Facebook post read: “Wag na lang mag-abogado kung terrorista ang tutulungan mo (Don’t be a lawyer if you will only help terrorists)!!!” The post included a video of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison juxtaposed with the photo of Castillo. The IBP Zambales Chapter has condemned the Facebook post which it described as “unlawful and unjust.” “This is fake news, an affront and a veiled threat to Atty. Castillo who is a respected member of the Philippine Bar for almost two decades already,” the chapter declared in a statement. https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/ibp-defends-lawyer-against-red-tagging/

NolCom soldiers receive timely assistance

Published 9 hours ago on May 24, 2021 02:30 AM

By Mar T. Supnad

CAMP AQUINO, Tarlac — Northern Luzon Command (NolCom) soldiers here received timely aid from Clark Development Corporation (CDC) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

The assistance was provided by no less than CDC president and CEO Manuel Gaerlan in line with the goal of strengthening the partnership between NolCom commander Lt. General Arnulfo Burgos and the CDC.

“This is just a small token of appreciation for the dedication and sacrifices of the soldiers,” said Gaerlan.

NolCom covers Central and Northern Luzon, where the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) continues to concentrate on neutralizing remnants of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army still operating in the regions.

Meanwhile, the Komiteng Larangang Gerilya Sierra Madre has been declared by the army “disintegrated and destroyed” within two years following the fall of two other rebel groups in Central Luzon.

The leadership of the AFP and Philippine National Police scrutinized Army 703rd Brigade’s operational campaign and found that specific and stringent key deliverables and result areas have been achieved making it sufficient to declare the defeat of the communist terrorist group that used to operate in the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija and parts of Nueva Vizcaya.

“This accomplishment became possible due to a team of dedicated soldiers with the support of the police and key stakeholders that started a campaign and quietly made its presence felt mostly in the hinterlands in the last two years in this country’s region with a mission of finally putting an end to the decades old communist menace,” Brigade Commander BGen. Andrew Costelo said. Contributions from former rebels played a significant role in determining the parameters for a communist movement to be declared successfully defeated. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/24/nolcom-soldiers-receive-timely-assistance/

4 years after siege, Marawi sees slow but sure progress BYCAI ORDINARIO MAY 24, 2021 FOUR years after a siege that laid waste to a huge part of the progressive Islamic City, Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) said Marawi is on the mend with local government revenues increasing 60 times based on 2020 data.

TFBM Chairman Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario said in a statement on Sunday that the city’s revenue collection increased to P30 million in 2020 from P500,000 prior to the siege.

Del Rosario manifests that economic vibrancy has returned to Marawi City—progress that he said must be sustained by maintaining peace in the Islamic City.

The over four-month siege was perpetrated by homegrown, but Islamic State-inspired terrorists under the Maute Group.

“More than the facilities and infrastructure, lives and communities are now being rebuilt in a progressive and peaceful environment. This is the key to achieve genuine development and prosperity,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario also called on all Maranaws to protect and cherish the peace they are now enjoying and always do their best in further pushing for the authorities to uphold peace and harmony in their respective communities.

In his fifth visit to Marawi this year, Del Rosario attended a forum with representatives of the Task Force’s implementing agencies to exchange notes on the latest developments regarding their respective projects. Del Rosario also spearheaded the inaugurations of key facilities in Marawi, including Masjid Disomangcop and the Barangay Tolali complex.

He also led the groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction of school buildings, a convention center and the Sarimanok Sports Stadium in the Most Affected Area.

Del Rosario also attended the wreath-laying ceremony at the Heroes’ Wall to honor soldiers and civilians who sacrificed their lives in fighting for Marawi’s freedom from the clutches of terrorism.

Other activities featured in the week-long event were peace forums, provision of livelihood assistance to internally displaced families and carrying out of medical and dental missions carried out by TFBM’s member-agencies and partner-organizations. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/24/4-years-after-siege-marawi-sees-slow-but-sure-progress/

Bong Go vows govt aid for rebel returnees By Bernadette E. Tamayo

May 24, 2021

SEN. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go vowed continuing government support for communist rebels who have surrendered to help them reintegrate in communities in Leyte.

Go made the assurance during the distribution of meals, food packs, vitamins, masks and face shields to the 43 rebel returnees in Barangay Villalon in Calubian, Leyte, on May 19.

They also received new shoes, while others were provided bicycles so they can travel with ease while public transportation remains limited amid the pandemic.

"Nangangako kami ni Presidente Rodrigo Duterte na walang maiiwan sa laban natin na ito (President Rodrigo Duterte and I promised no one will be left behind in this fight)," Go said in a video message.

The Department of Trade and Industry also awarded livelihood starter kits to each beneficiary while the Department of Social Welfare and Development handed out a separate financial aid package. https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/24/news/national/bong-go-vows-govt-aid-for-rebel- returnees/1800405

File complaints vs. cops who harass pantry organizers

By Azer Parrocha May 23, 2021, 7:43 pm

YOUTH SECTOR. The Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay 634 in Manila’s Sixth District puts up a community pantry, comprised mostly of fresh produce, in this May 2021 photo. Pantries have sprouted nationwide to help the less privileged sectors cope with the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.(Photo courtesy of Manila-PIO)

MANILA – Cops who harass community pantry organizers should immediately face charges, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said on Sunday.

Panelo said the public should look out for each other by immediately reporting and filing complaints against abusive uniformed personnel.

“’Pag feeling ninyo medyo hina-harass kayo, kasi mayroon din mga pulis na sira ulo. ‘Di nawawala ‘yan sa isang organisasyon. ‘Pag medyo saliwa ‘yung mga galaw nila bilang pulis, file-an niyo ng kaso kaagad para matuto(If you feel like you are being harassed, because there are some cops who are scalawags. There’s always one in an organization. If they are doing what is contrary to what a police officer should do, file charges so they will learn from their mistakes),” he said in his commentary show “Counterpoint.”

He said Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar will not tolerate abuses.

“Humingi kayo ng tulong, alalay sa kapulisan natin. Tutulungan kayo. Mayroon kayong masilip na mali, isumbong niyo agad at hindi ‘yan palalampasin ni Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (If you need help, assistance from our police, they will help you. If you notice something wrong, report them immediately because Gen. Guillermo Eleazar will not let that go unnoticed),” he added.

Eleazar earlier ordered all police units to help and protect community pantry organizers in their areas of responsibility and ensure that health protocols are observed.

Meanwhile, Panelo lauded Brig. Gen. Vincent Calanoga, chief of the PNP human rights affairs office, for apologizing over the perceived profiling and red-tagging of organizers of community pantries.

“Sa mga naapektuhan po, humihingi po ang PNP ng paumanhin sa mga taong naapektuhan ng kung ano mang balita o na-post na hindi nila nagustuhan (To those affected, the PNP apologizes to those who were affected by any news or posts that they did not like)” Calanoga said during the briefing of the House Committee on Human Rights on Wednesday.

He said cops who ask questions from community pantry organizers are just doing their jobs in monitoring the situation. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141228

Amid ‘swarming,’ fishing ban, PHL, China hold bilateral talks

BYRECTO MERCENE

MAY 24, 2021

3 MINUTE READ

AMID Manila’s protests over the “swarming” of Beijing’s militia boats in the West Philippine Sea and the latter’s imposition of a “fishing ban” which Manila has ignored, the two Asian countries held a friendly and candid exchange on the situation and specific issues of concern in the South China Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported at the weekend.

At the 6th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) virtual meeting recently, the DFA press statement said, “there was mutual recognition of the importance of dialogue in easing tensions and understanding each country’s position and intentions in the area.”

For two months starting in March, the DFA sent scores of notes verbale to the Chinese embassy in Manila, protesting the presence of more than 200 Chinese maritime militia vessels in the contested areas of the West Philippine Sea.

However, former Ambassador to Malaysia and Singapore, Alberto Encomienda, raised this question at the weekend: if this is the 6th meeting of the BCM since 2016, “what have this BCM been discussing in the past?” He noted this is an annual meeting set up as a platform for dialogue on the expanding bilateral relationship between the Philippines and China.

“This is the most important platform and this is the time for the Philippines to present our side,” he said, noting the numerous protests the DFA sent to the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian.

“We sent a note for every incident, so what have we offered to the BCM for purposes of managing issues and addressing difference, none?” Encomienda asked.

At the same time, Encomienda said the BCM is also the platform where the country can straighten the narrative for managing issues and practical cooperation. “What happened in those two areas?” Invoking the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling in 2016, the Philippines claims sovereign rights to exploit the resources within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which include the various features in the contested waters.

On the other hand, China claims sovereignty over most the South China Sea based on what it calls its historic rights, which was deemed illegal by the Arbitral Ruling.

Both sides acknowledged the importance of addressing differences in an atmosphere of openness and cordiality to pave the way for practical cooperation and initiatives.

According to the DFA, the Philippines reiterated at the recent BCM forum its long- standing call for full respect and adherence to international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and its authoritative interpretation and application—the final and binding 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.

The Philippines highlighted the progress made in the settlement of the Gem-Ver allision issue involving a Philippine fishing boat and a Chinese vessel.

It was left to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to seek just compensation for the victims in negotiations slated in June, the DFA said.

Encouraged by the positive momentum in the bilateral relations of the two countries, the three working groups of the BCM (political-security, fisheries cooperation, and marine environmental protection/marine scientific research) discussed common issues and possible areas of cooperation.

The BCM is a bilateral forum established by Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their 2016 meeting. It was envisioned as a platform for dialogue on the expanding bilateral relationship between the Philippines and China.

It has served as a confidence-building process for both sides to manage and address differences, to promote practical maritime cooperation and environmental protection, and to enhance mutual trust and confidence. Foreign Affairs Acting Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and Asean Affairs Elizabeth P. Buensuceso and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao led their respective delegations.

The Philippine delegation included officials from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National Security Council (NSC), Department of National Defense (DND), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Department of Justice (DOJ), and other key agencies.

Buensuceso stressed the importance of other complementary bilateral and multilateral platforms in maintaining regional peace and stability such as the Asean-China Dialogue Relations, the Asean Regional Forum, and the East Asia Summit.

Both sides reiterated the importance of the full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and their commitment to the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to finish the two- decade old COC in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the process.

The Philippines currently serves as Country Coordinator of the Asean-China dialogue mechanism. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/24/amid-swarming-fishing-ban-phl-china-hold-bilateral-talks/

China's Coast Guard law is 'valid' only within its borders — Locsin

Published May 23, 2021, 2:49 PM by Roy Mabasa Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Sunday maintained that the China Coast Guard law “does not exist” in as far as the Philippines’ territorial waters are concerned and is only effective within the Chinese borders.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. (AP Photo / Sakchai Lalit / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

This was Locsin’s reaction to the latest statement made by retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio who said that the CCG law is a threat to the security not just of the Philippines but also to other claimant countries in the South China Sea.

“I refuse to have it studied as if it applied to our territorial waters. It doesn’t. So we in boats go about our waters like the CCG law does not exist; we run up against its enforcement we fight back… or submit. CHN (China) like PH can write any law but valid only within their borders,” Locsin said in a tweet.

In a speech over the weekend, the former Supreme Court magistrate also believes that the legality of the Chinese Coast Guard law can be challenged before the international tribunal.

Under the controversial law that was approved by China’s Communist Party plenary on January 22, 2021, it explicitly allows its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels, a move that could further stir the already volatile waters of the South China Sea. The said law empowers the Chinese Coast Guard to “take all necessary measures, including the use of weapons when national sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon by foreign organizations or individuals at sea”. Since the July 2016 Arbitral Award only applies to the Philippines, Carpio said there is still a way for other claimant countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam to question’s China’s excessive claims.

“There is a way to question the validity of that law under UNCLOS because even now, even before China implemented it. If not, Malaysia, Indonesia can file a case questioning the nine-dash line, questioning the claim of China that China has traditional fishing rights to fish in the EEZs of Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. Because the Arbitral Award does not apply to them, it applies technically only between the Philippines and China,” said Carpio who was among the architects of the filing of the Philippine arbitration case against China before the United Nations- backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

In January this year, shortly after China’s implementation of its Coast Guard Law, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest with Locsin calling the Chinese law “a verbal threat of war” to any country. given the area involved or for that matter the open South China Sea is a verbal threat of war to any “While enacting law is a sovereign prerogative, this one— . — countryhttps://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/chinas-coast-guard-law- that defies the law; which, if unchallenged,is-valid-only-within-its-borders-locsin/ is submission to it,” he said

‘Our American studies are too weak’: Chinese scholars warn of knowledge gap with US peers

• They say China is lagging behind and there are concerns it could adversely affect Beijing’s policy • Academic freedom is one issue, scholars also call attention to the brain drain of US affairs experts

Chinese academics have warned of a knowledge gap with rival the United States, calling American studies in China “too weak” compared to Chinese studies in the US.

The issue was first raised in a speech by Wang Jisi, president of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies at Peking University in Beijing.

“I feel a bit ashamed and uncomfortable that our American studies are too weak,” said Wang, one of China’s top US affairs scholars, in the May 15 address. “We Chinese always say our American studies are deeper and broader than China studies in the US – I think that’s inaccurate and incorrect.” https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3134371/our-american-studies-are-too-weak- chinese-scholars-warn

Xi Jinping on development of Tibet (Xinhua) 16:04, May 23, 2021

Aerial photo taken on May 15, 2021 shows the scenery in Gyirong County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo) BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Sunday marks the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has attached great importance to the development of Tibet Autonomous Region.

The following are some highlights of his quotes in this respect: -- To govern the country well we must first govern the frontiers well, and to govern the frontiers well we must first ensure stability in Tibet.

-- Efforts must be made to build a new modern socialist Tibet that is united, prosperous, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful.

-- The CPC leadership, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the system of regional ethnic autonomy must be upheld to carry out work related to Tibet.

-- Work related to Tibet must focus on safeguarding national unity and strengthening ethnic solidarity. -- We must make improving people's livelihood and rallying public support the starting point and ultimate goal in the economic and social development. -- More education and guidance should be provided for the public to mobilize their participation in combating separatist activities, thus forging an ironclad shield to safeguard stability.

-- Tibetan Buddhism should be guided in adapting to the socialist society and should be developed in the Chinese context. http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0523/c90000-9852936.html Why China is building gleaming new government facilities in Africa

• From foreign ministry headquarters to presidential palaces, Beijing is funding projects across the continent • But concerns have been raised over the potential for bugging and how African nations will ‘pay back’ China

China is funding and building a growing number of government and parliament buildings, police headquarters, military housing and presidential palaces in Africa, helping cement its relations across the continentThe latest is a new building to house Kenya’s foreign ministry, which its principal secretary Macharia Kamau this month revealed would be paid for by China. That came after China made a similar promise to the Democratic Republic of Congo in January. Work has also begun on a new China-funded US$80 million Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Ethiopia.

The Kenyan foreign ministry announcement was made at an event in Nairobi on May 13 during which the Chinese embassy donated two buses for ministry use. “We have special gratitude to the government of the People’s Republic of China for the generous grant towards the construction of a new ministry headquarters,” Kamau said. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3134224/why-china-building-gleaming-new- government-facilities-africa

Indian media show double standards in smearing China on virus origin as govt opposes 'India variant' reference By

Xu Keyue

Published: May 23, 2021 08:27 PM

Health workers perform COVID-19 tests to passengers arriving at the Patna railway station in Patna, India, on May 22, 2021. Photo: Xinhua While Indian media outlets reported the latest advisory by its country's government which has told social media companies to remove all content referring to or implying the 'Indian variant' of COVID-19, citing World Health Organization guidelines, some media outlets are still busy with defaming China on the virus origin issue. These are blatant double standards, selfishness and irresponsible behaviors, Chinese observers pointed out.

China has always opposed stigmatization over virus origin issues and the Indian media should stop their smearing against China while opposing the "Indian variant" term, observers noted.

India Today reported on Saturday that a senior official from India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has advised social media platforms in a letter to purge all content referring to or implying the "Indian variant of COVID- 19."

"In the case of COVID-19, it was never called the Chinese flu, pandemic or Wuhan virus. Much content on social media is referring to B.1.617 as the 'Indian variant' after the WHO classified this strain rightly as a variant of global concern," remarked the official.

Using the consistent scientific name of the virus or its variant does not only avoid stigmatization against a country or region over the virus origin issue but also is beneficial in global cooperation for the fight against the pandemic, Tian Guangqiang, assistant research fellow with the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday. Tian noted that India's advisory should be supported by the public.

However, Indian media outlets including Swarajya and the Times of India are hyping up the theory that the "virus originated from China."

Swarajya published an article on its website and official Twitter account "Swarajyamag" on Thursday, using an illustration featuring a Chinese national flag. Maliciously, the illustration replaces the big star, which is surrounded by other four small red stars on the flag, with the image of the coronavirus. The illustration was widely seen as an implication of the "China virus" accusation.

With India caught up in the crisis and criticisms of the Indian government's response becoming ever more prevalent, the "lab leak" conspiracy theory has attracted a new round of attention in India, ranging from news channels to politicians.

On Thursday, the Times of India published a report titled "Escape from Wuhan: Coronavirus lab leak theory gains traction."

The double dealers have drawn widespread backlash on Chinese social media. As victims who have suffered from stigmatization over the COVID-19 virus origin, Chinese netizens expressed their support for the Indian government's advisory, saying the move is in line with scientific principles, but they condemned the double standards from Indian media outlets as "despicable."

At a critical moment in fighting the virus, Indian media outlets have apparently aimed at transferring contradictions and shifting the focus away from the authorities' failed policies domestically by slandering China and stirring up nationalism, Tian pointed out.

This shows blatant double standards, and a selfish and irresponsible attitude, said Tian.

It is very contradictory that the country's media has boasted that it is a "great power" but they don't always have the thinking of a big power, Tian said.

In contrast, despite the previous border conflicts between the two sides, China has become a backbone of support as India battles the latest devastating COVID- 19 outbreak. With a large production capacity and tight export regulations, the Chinese government has been encouraging its companies to meet India's needs.

China has showed its responsibility as a major country, Tian said. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1224241.shtml

China invading Bhutan in a gradually, stealthily: Report

With a population of just 800,000 compared to China's 1.4 billion, "there is little Bhutan can do" but watch as Beijing takes large gulps of its territory, the research paper states.

ANI | , Beijing

PUBLISHED ON MAY 23, 2021 02:23 PM IST

China has been gradually and stealthily invading its tiny neighbour Bhutan for years now, reveals new research findings.

A paper published by journal Foreign Policy stated that China has built an entire town, replete with roads, a power plant, two CPC buildings, a communications base, military and police outposts and a warehouse, almost 8 kilometres into Bhutan, reported the Australian news, site news.com.au.

In early April, the Chinese welcomed a delegation of international visitors to the city of Kunming in Yunnan province, which discussed China's mountainous southern border, which lies uninhabited and sports wild terrain.

With a population of just 800,000 compared to China's 1.4 billion, "there is little Bhutan can do" but watch as Beijing takes large gulps of its territory, the research paper states. "This involves a strategy that is more provocative than anything China has done on its land borders in the past," wrote Robert Barnett in Foreign Policy earlier this month.

The largely Buddhist Bhutanese have much in common with the people of Tibet which now lies within China. But diplomatically and economically, the government in Thimphu has closer links to India and Beijing doesn't even have an embassy in Bhutan.

That Bhutan and China can't agree where their 470 km common border lies is nothing new. By some accounts Beijing claims 12 per cent of the territory governed by Thimphu. The recent meeting in Kunming was the 25th the two nations have held concerning the frontier.

China has long built roads into these disputed territories. But building a whole town within the internationally recognised territory of another nation, even if that territory is disputed, is striking, reported news.com.au.

Called Gyalaphug, or Jieluobu in Chinese, an administration block at its centre features a hammer and sickle. A nearby banner proclaims "Resolutely uphold the core position of General Secretary Xi Jinping!" https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-invading-bhutan-in-a-gradually-stealthily-report- 101621759471821.html

The death of George Floyd and a year of turmoil in US

Published May 23, 2021, 9:55 AM by Agence-France-Presse “Day of Enlightenment.” That’s how the George Floyd Memorial Center wants to commemorate May 25, the anniversary of the 46-year-old Black man’s death under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis.

Black Lives Matter Plaza on 16th Street is repainted following the removal of the lettering for a construction project on May 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. (KEVIN DIETSCH / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP)

“This day of brutality opened the world’s eyes to the plight of Black Americans,” the website of the Memorial Center says.

The aftershocks of Floyd’s death are still being felt a year after his death. – Death captured on video – On Memorial Day weekend, the police were called after Floyd bought a pack of cigarettes at Cup Foods, where Floyd was suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill.

A struggle ensued when police tried to place him into a squad car and he ended up face down on the street with his hands cuffed behind his back.

Derek Chauvin, a 17-year veteran of the Minneapolis police department, held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes until he passed out and died.

As Floyd complained repeatedly that he could not breathe, bystanders urged Chauvin to get off his neck.

A 17-year-old girl took a video of the arrest with her smartphone and the footage went viral. – Wave of protests – The video of Floyd’s death sparked protests against racial injustice and police brutality across the United States and around the world. Protestors — Black and white — took to the streets in the largest protests in the United States since the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Most demonstrations were peaceful but some were marred by arson and looting and unrest continued in the Oregon city of Portland throughout the summer.

A police station was set on fire in Minneapolis, where National Guard troops helped restore order.

From London to Lisbon, demonstrators rallied to express solidarity with Black Americans or to denounce excesses by their own police forces. – Presidential election – As the Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, who is the former vice president to America’s first Black president, Barack Obama, and a popular figure among African Americans, reached out to Floyd’s family.

Biden attended Floyd’s funeral via video and pledged to dismantle “systemic racism” if elected to the White House.

His presidential rival, Donald Trump, threw his support behind the police, declaring himself the “law and order” candidate and blaming “antifa” and leftist “mobs” for the violence.

Biden won the November 4 election, receiving overwhelming support from Black voters, who he singled out for thanks in his victory speech.

“You’ve always had my back, and I’ll have yours,” Biden said. – Reforms left hanging – Biden, after naming Kamala Harris, a Black woman, as his White House running mate, chose an African American to head the Pentagon in another historic first.

Immediately upon taking office, Biden signed an executive order on “advancing racial equity.”

But Democratic attempts to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act have come up short so far, blocked by Republican opposition in the Senate.

While local and state police forces in the United States have enacted some reforms of their own, the number of people who die in encounters with police remains high — some 1,000 every 12 months.

And more than 25 percent are African Americans although they make up just 13 percent of the population. Fewer deaths are going unnoticed, however, thanks to media interest and video, while the names of many of the victims have become well-known such as Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and Daunte Wright, to name a few. – Historic trial – Chauvin was fired by the Minneapolis police force and went on trial in March charged with murder and manslaughter for Floyd’s death.

The livestreamed trial gripped the country and featured endless replays of the video of Floyd’s fatal arrest and emotional testimony from witnesses who recounted their failed efforts to save his life.

On April 20, a jury found Chauvin guilty of all three charges and the United States breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Since then, two other police officers have been charged with murder and a third, in Alabama, convicted in the fatal shooting of a man who called police to report that he was suicidal. But prosecutions of officers remain rare.

Chauvin is to be sentenced on June 25 and three other officers charged in connection with Floyd’s death are awaiting trial. https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/the-death-of-george-floyd-and-a-year-of-turmoil-in-us/

Bernie Sanders, Progressives Call Out Antisemitism Amid Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

BY JASON LEMON ON 5/22/21 AT 10:17 AM EDT

Senator Bernie Sanders and other prominent progressive lawmakers condemned antisemistism as well as Islamophobia after a wave of attacks and incidents targeting Jewish Americans amid the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli military and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement, which appeared to be holding on Saturday as mediators held talks with both sides, according to Reuters. The 11-day conflict left more than 240 Palestinians dead, including 66 children, The Associated Press reported. More than 1,900 Palestinians were injured as well, while 12 people were killed in Israel—including a child and a teenager.

Meanwhile, pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators have clashed in U.S. cities, as there has been an uptick in antisemitic attacks targeting Jewish Americans.

"We've recently seen disturbing antisemitic attacks and a troubling rise in Islamophobia. If you are committed to a future of equality and peaceful coexistence, please stand united against anyone who promotes hatred of any kind," Sanders, a Vermont independent who is Jewish

American, tweeted on Friday evening. https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-progressives-call-out-antisemitism-amid-israeli- palestinian-conflict-1593918

U.S. waiting to see if North Korea wants to engage in diplomacy

Reuters

2 minute read

U.S. and North Korean national flags are seen at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday the United States is waiting to see if North Korea wants to engage in diplomacy over the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-waiting-see-if-north-korea-wants-engage-diplomacy- 2021-05-23/

Biden makes strong case for engagement, but North Korea unlikely to react soon: experts Posted : 2021-05-23 18:00 Updated : 2021-05-23 18:00

U.S. President Joe Biden has demonstrated a clear commitment to engaging with North Korea by appointing a special envoy to specifically deal with North Korea issues, but whether the North will come to the table in the near future remains to be seen, U.S. experts said Friday.

In a joint press conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Biden announced his appointment of Acting Assistant Secretary of State Sung Kim as "U.S. special envoy for the DPRK" to "help drive all these efforts" toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Biden described Kim as a "career diplomat with deep policy expertise."

"Appointing Sung Kim as special envoy to North Korea is one pragmatic step. He is an experienced diplomat and, along with the other Biden appointments for posts that might affect issues related to North Korea, indicates a high priority for President Biden," said Celeste Arrington, associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University.

Kim is a career diplomat who has also served as U.S. ambassador to South Korea. He also held his newly appointed position as special U.S. representative for North Korea between 2014 and 2016 under the Barack Obama administration.

Biden said the U.S. will take "pragmatic" steps toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"Our two nations also share a willingness to engage diplomatically with DPRK, to take pragmatic steps that will reduce tensions as we move toward our ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he told the joint press conference.

Arrington noted that Kim, along with other members of Biden's North Korea team, are "well-equipped with expertise and experience to try to take pragmatic steps to reopen dialogue with the North."

Still, she cast doubt over the resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue in the near future.

"The summit strongly reaffirmed the U.S.-ROK alliance, aspects of which the DPRK perceives as threatening. President Biden also stated that the North would have to show a serious commitment to discuss its nuclear arsenal. That seems unlikely to happen soon," said Arrington.

Frank Aum, a senior expert on North Korea at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a government-run think tank based in Washington, argued the North may even return to its old habit of provocations before returning to dialogue. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/05/103_309266.html

South Korea-US alliance expands beyond security Posted : 2021-05-23 17:17 Updated : 2021-05-24 08:55

Moon, Biden agree on vaccine partnership, diplomatic approach to NK

By Jung Da-min, Joint Press Corps

The decades-long security alliance between South Korea and the United States seems to be having its range broadened after President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the economy and advanced technologies at their summit held in Washington D.C., Friday (local time).

Moon later wrapped up his five-day trip to the U.S., following the summit, and arrived home Sunday.

During the summit, the presidents reaffirmed the military alliance while promising to engage in talks with North Korea for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They also agreed to establish a comprehensive economic and technological partnership that included securing supply chains for vaccines as well as semiconductors and electric batteries. In addition, Biden promised to provide COVID-19 vaccines for 550,000 South Korean troops.

The summit seemingly brought win-win outcomes for both leaders as each got what they really wanted for their own sides during their talks, which marked their first in-person meeting since Biden took office in January.

For Korea, the summit is expected to provide the impetus to revive Moon's peace initiative toward North Korea as a joint statement published afterwards reaffirmed that Washington's North Korea policy will be based on the 2018 Panmunjeom Declaration between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as well as the Singapore Joint Statement released by Kim and Biden's predecessor Donald Trump.

Also, South Korea secured a comprehensive vaccine partnership that includes Korean firms manufacturing U.S. approved vaccines, which will help placate concerns over shortages here.

"In my view, the summit has been a huge success for Korea," said Ramon Pacheco Pardo, an associate professor of international relations at King's College London.

"To begin with, Moon is going home with a promise that the U.S. will be sending vaccines for the Korean military. This way, Korea has received a promise that no other country has. I think this shows the high esteem in which the U.S. holds Korea."

For the U.S, the Biden administration secured a $39.45 billion investment from Korea's top four business groups ― Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK and LG ― in the semiconductor and electric vehicle battery sectors.

At the same time, the U.S garnered Korea's commitment to regional cooperation in the Asia Pacific region as the two nations agreed to "acknowledge the importance of open, transparent, and inclusive regional multilateralism, including the Quad," which will put Seoul in a tough position in dealing with China that has castigated the U.S.-led coalition in the region. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/05/120_309263.html

Moon and Biden wrap up 'best summit ever' with agreements aplenty

President Moon Jae-in wrapped up what he called “the best summit ever” with U.S. President Joe Biden over the weekend, returning home with a number of agreements covering Covid-19 vaccines, semiconductors, missile development and denuclearization of North Korea.

"The outcome of the summit exceeded our expectations," Moon wrote on his Facebook account Sunday. "The United States took a lot of care to understand where we were coming from [on many issues].”

Moon and Biden had a one-on-one meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington D.C. on Friday for a little over half an hour before their top aides joined for another hour of talks. The summit extended for another 77 minutes after that, with the presence of more aides.

It was Moon’s first face-to-face summit with Biden since the U.S. president took office on Jan. 20, and Biden’s second face-to-face summit with a foreign leader after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Agreements from the summit ranged from intentional engagement with North Korea for denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and terminating the American cap on the Korean missiles program, to Covid-19 recovery efforts, including Korean investment on emerging technologies in the U.S. and American support for vaccines in Korea.

On the regional security front, the two nations agreed to coordinate their approaches to North Korea “in lockstep.”

“We spoke about the shared approach to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [DPRK] and the continuing threat of the DPRK’s missile programs,” said U.S. President Biden during the press conference. “My team consulted closely with President Moon’s team throughout the process of our DPRK review, and we both are deeply concerned about the situation. Our two nations also share a willingness to engage diplomatically with the DPRK to take pragmatic steps to reduce tensions as we move towards our ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

The two nations, in their joint statement, vowed to continue efforts for diplomacy and dialogue with the North, based on previous inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea commitments such as the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration and Singapore Joint Statement, for “complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

It was also announced during the press conference that Sung Kim, career diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Korea, would be appointed as the U.S. special envoy to North Korea.

The announcement signaled the U.S. government’s intention to engage the North through dialogue, Moon said.

“It was generally expected among experts that [the U.S. government] would appoint the special envoy on North Korean human rights issues first,” Moon posted on his Facebook account Sunday. “The appointment shows that [the United States] is prioritizing the talks on denuclearization with North Korea. ”

Moon added that because Kim is “well-versed in the situation of the Korean Peninsula and denuclearization talks,” not to mention his experience in the summit in Singapore, the first summit between a North Korean leader and a U.S. president in office, and his fluency in Korean and English, the appointment of Kim “sends a message to the North that [the U.S.] is ready for dialogue.”

But Biden drew the line on possible meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

“What I would not do is, I would not do what had been done in the recent past — I would not give him all that he is looking for, international recognition as legitimate, and allow him to move in a direction of appearing to be more serious about what he was not at all serious about,” Biden said in response to a question from the press about conditions for meeting with Kim.

“I would meet with him if there was a commitment on which we met — the commitment has to be that there is discussion about his nuclear arsenal,” he said.

Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump met with Kim three times during his office.

The summit also put to rest the long-held hope of the Moon administration: The ending of the American restrictions on Korea’s missiles development.

“It is also with pleasure that I announce the termination of the missile guidelines,” said President Moon during the joint press conference on Friday. “The agreement displays for the world the robustness of our alliance.”

Seoul and Washington signed the missile guidelines in October 1979 at the end of the Park Chung Hee presidency. At the time, Korea agreed to a 180-kilometer (112-mile) maximum range of missiles in return for technology transfers from the United States. Washington was worried about an arms race in Northeast Asia.

With North Korea's escalating threats from both nuclear and missile programs, a series of revisions followed to the guidelines. Following the fourth and most recent revision, Seoul was free from restrictions on payloads and solid fuels, but it was still prohibited from developing and operating ballistic missiles with a range farther than 800 kilometers.

The guidelines, altogether named the Revised Missiles Guidelines, have been terminated, the joint statement by the two presidents announced Friday, bringing to Korea what President Moon has pledged during his presidency, the “complete missile sovereignty.

” https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/23/national/politics/bidenmoon-summit-koreaus- north-korea/20210523192000461.html

World’s Supply of Chips Is in Danger Unless Taiwan Gets Vaccines

A Covid-19 outbreak is leaving Taiwan squeezed between the U.S. and China, and on the back foot on several fronts. Data Revisions Leave Taiwan Unsure Where Outbreak Is Heading shortage of semiconductors, the health minister got into a scrap with China over Covid-19 vaccines.Back in February, as the world was beating a path to Taiwan’s door for help to tackle a

BioNTech SE, rather than via a Chinese company whichBeijing, held he suggested, the rights tohad develop used political and market pressure the BioNTech-Pfizer to derail Taiwan Inc.’s plan vaccine to purchase across China,five Hongmillion Kong, doses Macau directly and from Taiwan. Germany’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying retorted

Threethat Taipei months “should later, stop Taiwan hyping is paying up political the price issues for undera lack theof vaccines, pretext ofwith vaccine a surge issues.” in virus cases that threatens to trigger a lockdown. Having successfully sidestepped the first Covid wave, the government now faces a health emergency only about 1% of its population is vaccinated so far with the potential to disrupt the chip industry that dominates the local economy, and which is critical to an already-squeezed— global supply. — https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-23/world-s-supply-of-chips-is-in-danger-unless- taiwan-gets-vaccines?srnd=premium-asia

Vietnam holds parliament election amid new COVID-19 outbreak

Reuters

2 minute read

Local officials prepare a polling station ahead of upcoming elections in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 19, 2021. REUTERS/Thanh Hue/File Photo

Mask-wearing Vietnamese went to the polls on Sunday, with tens of millions expected to select a largely rubber-stamp legislature amid a rapidly spreading COVID-19 outbreak. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnam-holds-parliament-election-amid-new-covid-19- outbreak-2021-05-23/

Japanese government and Olympics organizers leaning toward allowing fans at games

• • Preparations are made at a venue for the Olympic Games in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Saturday. | KYODO • KYODO • SHARE • May 23, 2021 A growing number of government officials and Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizers are leaning toward allowing a certain number of domestic spectators at this summer’s games if thorough anti-coronavirus measures are taken, sources close to the matter said.

Two months remain before the opening of the Olympics on July 23 and there are mounting calls from the public for the games to be canceled or postponed due to skepticism about organizers’ ability to contain the spread of the virus. The capital has been under a state of emergency since late April amid a fourth wave of infections.

Organizers are scheduled to decide next month on the number of spectators at games venues, taking into account the infection situation and other factors.

There are concerns that allowing spectators will increase foot traffic outside venues, meaning additional countermeasures will be required.

The sources also said that having no spectators at events will remain an option until the last minute in the event that the COVID-19 situation worsens.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga favors having spectators, with a source close to his office confirming that measures are being considered in order to allow fans in the stands.

When declaring the start of the state of emergency in late April, the government set a basic policy of not allowing spectators at major events in affected areas.

That was relaxed when the state of emergency was extended on May 7, with attendance to be capped at 5,000 people or 50% of a venue’s capacity. Adding to the push to have spectators is the track record of pro baseball and pro soccer in admitting fans without significant trouble, and the desire to have fans in the stands. Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto (left), Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto and IOC Coordination Commission Chairman John Coates (on screen) hold a news conference after a three-day IOC Coordination Commission meeting in Tokyo on Friday. | POOL / VIA REUTERS

“The discussion about having no spectators is over, and now the main avenue of consideration is how many we can allow in,” said an official who has a central role in preparing for the games.

However, if the number of spectators is to be limited, a lottery among ticket holders will be necessary. The preparations needed for a lottery means that time is growing short for organizers to make a decision.

There are also government officials and organizers that believe “the games should go ahead without spectators to ease the burden on operations, and concentrate on infection countermeasures for athletes and stakeholders,” a source said. Issues to do with hot weather and its effect on spectators are also among the problems that remain unresolved.

In March, the government and organizers decided to prohibit nonresident spectators. A decision on limiting domestic fans was to be made in April, but that has now been put off until June due to a surge in the numbers of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Japanese organizers may also be more inclined to have spectators in attendance now that a top official of the International Olympic Committee has said the Tokyo Games can be held this summer even if the capital is under a coronavirus state of emergency.

“The answer is absolutely yes,” John Coates, an IOC vice president, told a virtual news conference Friday when asked whether the Tokyo Games can be delivered under a state of emergency, citing advice on anti-virus measures from the World Health Organization and how Japan “successfully” conducted test events recently. Upon the conclusion of a three-day remote meeting with the IOC, Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo organizing body, said as many as 230 doctors and 310 nurses will be needed per day during the games, adding that about 80% of the medical workers have been secured.

People take part in a protest against the hosting of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in front of the headquarters of the Japanese Olympic Committee in Tokyo last week.

With around 15,000 athletes competing at the Olympics and Paralympics, Hashimoto said the number of overseas officials and workers will be reduced to 78,000, less than half the initial figure, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.

Of the 78,000 non-athletes, 59,000, including IOC officials and press members, are expected to be involved with the Olympics, she said.

In a bid to reassure the skeptical Japanese public, the organizers will implement measures based on three policy pillars, which comprise a sharp cut in the number of people from abroad, strict restrictions on the behavior of participants and a full-blown review of the medical system.

Under the plan, the head of the organizing body said between 50,000 and 60,000 tests per day are expected to be conducted on athletes and workers of the games.

The Japanese organizers and the IOC’s Coordination Commission, which oversees the preparations for the games, held their 11th and final meeting before the Olympics open on July 23 following an unprecedented one-year postponement.

“After nearly eight years of hard work and planning, the finish line is within touching distance,” said Coates, head of the IOC commission. “We will continue to work hand in hand with our Japanese partners to do everything possible to deliver a safe and secure games for everyone.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23/national/olympic-games-spectators/

No change in plans to hold Tokyo Olympics, Kato suggests

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato

3:16 pm, May 23, 2021

Jiji PressTOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato suggested Sunday that there is no change in the current plans to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer despite the persistent spread of the novel coronavirus.

“We’ll further ensure the safety of Japanese citizens by working thoroughly on containing the virus and proceeding with vaccinations swiftly,” Kato, Japan’s top government spokesman, said in a television program exactly two months before the July 23 opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

Reacting to the comment by Kato, Toho University Prof. Kazuhiro Tateda, who serves as a member of a panel of experts on the government’s basic policy to combat the COVID-19 crisis, said in the same TV program, “It would be difficult to hold the games if Tokyo is placed under a coronavirus state of emergency.”

The Japanese government’s third state of emergency over COVID-19 currently covers Tokyo and nine other prefectures.

Meanwhile, appearing in a different TV program on Sunday, digital reform minister Takuya Hirai said, “If the lives and health of Japanese people can be protected, Japan will be the first to create a model of holding the Olympics during a pandemic.” https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0007424737

IOC VP Gets Backlash for Saying Olympics Are on, Virus or Not

By Associated Press May 23, 2021 09:13 AM

TOKYO - If John Coates was trying to stir controversy, he succeeded.

An International Olympic Committee vice president, Coates was asked a few days ago by a Japanese reporter at an online news conference if the Tokyo Olympics would go ahead, even if a state of emergency were in force in Japan.

Coates replied: “Absolutely, yes.”

Coates said what the IOC and local organizers have been trying to persuade the Japanese public about for months: The postponed Olympics with 11,000 athletes from 200 nations and territories will open on July 23 and will be “safe and secure.”

But his defiant tone has stirred a backlash in Japan where 60-80% in polls say they do not want the Olympics to open in two months in the midst of a pandemic.

Just over 12,000 deaths in Japan — good by global standards, but poor in Asia — have been attributed to COVID-19. But Tokyo and Osaka and several other areas are under a state of emergency until May 31. And it's likely to be extended.

There is fear of new variants spreading with only a tiny percentage of Japanese vaccinated. Estimates range between 2% and 4%.

“Right now, more than 80% of the nation’s people want the Olympics postponed or canceled," Japanese billionaire businessman Masayoshi Son said over the weekend. He is the founder and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp. He also owns the SoftBank Hawks baseball team.

“Who is forcing this to go ahead, and under what rights?” Son added. Technically, the games belong to the International Olympic Committee and only it has the power to cancel. Of course, any move would have to be negotiated with Japanese organizers.

There is no suggestion this will happen.

Social media criticized Coates, and also went after IOC President Thomas Bach who has said repeatedly that everyone must “sacrifice” to pull off these Olympics, which have already banned fans from abroad. A decision on local fans attending — if any — will be made next month.

The IOC relies on selling television rights for 75% of its income, and Japan has officially spent $15.4 billion to prepare the games. Government audits suggest the figure is much higher. All but $6.7 billion is public money.

The Shukan Post magazine said in its latest issue that organizers have booked all the rooms during the Olympics in at least four of Tokyo's most expensive hotels. The magazine called the accommodations “fitting or royalty" for the IOC and others.

Tokyo organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said Friday the “Olympic family, IOC and international federations” would amount to 23,000 visitors.

The magazine said the IOC would pay up to $400 per night for rooms, with local organizers making up any difference.

Many of Japan's newspapers are among more than 60 local Olympic sponsors that have contributed more than $3 billion to local organizers. They have been restrained in their criticism, although one of them — the Hokkaido Shimbun — did call for unspecified action from Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Suga has said it's the IOC that must determine the fate of the Olympics.

“That inaction itself is forfeiting the responsibility over people's lives and health. Those in charge should take that to heart.”

The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun, which is not a sponsor, called for a cancellation in an editorial on Sunday. https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/ioc-vp-gets-backlash-saying-olympics-are-virus-or-not

Soviet Union sought end to island row in 1972 amid Japan-China thaw

• • Russian-controlled Kunashiri Island, a disputed islet which is located in the Southern Kuriles, as they are called in Russia, and which Japan calls the Northern Territories | GETTY IMAGES • KYODO • SHARE • May 23, 2021 MOSCOW The Soviet Union sought to settle a territorial dispute with Japan in 1972 by handing over two of four disputed islands off Hokkaido in response to improving China- Japan relations,– declassified documents obtained by Kyodo News showed Sunday. It is the first time it has come to light that the Soviet Union’s wariness about the normalization of diplomatic ties between China and Japan prompted Moscow to seek resolution of the territorial dispute with Tokyo and thus the conclusion of a postwar peace treaty, according to experts in Japan and Russia.

A series of formerly classified documents, including a draft peace treaty, were drawn up when the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union discussed measures to improve relations with Japan on Aug. 3, 1972.

However, Japan and the Soviet Union did not come to a compromise due to Tokyo’s insistence on the return of all four islands.

The draft peace treaty was not presented during a visit by then-Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka to Moscow in October 1973, either.

The decades-long row over the islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, has prevented the two countries from signing a post-World War II peace treaty.

The 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly affirmed remains valid, says Russia will hand over Shikotan and the Habomai islet group after concluding a peace treaty with Japan.

According to the documents, the Soviet Foreign Ministry, the KGB state security agency and the Defense Ministry warned of China’s intention to complicate any improvement of relations between Japan and the Soviet Union as Beijing rushed to normalize diplomatic ties with Tokyo. The Politburo, seeing the signing of a peace treaty with Japan as one of the top priorities of its diplomatic agenda, adopted a negotiation strategy on the basis of a return of the two smaller islets.

The Politburo, however, agreed it would reject a Japanese demand for the return of the islands Kunashiri and Etorofu.

The documents showed the Soviet Union clearly recognized the need to demarcate a border with Japan through a peace treaty.

Staying vigilant of the Japan-U.S. alliance, the Soviets demanded a guarantee from Japan and U.S. forces stationed in the country that they will not attack in return for handing over Shikotan and the Habomais.

Moscow also attached importance to winning economic cooperation from Tokyo.

The draft peace treaty prohibited both parties from intimidation by actual use of force, as well as letting others use their territories for acts that would cause military damage to either.

The draft demanded that Japan permanently demilitarize the two islands once returned, and that the two sides make no more claims on each other’s territories in the future.

The Politburo, however, hardened its stance two months before Tanaka’s 1973 trip to Moscow.

In a meeting on Aug. 16 that year, the Politburo discussed plans for Tanaka’s visit and the Foreign Ministry reported that Japan’s stance on the return of the four islands had not changed.

During Tanaka’s visit, the Soviet Union did not present the two-island settlement plan, nor even acknowledge the existence of the territorial dispute. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23/national/soviet-union-end-island-row/

EU denounces Myanmar junta's electoral body plan to dissolve Suu Kyi party

Reuters

2 minute read

A supporter of National League for Democracy (NLD) party holds a flag on the top of a boat as he takes part in a rally ahead of a November 8 general election, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the Yangon river, Myanmar, October 28, 2020. REUTERS / Shwe Paw Mya Tin

The European Union on Sunday denounced a proposal by Myanmar's junta- appointed election commission to dissolve deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), which overwhelmingly won the general election in November.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/eu-denounces-myanmar-juntas-electoral-body-plan- dissolve-suu-kyi-party-2021-05-23/

More than 125,000 Myanmar teachers suspended for opposing coup

Reuters

4 minute read

A teacher from Yangon University of Education holds a sign with a red ribbon while taking part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, February 5, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

More than 125,000 school teachers in Myanmar have been suspended by the military authorities for joining a civil disobedience movement to oppose the military coup in February, an official of the Myanmar Teachers' Federation said. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/more-than-125000-myanmar-teachers-suspended- opposing-coup-2021-05-23/

Myanmar coup unleashes crystal meth bonus for cartels Golden Triangle gangs use chaos in lawless state to flood market with highly addictive ‘crazy medicine’

Seized drugs and the chemicals and lab equipment used to make them are put on display in Shan state, Myanmar

YE AUNG THU/GETTY

Philip Sherwell, Mae Sai

Saturday May 22 2021, 6.00pm BST, The Sunday Times

The “ice” was stashed inside hot grills and heaters unloaded at a Sydney wharf — a huge haul of crystal methamphetamine, nearly a third of a ton, with a street value of than £50 million in Australia.

Australian border patrol officers discovered the highly addictive drug earlier this month as they searched 62 boxes of electric barbecues, roasting pots and water heaters shipped as sea cargo from Thailand to Port Botany, Sydney’s container terminal.

The seizure, announced last week, is telling evidence of boom times for the drug lords of Myanmar’s Golden Triangle as the chaos and calamity unleashed by February’s military coup has delivered a bonanza for Asian triads. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/myanmar-coup-unleashes-crystal-meth-bonus-for-cartels- wk8zhk9v6

Myanmar coup latest: Clashes intensify in anti-junta conflicts

Junta seeks democracy 'within a year'; Min Aung Hlaing says Suu Kyi is healthy: reports

Thick columns of black smoke rise from Hkamti, Sagaing, in northwestern Myanmar on May 22. (Photo from News Ambassador via Reuters)

Nikkei staff writersMay 17, 2021 10:10 JSTUpdated on May 24, 2021 05:28 JST

YANGON/BANGKOK -- Myanmar's military on Feb. 1 detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in the country's first coup since 1988, bringing an end to a decade of civilian rule.

The Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy had won a landslide in a general election in November. But the military has claimed the election was marred by fraud.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Myanmar-Coup/Myanmar-coup-latest-Clashes-intensify-in-anti-junta- conflicts

Why Myanmar’s civil war won’t be like Syria’s Myanmar is descending into widespread violence but there are various mitigating factors that will forestall total state collapse

By BRIAN MCCARTANMAY 23, 2021

A Myanmar anti-coup activist undergo basic military training with a weapon at the camp of Karen National Union (KNU), an ethnic rebel group in Karen state after people fled major Myanmar cities due to military crackdown and sought refuge in rebel territories. Photo: AFP/Stringer

When four bomb blasts killed two police near the military’s General Administrative Office in Yangon on Friday, it was the latest sign the nation’s long-running armed conflict is spreading from frontier to urban areas.

The blasts and other recent attacks on military soft targets, coupled with the junta’s killing of over 800 street protesters, have given the impression to some that Myanmar’s violence is escalating uncontrollably towards a failed state scenario.

But while many analysts and observers believe Myanmar could be on the verge of a debilitating Syria-like civil war — replete with massive violence, bloodshed and refugee flows — certain mitigating factors should forestall a complete state collapse. Violence in ethnic areas long plagued by civil war is accelerating coincident with the junta’s lethal crackdown in urban areas that has sparked an increasingly militant protester response.

A period of relative ethnic area calm was shattered on March 25 when the rebel Kachin Independence Army (KIA) overran the Myanmar Army’s strategic Alaw Bum outpost. The attack was followed by fighting across Kachin and northeastern Shan state and the capture of more Tatmadaw camps by ethnic armies. https://asiatimes.com/2021/05/why-myanmars-civil-war-wont-be-like-syrias/

Country's economic situation better after recovery measures, says Muhyiddin By Bernama - May 23, 2021 @ 10:01pm

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin speaks during the special interview titled "Program Bicara Khas Cabaran Pandemik Covid-19 Eksklusif", aired on RTM and Bernama TV. - NSTP

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's economy is expected to get better this year despite major challenges following the health and economic crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said economic recovery measures and activities introduced by the government had helped mitigate the impact of the pandemic as well as the global trade situation.

Speaking in a special interview aired on RTM and Bernama TV this evening, Muhyiddin said Malaysia is on the right path towards registering a stronger and a more sustainable economic growth.

"Our efforts have started showing positive results.

"For instance, our exports show an increase, similar trends have been recorded for imports, the number of people employed reached more than 150,000 people compared with the 120,000 people as projected.

"According to the projection by international bodies, local experts and Bank Negara, the country is expected to register a growth of between 6.5 and 7 per cent this year.

"We have another four to seven months to achieve these targets (set under the economic recovery plan)," said Muhyiddin in the "Program Bicara Khas Cabaran Pandemik Covid-19 Eksklusif" interview co-hosted by Wan Syahrina Wan Ab Rahman from Bernama TV and Terrence Dass from RTM.

Muhyiddin said the government has tried to strike a balance between the importance of public health and the need for economic recovery when implementing the Movement Control Order for the third time (MCO 3.0).

The approach, he said, was similar to the second phase of the MCO, in which several economic sectors were allowed to operate and the impact towards the economy was less severe compared to the period during MCO 1.0.

"We started early (introducing measures to mitigate the economic impact caused by Covid-19), since last year. "This time around, the measures introduced (to curb the spread of Covid-19) does not involve closing down all (economic sectors) since we are thinking about the future.

"We may have to close all economic sectors if we only think for the short term. But this is for the long term. We are protecting the lives, future of the people, their income, their work (source of income)," he said.

The prime minister also touched on the major expenses incurred by the country in the battle against the global pandemic.

"Sometimes, people forget that these (various economic stimulus) packages (rolled out by the government) are among the largest in the history of the country.

"And it will not end there, we will try and do more," he said.

The country's mass vaccination exercise under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP), said Muhyiddin, would no doubt contribute towards the recovery of economic activities.

"We are targeting to vaccinate (a majority of) the country's population before the end of the year.

"Our target is 80 per cent of the nation's population, which will enable us to create herd immunity.

"We hope when there is protection (when many have been vaccinated), the economy will subsequently recover and next year will be better for us," he said.

The prime minister said among the industries severely battered by the pandemic was the tourism industry, which is expected to take three to four years to recover.

Muhyiddin said the Federal Government has formulated initiatives to mitigate the impact towards the industry.

"This (tourism) sector is the most affected since we are not able to travel outside of the country and foreign tourists could not visit Malaysia.

"Many hotels were forced to close, homestays could not operate... Taxis and buses were left stranded due to no tourists.

"That is why I had instructed the Finance Ministry to provide necessary assistance to taxi drivers. This is because some taxi drivers did not benefit from moratorium initiative as they bought their vehicles from leasing companies." The prime minister added that the government has started discussions with China and other Asean countries to allow entry of foreign tourists under the green lane approach when the situation permits.

The government, he said, was also providing assistance to stakeholders in the creative sectors in its effort to revive the tourism industry. https://www.nst.com.my/news/government-public-policy/2021/05/692452/countrys-economic- situation-better-after-recovery

Aussie PM eyes stronger ties with PH in promoting 'open, inclusive, stable, prosperous, free' Indo-Pacific region

Published May 23, 2021, 9:36 AM by Roy Mabasa Australia and the Philippines are aiming to continue the vision of maintaining an “open, inclusive, stable, prosperous and free” Indo- Pacific in the next 75 years of the bilateral relationship between the two countries, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said over the weekend. In a video message posted over Twitter, Prime Minster Morrison spoke about Australia and the Philippines’ decades of “shared history” and “great bond” that started seven and a half decades ago shortly after the end of World War 2.

“Our people-to-people links are strong and they’re enduring, as should be for countries that share a home, our Indo-Pacific. We also share a vision of what a home should be – open, inclusive, stable and prosperous, free. That is what we’d worked for over the last 75 years and that is what we will continue to work for together in the next 75 years,” Morrison said. Indo-Pacific is a region that connects the waterways of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, including the volatile South China Sea where an estimated $5.4 trillion worth of global trade passes through every year. In honoring the diplomatic ties that began on May 22, 1946 when the first Australian Consulate General was established in Manila, Morrison used no less the powerful words of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal on how to look back to the shared history between the two “free democratic and sovereign nations”. “It was your great Filipino patriot Jose Rizal who once said, ‘He who does not know how to look back at where we have come from will never get to his destination,” he said. Throughout the 75 years of their ties, Morrison said the two countries were able to develop the spirit of ‘bayanihan’ or ‘mateship’ that helped them grow together and move forward. Philippines are aiming to continue the vision of maintaining an “open, inclusive, stable, prosperous and free” Indo-Pacific in the next 75 years of the bilateral relationship between the two countries, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said over the weekend.

In a video message posted over Twitter, Prime Minster Morrison spoke about Australia and the Philippines’ decades of “shared history” and “great bond” that started seven and a half decades ago shortly after the end of World War 2.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/23/aussie-pm-eyes-stronger-ties-with-ph-in-promoting-open-inclusive- stable-prosperous-free-indo-pacific-region/

Life slowly resumes in ravaged Gaza Strip after ceasefire

• • A Palestinian shop owner sits amongst the ruins of his store in the al-Rimal commercial district in Gaza City on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI • AFP-JIJI • SHARE • May 23, 2021 GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP Cafes reopened, fishermen set out to sea and shopkeepers dusted off shelves Saturday as Gazans slowly resumed their daily lives after a deadly 11- day conflict between Hamas– and Israel. Aid trickled into the Gaza Strip, the blockaded enclave controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, as the focus turned to rebuilding the devastated territory a day after a ceasefire took hold.

The Egypt-brokered truce halted Israeli air strikes on the crowded Palestinian territory and rockets fired by Palestinian armed groups at Israel since May 10.

Rescue workers searched for bodies or survivors in mounds of rubble after what Gazans referred to in the street as the latest “war” or “escalation” with the Jewish state.

In Gaza City’s port, Rami Abu Amira and a dozen other fisherman prepared their nets before heading out to sea for the first time in two weeks.

“We need to eat,” he said after the Gaza coastguard allowed fishing again, though adding he would stick close to the coastline to stay safe.

“We, fishermen, are scared the Israeli navy will shoot at us. It’s up to everyone to decide whether to go or not.”

‘All lost’

The latest round of bombardment killed 248 people in Gaza, including 66 children, and wounded more than 1,900 since May 10, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

The United Nations says more than half of those killed, the overwhelming majority in Israeli air strikes, were civilians.

Israel says it has killed “more than 200 terrorists,” including 25 commanders. During the same period, rockets fired by Palestinian armed groups killed 12 people in Israel including one child, a teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian and two Thai nationals, the police say. Some 357 people in Israel were injured.

On Friday evening in Gaza, Palestinian families had rushed to seaside cafes to breathe fresh air or smoke shisha.

In a clothes store near the ruins of a ravaged tower block in the upscale neighborhood of Rimal in Gaza City, mannequins still wore the latest 2021 trends, but they were now caked in dust.

Bilal Mansur, 29, said all his merchandise had been ruined.

“There’s dust everywhere, dust from the Israeli bombs clinging to the clothes. We won’t be able to sell them,” he said.

Palestinian fishermen mend their nets before setting to sea at the main port in Gaza City on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI

Nearby store owner Wael Amin al-Sharafa said he had stocked up his shop with new clothes to sell during the usually busy season of Eid al-Fitr at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

“But now it’s all lost,” he said. “Who will pay for all this? I have no idea.”

‘Two-state solution’

Convoys of lorries carrying aid began passing into Gaza on Friday through the Kerem Shalom crossing after it was reopened by Israel, bringing much-needed medicine, food and fuel.

The U.N.’s Central Emergency Response Fund said it had released $18.5 million for humanitarian efforts.

The latest round of Israeli bombardment forced 91,000 people to flee their homes in Gaza, the U.N. humanitarian agency says.

It has hit 1,447 homes, completely destroying 205 residential blocks or homes, as well as ravaged electricity and water supply, according to the Gaza authorities.

The U.N. says three main desalination plants providing drinking water for more than 400,000 people have stopped working.

Both sides were fast to claim victory, as Egyptian state media said two Egyptian security delegations had arrived to monitor the deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s bombing campaign had been an “exceptional success”. Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh said they had “dealt a painful and severe blow that will leave its deep marks” on Israel, and thanked Iran for “providing funds and weapons”. The international community welcomed the ceasefire.

A woman walks past a destroyed building in the al-Rimal commercial district in Gaza City on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI

U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to help organize efforts to rebuild Gaza and said creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel is the “only answer” to the conflict.

“We still need a two-state solution,” he said. Peace talks have stalled since 2014 including over the key issues of the status of occupied east Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Al-Aqsa clashes

In a reminder of ongoing tensions despite the ceasefire, Israeli police on Friday fired stun grenades at worshippers in the highly sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Israeli forces beat an AFP photographer who was covering the unrest there.

The incident was reminiscent of the tensions in Jerusalem that sparked the latest round of conflict.

Israeli security forces had cracked down on protests against the expulsion of Palestinian families from their homes to make way for Jewish settlers in the occupied east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

And they had also moved in on worshippers at Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site.

Hamas on May 10 launched of rockets from Gaza towards Israel, in “solidarity” with Palestinians in Jerusalem.

The conflict sparked mob violence in Israel, and clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters in the West Bank.

Israeli forces have killed 25 Palestinians, including four under the age of 18, in the West Bank since May 10, the authorities in the territory say. Israel claims five tried to attack Israeli forces.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23/world/gaza-strip-life-resumes-ceasefire/

Hamas scores 'victory' over Palestinian rival Fatah following battle with Israel • Members of Al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Hamas group, march in Gaza City on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI

• AFP-JIJI • SHARE • May 23, 2021 JERUSALEM After a ceasefire with Israel, Hamas has claimed “victory” but the Palestinian Islamist group’s success lies more in marginalizing its political rival Fatah than in battle, analysts say.– The return of calm to the Hamas-run enclave of Gaza, after 11 days of Israeli air strikes on the coastal strip — and rocket fire sent in the other direction — was celebrated Friday by large crowds waving Palestinian flags.

“This is the euphoria of victory,” senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Hayya told jubilant Palestinians in the densely populated enclave after the Egypt-brokered truce.

Hamas began a barrage of heavy rocket fire from Gaza toward Israel on May 10, in response to repeated clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces inside annexed east Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

In total, Hamas and Islamic Jihad launched more than 4,300 projectiles, according to Israel — an intensity of fire seen as unprecedented, even if most rockets were intercepted by its Iron Dome defense system or fell short.

A major factor in Hamas’ own claim to victory lies in “being seen as defending Palestinian rights, especially in relation to Jerusalem — and (in) facing down Israel”, said Hugh Lovatt, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Jamal al-Fadi, a professor of political science in Gaza, said Hamas feels victorious “because it was able to strike deep inside Israel … (and) Israel could not prevent it.”

Fadi also said the militants had proved their ability to build up a substantial arsenal, despite the Gaza Strip having been under blockade for 14 years.

On the other side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel’s intense bombardment of Gaza by air strikes and mortar fire as an “exceptional success” that had killed “more than 200 terrorists”.

The Jewish state can “point to its degradation of Hamas military capabilities,” Lovatt said.

But one area where Hamas can claim a clear victory is in further sidelining Fatah, which runs the Palestinian Authority from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian members of Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah movement, in Ramallah on May 17. | AFP-JIJI

Hamas and Fatah, a secular organization led by president Mahmud Abbas, have been at loggerheads since the last Palestinian elections, before a partial reconciliation in recent months. Held in 2006, those polls were won by Hamas, which pushed Fatah out of Gaza the following year, in what came close to a Palestinian civil war.

Elections were due on May 22, but 86-year-old Abbas abruptly postponed them earlier this month, alienating Hamas afresh.

Hamas saw elections as way “to relieve itself from the burden of governance by eventually bringing back the PA” to poverty-stricken Gaza, said Lovatt.

“The prospect of … a government of national unity which Hamas would (have) supported or been a member of could have allowed for more progress,” he added.

“But because the path for political engagement was closed, they had to reconfigure their calculations.”

Hamas uses cycles of violence as attempts to extract “concessions” from Israel over Gaza, including relaxations of import curbs and increased export permits for residents.

For Hamas, periodic bouts of violence are its main competitive advantage against Fatah, said Hussein Ibish, a Middle East expert.

“They claim to be the defenders of Palestine … in contrast to a supine PA government,” he added.

Fadi said: “Abbas has become powerless. … His political performance is no longer acceptable to the public.”

His tenure began in 2009 — the same year as Netanyahu began his 12 successive years as Israel’s premier.

Netanyahu’s governments have expanded settlements — seen as illegal by much of the international community — and the U.S. has recognized Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital.

According to Fadi, it remains to be seen if Hamas, branded a “terrorist organisation” by the U.S. and the European Union, is able to manage the post-conflict period, notably the challenge of reconstructing Gaza.

Lovatt describes the ceasefire with Israel as “very fragile”.

“There is no reason to believe it’s going to be any more sustainable than the past ones — so it’s just a question of when … the next war” erupts, he said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23/world/hamas-victory-fatah/

ASPI’s decades: Asia–Pacific to Indo-Pacific 24 May 2021|Graeme Dobell20 years of ASPI

ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. impose hierarchy and order on Defence spending and structure. Among strategists, geography is used in an effort to refine Australia’s strategic thinking and Yet in the first decades of the 21st century the geographic calculus was bedevilled by fundamental shifts in power. transformed by a shape-shifting, expanding sense of region. As much else changed, so did Australia’s sense of the world around its continent, In the 1980s and 1990s, Australia helped build an ambitious geographic construct, the Asia Pacific. Then that Asia Pacific model gave way to an even larger defining geography, the Indo-Pacific. – –

IndonesiaIndia’s growing and ASEAN importance had to had be affirmedto be acknowledged, and made central China’s to sythestemic expanded effects understanding. had to be calculated, Japan’s security evolution embraced, and the traditional concentration on Just as geography is remade by tectonic forces, geopolitics and geoeconomics remade the

policy frame to adjust to China’s rise, India’s arrival and America’s relative decline. white paper, and when the policy was delivered in May 2009, geography was in the title:Kevin Defending Rudd’s Labor Australia government in the Asia that Pacific won office century. in 2007 set to work on a new defence

there ASPI’s Rod Lyon and Andrew Davies wrote that while- media reporting of Labor’s policy strstatement tended to focus on the hardware- acquisition amid (‘Andthe shifting that is sandsnot surprising— of the Asia Pacific:is a lot of it.’), just as important was a ‘significant re positioning of Australia’s declaratory ategic policy’ and ‘a firm geography based line’ – acknowledgement that, while Australia has four major strategic interests a secure Australia,That emphasis a secure on geographical neighbourhood, determinism a stable Asia is reinforcedPacific and in athe rules-based White Paper’s global order only the first two of those interests will actually shape the Australian force— structure. Given that, one could be forgiven for wondering why the– power balance shifts in the wider Asia— Pacific engendered by the rise of China are given so much prominence elsewhere in the document. Indeed, there seems to be something of a disconnect here. If developments in – the wider region are not force structure determinants, why the emphasis on a larger fleet of long-range submarines with strategic strike capabilities? The revival of the Defence of Australia strategic orthodoxy suggests a narrowing of Australian strategic policy focus under the Rudd government.

In one sense, the white paper was - then ASPI executive director Peter Abigail observed: ‘ground breaking’, – It was the first public policy statement by a US ally that attempted to come to terms with the power shifts underway in the Asia Pacific and raise questions about the durability of discourse into the realm of declared policy– and, therefore, attracted quite a bit of attention, particularlyUS strategic inprimacy. Beijing It and lifted Washington. what had been academic, commentarial and officials’

At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, Davies and Mark Thomson considered the the key unknown was whether economic cooperation or strategic competition would take precedence: regional ‘state of flux’ and saw two broad futures— The optimistic possibility is that Asia will evolve into a region in which cooperation trumps strategic competition something akin to how Europe operates today. The more pessimistic possibility is that strategic competition will grow into mounting tensions and that Asia will face the —same bleak prospects that Europe did a century ago. https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/aspis-decades-asia-pacific-to-indo-pacific/

‘Naval FOBs can prevent China forays posted May 24, 2021 at 01:00 am by Rio N. Araja and Rey E. Requejo

The chairman of the House committee on strategic intelligence on Sunday called for the establishment of naval forward operating bases in the Philippine Sea, as former Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio warned of China's “creeping expansion” in the region.

“We want the Philippine Navy positioned to prevent China from asserting administrative control over any reefs, rocks or lagoons within our 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone,'' said Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, chairman of the House committee on strategic intelligence.

“We should avoid a repeat of the 2012 incident where China was able to occupy Bajo de Masinloc,” he said, referring to the Scarborough Shoal.

In military parlance, a forward operating base is a secure outpost that can serve as a springboard for sustained remote operations.

“The Navy should put up new FOBs in Palawan – one in the municipality of Balabac and one in the municipality of Busuanga – as part of its strategic basing plan, plus a third FOB in Subic Bay, which is only 123 nautical miles west of Bajo de Masinloc,” Pimentel said.

“We expect the Navy’s two lead warships to be posted in the FOBs and to routinely operate in the West Philippine Sea,” he said, referring to the multi-role guided missile frigates BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna.

He said he is counting on the Philippine Coast Guard to constantly deploy its lead ship – the French-made, 84-meter offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang – in the waters threatened by unwanted Chinese forays.

“Both the Coast Guard and the Navy should marshal their best defensive fighting assets in the waters where we are most vulnerable,” he said.

In the 2012 standoff, Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels blocked access to Bajo de Masinloc, and thwarted the BRP Gregorio del Pilar from accosting Chinese boats caught illegally fishing in the area.

As part of a deal brokered by the United States government, bothChina and the Philippines were supposed to withdraw their ships from Bajo de Masinloc. After the Philippines pulled out, however, China reneged and kept occupying the chain of coral reefs and rocks that formed part of Masinloc in Zambales, Pimentel said. Over the weekend, Carpio warned of China's grand plan to take over the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea through what he described as “creeping expansion” in the South China Sea, which aims to make Beijing's so-called nine-dash line its national boundary.

Carpio, who has been urging the government to assert its sovereignty over its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea, said there is no need for the government to be preoccupied with determining who should be blamed and who ordered the withdrawal of Philippine Navy ships in 2012 as part of the United States-brokered agreement.

Carpio said that Beijing’s ultimate goal is to take control of the entire South China Sea through its creeping expansionism in the disputed waters that actually started when it seized control of half of the Paracel Island in 1946.

“China has a grand plan to make the nine dash line its national boundary. Control everything within the nine-dash line. This means they will get Scarborough Shoal, they will get the Spratlys. It’s very clear that’s their plan,” Carpio said, in an interview with GMA News.

“This is what we must stop. We must look at it from this point of view. It’s very clear. We must be on the same page. China will control the South China Sea because that is their plan,” Carpio said.

China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea based on the U-shaped nine-dash line etched on a map in the 1940s by a Chinese geographer. This dotted line was adopted from Chinese maps in the 1940s, and represents Beijing’s claim over the sea and all the land features that are contained within the line.

But on July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, adjudicating the Philippines’ case against China in the South China Sea, ruled overwhelmingly in favor of Manila, determining that major elements of Beijing’s claim—including its nine-dash line, recent land reclamation activities, and other activities in Philippine waters—were unlawful. The arbitral award also upheld the Philippines’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

China rejected the arbitral ruling, maintaining that it was “null and void.”

“I don’t care about the squabble on who ordered the withdrawal (of the Philippine Navy ships). We have to look at the bigger picture. This is the plan of China to control the South China Sea to control and seize from us the West Philippine Sea -- from the Spratlys to Scarborough shoal-- to enforce the nine-dash line,” Carpio said.

Carpio recalled China’s seizure of half of Paracels in 1946 and subsequently the other half of the Paracel Island from South Vietnamese in 1974. “They took over Fiery Cross Reef in 1987. They seized Subi Reef and Mckinley Reef in 1988, they seized Mischief Reef in 1995, they seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and they seized Lacuna Shoal in 2013, and the last island that they seized from us was Sandy Cay in 2017,” he said. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, on the other hand, said the government must be “smart in taking care of our territory.”

“And maybe one lesson we could get here, even though our funds are limited, and we have various problems like pandemics, we still need to have an Armed Forces that is ready and capable to protect our territory and our sovereign zones,” he said in a separate interview with GMA News.

“The President takes the modernization of the Armed Forces seriously because he knows that even if we make friends, we should learn from history. Of course, diplomacy and friendship do not guarantee that you will not be exploited if you do not have capability to defend your territory,” Roque added.

Also on Sunday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said that China’s Coast Guard law is not applicable in the Philippines’ maritime zones because it is only valid within Chinese borders.

“I refuse to have it studied as if it applied to our territorial waters. It doesn’t. So we in boats go about our waters like the CCG law does not exist; we run up against its enforcement we fight back… or submit. CHN (China) like PH can write any law but [it is] valid only within their borders,” Locsin posted on his Twitter.

Locsin made the statement in reaction to the statement made by Carpio, who said that the CCG law is a threat to the security not just of the Philippines but also to other claimant countries in the South China Sea.

Carpio earlier said the legality of the Chinese Coast Guard law can be challenged before the international tribunal.

Under the Chinese law, which was adopted by China’s Communist Party plenary on Jan. 22, 2021, China's coast guard is authorized to fire on foreign vessels, a move that may result in escalation of tension in the disputed South China Sea.

The Chinese law also empowers the Chinese Coast Guard to “take all necessary measures, including the use of weapons when national sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon by foreign organizations or individuals at sea.”

Since the 2016 arbitral award only applies to the Philippines, Carpio said other claimant countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam can also question China’s excessive claims under the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.

Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday backed multilateral talks rather than bilateral talks with Beijing, which would put the Philippines at a disadvantage because of China's size and power. “I think, we can only equalize our footing if we have allies with the same concerns,” Robredo said.

https://manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/355286/-naval-fobs-can-prevent-china-forays.html

Solon wants forward naval bases in West Philippine Sea ABS-CBN News

Posted at May 23 2021 03:53 PM MANILA - A lawmaker on Sunday urged government to construct naval “forward operating bases”(FOBs) in the West Philippine Sea amid the continuing incursions of Chinese vessels in Philippine waters.

These are secured outposts that can serve as a springboard for sustained remote operations, said Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, chairperson of the House strategic intelligence committee.

The Philippine Navy should put up FOBs in the towns of Balabac and Busuanga in Palawan and in Subic Ba,y and post its 2 lead warships there, according to Pimentel.

“We want the Philippine Navy positioned to prevent China from asserting administrative control over any reefs, rocks or lagoons within our 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone,” he said in a statement.

“We should avoid a repeat of the 2012 incident where China was able to occupy Bajo de Masinloc," he added, noting that the Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia blocked access to Bajo de Masinloc during the 2012 standoff.

Pimentel earlier said government should go ahead with its plan to acquire its first three submarines part of the Philippines' defensive combat ships.

“The attack submarines that our Navy intends to procure will be particularly helpful in protecting our maritime domain in the deeper waters of the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

“They can stealthily conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations against unwelcome Chinese maritime militia vessels."

The Philippine Navy plans to obtain three Scorpene-class submarines from France, according to Pimentel.

As of May 12, nearly 300 Chinese maritime militia vessels remain scattered in different areas in Kalayaan, Palawan, both within and outside the country's exclusive economic zone, according to the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea.

President Rodrigo Duterte said he would not withdraw Philippine ships from disputed waters after he drew flak over his remark that his campaign promise for fishermen in disputed seas was a joke.

Duterte has pursued friendlier ties with China despite its repeated incursions in the West Philippine Sea, the country's EEZ in the South China Sea, in exchange for investments, infrastructure funding and most recently, vaccine supply. China's sweeping claims over almost the entire South China Sea has no legal basis, a UN-backed arbitration court ruled in 2016.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/23/21/solon-wants-forward-naval-bases-in-west-philippine-sea Whitsun Reef Standoff: Implications for the U.S.- Philippine-China triangle in the South China Sea May 20, 2021

declared Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte following a month-long standoff between“I’m not so Manila much and interested Beijing nowover inthe fishing. disputed I don’t Whitsun think Reef there’s in t enoughhe South fis Chinah to quarrel Sea. about,” Eager to maintain friendly ties with China, the Filipino president downplayed the maritime spats and, accordingly, warned against escalating tensions, since

“If we go there to assert our jurisdiction, personal it willintervention be [a] bloody, including [confrontation regular talks with with China].” Chinese diplomats in Manila, seemingly helped prevent a dangerous escalation in the South China Sea. Yet, the Whitsun ReefDuterte’s standoff will likely have major strategic implications, which will echo far beyond

AtDuterte’s the most term fundamental in office. level, the latest maritime showdown has strengthened the hands of China hawks in Manila and, accordingly, will likely push the Philippines back into Amer

https://www.chinausfocus.com/peace-security/whitsun-reef-standoff-implicatica’s strategic orbit in the coming years. ions-for-the-us- philippine-china-triangle-in-the-south-china-sea

Maritime Patrol Aircraft in the Asia-Pacific Area 05/23/2021

By Australian Defence Business Review

extended to territorial waters no more than 12nm (about 22km) beyond its shoreline. However, the idea of allotting nations Exclusive Economic ZonesTraditionally, (EEZs) toa nation’s give them claims more to control the surrounding of maritime seas affairs outside territorial limits gained acceptance in the late 20th century.

In 1982, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea formally adopted the 200nm (370km) adjacent to the territorial sea, subject to the specific legal regime established in this Part, under which theEEZ. rights Part V,and Article jurisdiction 55 of the of conventionthe coastal Statestates, and “The the exclusive rights and eco freedomsnomic zone of other is an areaStates beyond are governed and

by the relevant provisions of this Convention.” The consequence of this is that the body of water that a nation is tasked with protecting and patrolling has grown significantly when its EEZ is factored in. Challenges to EEZ security include piracy, terrorism, illegal immigration, and smuggling, while the enlarged maritime area of direct interest to nations also means it would be more inefficient and expensive to patrol solely by seaborne vessels. The result is that states are increasingly using maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) to monitor and patrol the activities inside the EEZs.

The value of MPAs was driven home in a big way in March 2014 when Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared soon after beginning a regularly scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite a two-month long extensive search over the South China Sea and, subsequently, the Indian Ocean west of Australia by MPAs from several regional countries, no trace of the Boeing 777 has since been found. The operation did however drive home the utility of MPAs capable of safely conducting long overwater flights for such missions.

The need for such aircraft in the Indo-Pacific is further driven by a dependence on maritime trade and a shifting geopolitical outlook. Coupled with the extensive coastlines found in the region (62,800km along Asia alone) and the dominance of bodies o military modernisation programs support an MPA element. f water, it is altogether unsurprising that many of the region’s Other drivers include the simmering territorial disputes in the South and East China Sea at the forefront of the news in recent years. In addition, the region is expected to see more than 100 submarines operational by 2030, mostly belonging to China but also including newcomers to the submarine club.

https://defense.info/featured-story/2021/05/maritime-patrol-aircraft-in-the-asia-pacific-area/

Racing the Sun to Protect America BY DANA A. GOWARD

PRESIDENT, RESILIENT NAVIGATION AND TIMING FOUNDATION

MAY 23, 2021 08:00 AM ET

One hundred years ago, on the fifteenth of May 1921, random telegraph and telephone offices in the United States and around the world suddenly burst into flames. Fuses were blown, equipment damaged, connections severed. Undersea telegraph cable service was interrupted. Aurora—as in “the northern lights”—appeared in Pasadena, California. The night sky in Boston was so bright you could read a newspaper.

A railroad office and switching system in New York were also destroyed. The event came to be known as the “New York Railroad Solar Storm of 1921.”

Earth had been slapped, and hard, by the sun. Three successive coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, had first weakened and then penetrated the planet’s natural defenses.

When this happens again, and it will, the after-effects will make the COVID-19 pandemic look like a warm-up act. Unless we are ready.

If we continue to move at the normal pace of government, we probably won’t be.

https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/05/racing-sun-protect-america/174162/

Growing mystery of suspected energy attacks draws US concern

By Nomaan Merchant and Robert Burns and Eric Tucker - Associated Press - Sunday, May 23, 2021

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is facing new pressure to resolve a mystery that has vexed its predecessors: Is an adversary using a microwave or radio wave weapon to attack the brains of U.S. diplomats, spies and military personnel?

The number of reported cases of possible attack is sharply growing and lawmakers from both parties, as well as those believed to be affected, are demanding answers. But scientists and government officials aren’t yet certain about who might have been behind any attacks, if the symptoms could have been caused inadvertently by surveillance equipment — or if the incidents were actually attacks.

Whatever an official review concludes could have enormous consequences. Confirmation that a U.S. adversary has been conducting damaging attacks against U.S. personnel would unleash calls for a forceful response by the United States.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/may/23/growing-mystery-of-suspected-energy-attacks- draws-/

Will Pakistan give US post-Afghanistan military bases? Speculation is rife Pakistan may give US base access to combat terrorism after it withdraws troops from Afghanistan

By FM SHAKILMAY 23, 2021

PESHAWAR – Last week, Pakistan categorically denied that it would provide military bases for US forces amid rampant speculation that it has agreed to a post-troop withdrawal from Afghanistan deal that will facilitate Washington’s regional counterterrorism operations.

The rumors deepened when General Kenneth McKenzie Jr, commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), recently made a policy statement to the US Senate saying that a fraction of US forces will remain stationed nearby Afghanistan after the troops’ fully withdraw from the country by September 11.

McKenzie said that the Biden administration was busy consulting several of the landlocked country’s neighbors to keep Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda militants in check through counterterrorism operations from outside Afghanistan.

Equally intriguing was a telephone call US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made last month to Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in which the military leaders reportedly discussed “the situation arising out of the drawdown in Afghanistan.”

They also discussed “regional stability and the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship.” Austin reportedly expressed his desire to continue “working together on shared goals and objectives in the region.”

Meanwhile, reports that Pakistan intends to open a new airbase in the Nasirabad area of Balochistan province have kept the rumor mill churning that Islamabad has already tacitly granted basing rights to the US military for counterterrorism operations.

Military analysts say that the Jacobabad base in Sindh province, which served to provide logistical support to US and allied forces in Afghanistan since 2001, is specially designated to deploy US F-16s, as US authorities do not allow F-16s to be based in hangars with other planes. https://asiatimes.com/2021/05/is-pakistan-poised-to-give-us-new-military-bases/ Top general: Russia, China will look to expand influence in Middle East as US pulls back BY JOSEPH CHOI - 05/23/21 06:08 PM EDT 344

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, said that as the U.S. reduces its military footprint in the Middle East, competing world powers Russia and China would seek to expand their influence in the region.

East writ broadly is an area of intense competition between the great powers. And I think that as we adjust our posture in the region, Russia and “The Middle McKenzie told reporters, according to The Associated Press. China will be looking very closely to see if a vacuum opens that they can exploit,” world and they sense there may be an opportunity there," the general added. “I think they see the United States shifting posture to look at other parts of the President Biden announced in Aril that he had ordered a full withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The withdrawal is expected to be completed by Sept. 11. The Pentagon announced last week that a fifth of the withdrawal had been completed.

After meeting with Saudi officials, McKenzie said Sunday that one area that Russia and China could exploit in the absence of the U.S. could be arms sales. According to McKenzie, Russia is willing to sell air defense systems to anyone and China has long-term goals of establishing military bases in the area.

The AP notes the Biden administration sees China's expanding influence in East Asia as the U.S.'s main security concern but military leaders like McKenzie say China's influence is not limited to that one region.

e, we are a global power“I agree and completely we need thatto have China a global needs outlook. to be the And pacing that threat means we that orient you haveon,” the McKenzie told AP and ABC News reporters. “At the same tim

Aability Hill-HarrisX to consider poll theconducted globe as in a Aprilwhole.” found that an overwhelming majority of people approved of the withdrawal. However some have criticized the move as having the potential to result in the Taliban retaking control in the region. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier in May warned there could be "huge consequences" of pulling troops out of Afghanistan. Apart from a potential takeover by the Taliban, Clinton told CNN's Fareed Zakaria, "There will also be, I fear, a huge refugee outflow." https://thehill.com/policy/international/middle-east-north-africa/554994-top- general-russia-china-will-look-to-expand

SOCOM preps for ‘battle in the cognitive space’ Special Operations Forces will adapt to the future of warfare, SOCOM chief Richard Clarke says

By DAVE MAKICHUKMAY 21, 2021 Special Operations Forces shone in actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

They also led the way onto Afghanistan in 2001 and will be among the last troops to leave the country at the end of its 20-year mission.

Army Gen. Richard Clarke, the commander of US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), who served in the 82nd Airborne Division in 2002 and with the 1st Ranger Battalion in 2004 in Afghanistan, understands that world quite well.

But times have changed.

After spending the past two decades kicking in doors and hunting insurgent targets in the Middle East, special operations leaders are looking to the digital domain as the key to their future.

Warfare “is going to be multi-domain, it’s going to be partnered. And it’s going to be contested in every step,” Clarke told an industry conference in Tampa. “Our goal is to maintain a strategic advantage.”

Even as US strategy moves to a world of near-peer competition with China and Russia, Special operators will be in demand, Clarke said.

Furthermore, the future of warfare will dictate how Special Operations Forces (SOF) operate.

“I think most of you understand the counterterrorism mission,” he said. “Competition, or as some refer to it as strategic competition, may be less familiar. In short, it’s winning without fighting. It’s taking actions below the level of combat.”

Strategic competition is different.

There won’t be a victory parade at the end of a violent war like there was in New York at the end of World War II, he said.

“Instead, our competition will endure and … it may be infinite because there’s no precise end; there is not necessarily a winner. Just nations seeking competitive advantages,” the general said. “And that advantage can ebb and flow.”

This has always been a part of the international system, but new tools and new technologies have given adversaries new avenues to compete. In the past, this competition played out on land, sea and air.

Now it is contested in the cyberworld and space as well — extending the battlefield to infinity and beyond. And it is going to be contested in the information space as well, Clarke said. https://asiatimes.com/2021/05/socom-preps-for-battle-in-the-cognitive-space/

US and South Korea scrap bilateral missile guidelines Decades-old accord had limited Seoul's development of ballistic program

Hyunmoo-2 and Hyunmoo-3 ballistic missiles are displayed at a 2017 event commemorating Korea Armed Forces Day in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. © Reuters

SOTARO SUZUKI, Nikkei staff writerMay 24, 2021 04:27 JST

SEOUL -- U.S. restrictions on South Korea's ability to develop missiles have been lifted under an agreement reached by the leaders of the two countries. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Biden-s-Asia-policy/US- and-South-Korea-scrap-bilateral-missile-guidelines

The Navy has a new ocean to worry about, it's not clear how it's going to deal with it, top lawmaker says

As Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reviews the US military's footprint across the globe, one top lawmaker is questioning whether a new combatant commander is needed to meet growing threats from Russia and China in the increasingly accessible Arctic.

Three US combatant commands — Northern Command, European Command, and Indo-Pacific Command — converge in the Arctic. Each command has assigned forces, but those forces are very different.

Indo-Pacific Command has more than 100 naval vessels to operate around the Pacific Ocean, but US European Command has only a handful of guided-missile destroyers, which mostly focus on the Mediterranean. Northern Command has no assigned naval forces for its area of responsibility off the US coasts.

At two recent House Armed Services Committee hearings, Rep. Elaine Luria, a Virginia Beach Democrat and vice chair of the committee, pressed Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck and Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters— leaders of Northern Command and European Command, respectively—about whether they have enough forces and the right operational structure to address the challenges in their regions.

Neither VanHerck nor Wolters said there were any problems, and Luria, a retired Navy commander, told Insider in an interview that she doesn't see any lack of leadership.

However, the complexities of that huge geographic region and the competing interests there could require a new approach, such as assigning forces specifically to the Arctic.

"It happened over time that the map has shifted as far as where the combatant commanders' geographic areas are," Luria said. "Should there be a single combatant commander with forces assigned to the Arctic? It's a question I was trying to kind of go after from the combatant commanders."

https://www.businessinsider.com/luria-not-clear-how-navy-will-handle-arctic- russia-china-2021-5

Years late and billions more: The USS Gerald R. Ford is a lesson in how the Navy builds ships

The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford returns to Norfolk on Friday, April 14, 2017, after a week of builder's trials during which the ship's systems were tested.

BILL TIERNAN, DAILY PRESS/TNS

By DAVE RESS | Daily Press | Published: May 23, 2021

(Tribune News Service) — For the past 1½ years, on 18 trips off the Virginia and North Carolina coasts, sailors and shipyard workers from Newport News have prepped the Navy’s newest carrier for deployment — 27% over its original budget and years behind schedule.

The costliest single item on the Department of Defense’s shopping list, the USS Gerald R Ford has been on a fast track to launch a series of new technologies intended to boost the Navy’s striking power for at least the next 50 years.

It is a fast track that started two decades ago and has seen delays installing key components of the ship, as on-shore testing revealed unexpected problems that required hundreds of millions of dollars to fix and that forced workers at Newport News Shipbuilding to redo finished parts of the 1,092-foot long carrier, hundreds of pages of government budget documents, Navy assessments, oversight reports and Congressional hearings show.

The Ford’s long path toward a first deployment, now slated for next year, has sparked years of criticism about the way the Navy acquires ships — and how it sells the need for multi-billion dollar budgets to Congress. The Navy told Congress in 2007 it would cost $10.49 billion. It actually cost $13.316 billion.

The cost, along with the explosive growth of drones over the two decades it was conceptualized, designed, built and commissioned, has rekindled decades-old questions about the need for all the big carriers the Navy operates.

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/years-late-and-billions-more-the-uss- gerald-r-ford-is-a-lesson-in-how-the-navy-builds-ships-1.674378

USSOCOM Comments On Potential Amphibious MC-130J Plane

At Virtual SOFIC 2021, United States Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) Colonel Ken Kuebler, Program Executive Officer for Fixed Wing, presented the concept of an amphibious MC-130J “Commando II” special forces transport turboprop aircraft (called “MAC”) that can take off and land on both the ground and in the water, increasing mission flexibility and versatility.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/05/ussocom-comments-on- potential-amphibious-mc-130j-plane/C

Space Force looking to build new radar sites to track objects in high orbits by Sandra Erwin — May 23, 2021

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force next month will solicit industry bids for deep-space radar sensors that can track active satellites and debris in high orbits above 22,000 miles.

One or more contractors will be selected to develop prototype concepts for the Deep Space Advanced Radar Concept (DARC), a project started by the U.S. Air Force in 2017. Up to three radar sites could be built in the coming years.

The Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Enterprise Consortium plans to issue a request for prototype proposals by June 30, SMC said in a statement.

Unlike traditional military procurements, the SpEC consortium awards contracts for the development of prototypes that are jointly funded by the government and the contractors. These so-called Other Transaction Authority, or OTAs, agreements were authorized by Congress as a way to push the Pentagon to accelerate the procurement of commercial technologies and take advantage of private-sector investments.

SpEC has more than 500 members, most of which are companies from the commercial space industry.

The Space Force expects to invest from $140 million to $200 million a year on DARC prototyping and testing in the near term.

DARC sensors would track satellite launches to geosynchronous orbit altitudes. “If fielded, the program requires three permanent, geographically dispersed sites, of which the locations are yet to be determined,” said SMC. Building three sites would cost about $1 billion.

SMC said the goal is to deploy more technologically advanced sensors than those currently in operation, many of which were developed decades ago. “With 24/7 all- weather capability and higher radar power at geostationary orbit, DARC has an advantage over current radar and optical sensors,” SMC said.

https://spacenews.com/space-force-looking-to-build-new-radar-sites-to-track- objects-in-high-orbits/

Accusation of China rebuffing military talks with US ‘aims to shift blame’ By Guo Yuandan and

Liu Xuanzun

Published: May 23, 2021 08:36 PM

Some US officials recently accused China of rebuffing the US Defense Department's requests for high-level military talks amid tensions in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, but it is the US that violated diplomatic etiquette - first by asking for unequal talks, and now by attempting to shift the blame to China, Chinese experts said on Sunday.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made three requests to speak to Xu Qiliang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, but China has refused to engage, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing three unidentified US officials. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1224243.shtml

Are China's Bases in the South China Sea Really "Unsinkable Aircraft Carriers"? by David Axe Follow @daxe on TwitterL

Here's What You Need to Remember: “Rumors suggest the new islands’ concrete is crumbling and their foundations turning to sponge in a hostile climate. And that is before considering what a direct hit from a super-typhoon might do.”

China’s island outposts in the China Seas might have a major weakness.

Since 2013 the Chinese government has dredged and mostly destroyed ecologically delicate reefs in disputed waters in order to build seven major military bases complete with ports, airstrips and radar and missile installations.

The islands function as unsinkable aircraft carriers and help to cement Beijing’s claims on waters rich with fish and minerals, waters that neighboring countries also claim.

“If the terraforming no longer makes headlines, it is because it is largely complete,” The Economist stated.

Perhaps the most important installations sit on the Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly island group. Vietnam, The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all also claim the Spratlys.

Between 2013 and 2016, huge construction vessels pulverized the reefs in order to create the raw materials for the bases. The dredger Tianjing alone shifted 4,500 cubic metres of materials every hour, “enough to nearly fill two Olympic-size swimming pools,” according to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post.

Beijing claims it has begun restoring the reefs it destroyed, but it’s unclear how effective restoration efforts might be. Marine biologist John McManus at the University of Miami said that dredging “kills basically everything” living around coral reefs.

To the Chinese Communist Party, the new bases were worth the environmental cost. The installations “allow China to control the entirety of the South China Sea in any scenario short of all-out war with the United States,” The Economist explained. “The new port and resupply facilities are helping China project power ever further afield. Chinese survey vessels look for oil and gas in contested waters.”

In 2014 China deployed an oil platform in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, leading to a stand-off between Chinese and Vietnamese forces. The Chinese eventually removed the first platform, only later to deploy a second one.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/are-chinas-bases-south-china-sea- really-unsinkable-aircraft-carriers-185906

China’s New ‘Mini Aircraft Carriers’: A Threat To The U.S. Military? By Peter Suciu

Published 16 seconds ago

Just weeks after the first Type 075 Landing Helicopter Dock was commissioned into the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), a second is set to begin sea trials, while a third is now under construction. The builder is Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding, the largest shipbuilding group in China and the second-largest shipbuilding conglomerate in the world.

The first vessel of this type, Hainan, was commissioned earlier this month – and images released by state media showed Z-8 helicopters on the deck. It is a potentially versatile warship that the U.S. Navy will need to take very seriously. As the largest amphibious landing helicopter dock outside of the U.S. Navy, the Type 075 will be able to operate as a small aircraft carrier, suggested military analysts, if Beijing were to develop aircraft that could operate on such a naval platform.

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/05/chinas-new-mini-aircraft-carriers-a- threat-to-the-u-s-military/

China Is Training to Fire Artillery at 'High Altitudes'. Why Bother?

Beijing aims to develop expeditionary attack capability for higher altitude warfare. by Kris Osborn

The People’s Liberation Army is firing off towed artillery in the plateau regions of Western China to prepare for high altitude warfare in extreme weather conditions, a development which is just a small part of a broader Chinese military effort to massively up-gun its mountain warfare force.

While the weapons plus up involves many different systems to include self-propelled howitzers and armored assault vehicles, a more transportable towed gun howitzer seems of particular relevance when it comes to high altitude warfare.

The Chinese government-backed Global Times newspaper reported that PLA forces were firing a PL-66 152mm towed howitzer against mock targets in snow-covered plateau areas at elevations greater than 4,500 meters. The live-fire exercises, according to the Chinese paper, took place in the well-known Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China near its border with Russia and Central Asia.

What seems most significant about a towed howitzer of this kind may rest upon the answer to one clear, simple question. Is it air- droppable? If so, it would offer China what may be a new expeditionary attack capability for higher altitude warfare. The possibility brings the U.S. Army’s M777 Howitzer to mind, as it is a mobile 155mm artillery weapon that can sling load beneath a Chinook transport helicopter. Air droppable mobile artillery naturally introduces new tactical options for ground war commanders looking to forward position suppressive fires or precision attack weapons in otherwise impossible to reach locations. Self-propelled howitzers or other kinds of heavier armored vehicles of course face the challenge of deployability, meaning can it be brought to mountainous areas not transitable by most wheeled platforms. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/game-drones-what%E2%80%99s-next- mq-9-reaper-185548

Airborne troops in heavy equipment airdrop training (China Military Online) 14:26, May 23, 2021

Heavy equipment is dropped from a transport aircraft attached to an airborne brigade under the PLA Air Force in the heavy equipment airdrop training on April 26, 2021. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Su Feng)

http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0523/c90000-9852926.html

China’s• Yang top Jiechi diplomat will meet heads Nikolai to Patrushev Russia foron the security latest round talks of missionstrategic consultations between the two countries • Moscow and Beijing play up cooperation as poor relations persist with Washington

Kinling Lo ties in the face of tensions with the United States. China’s top diplomat will visit Russia next week for strategic talks as the two countries try to strengthen s Communist Party Politburo, will co-chair the 16th China-Russia foreignYang Jiechi, ministry a member said on of Sunday. China’ strategic security consultation with Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, China’s Yang, who is regarded as President Xi Jinping’s most trusted foreign policy aide, will also visit Slovenia and Croatia in the four-day trip, which starts on Monday.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3134559/chinas-top- diplomat-heads-russia-security-talks-mission

Senior Chinese diplomat to hold China-Russia strategic security consultation, visit Slovenia, Croatia At the invitation of Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev as well as the governments of Slovenia and Croatia, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, will visit Russia from May 24 to 27 for the 16th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation and pay official visits to Slovenia and Croatia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian announced on Sunday. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-05-23/Yang-Jiechi-to-hold-China-Russia- strategic-security-consultation-10uI7dplfvW/index.html

Japan Increasing Size Of Its Navy, Will Acquire Two AEGIS Combat Warships

By Peter Suciu

Published 1 min ago

With increased threats from China and North Korea, the Japanese government could soon end its one percent GDP cap on defense spending. Since the 1990s, only once has the defense expenditure topped one percent and that was in fiscal 2010 when Tokyo’s gross domestic product plunged after the global financial crisis.

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/05/japan-increasing-size-of-its-navy-will-acquire-two-aegis-combat- warships/

SDF members receive Moderna shots before running mass vaccination centers • A staff member and a participant take part in a coronavirus vaccination simulation by the Self-Defence Forces at an inoculation center in Tokyo on Friday. | AFP-JIJI • KYODO • May 23, 2021 The Defense Ministry said Sunday it administered Moderna Inc.'s coronavirus vaccine to Self-Defense Forces members, the first confirmed use of the vaccine in Japan, as the SDF will start running mass vaccination centers the following day.

The move also involved nurses from the private sector who will work at the centers which will open in Tokyo and Osaka on Monday for inoculations of older residents.

The Moderna vaccine was granted fast-track approval by the government Friday along with one developed by Britain's AstraZeneca PLC. Japan now has three available vaccines, also including one developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE already in use.

At the mass vaccination centers, aimed at speeding up Japan's sluggish inoculation drive, the SDF are expected to use the Moderna vaccine.

The AstraZeneca shot will not be used immediately in Japan amid lingering concerns over rare cases of blood clots being reported overseas, the health ministry has said.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/23/national/sdf-vaccination/

Semiconductor Shortage Shines Light On Weak Supply Chain

5/21/2021 By Yasmin Tadjdeh

Semiconductors are the foundation of the advanced technologies that regular citizens and military officials rely on — from cell phones and laptops to fighter jets. But the global shortage amidst soaring demand during the pandemic for electronic devices is illuminating supply chain issues and vulnerabilities for the United States.

While the nation is a leader in the design of semiconductors, in recent decades the manufacturing and production of microelectronics has moved offshore and is now concentrated in places such as Taiwan and China. Officials and experts say that creates a major risk.

“It is not an exaggeration to say at the moment that we have a crisis in our supply chain,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo during an April hearing before the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Global semiconductor sales increased by 6.5 percent in 2020, according to a paper by the Semiconductor Industry Association, “Semiconductor Shortage Highlights Need to Strengthen U.S. Chip Manufacturing, Research.”

The global chip shortage is affecting a number of different industries and has clobbered the vehicle market particularly hard, said Falan Yinug, director of industry statistics and economic policy at SIA.

“The shortage is largely the result of substantial swings in demand due to the pandemic and the increased use of semiconductors in advanced vehicles,” he said. “The semiconductor industry is working diligently to ramp up production to meet renewed demand. … [However], this supply-demand imbalance cannot be remedied with the ‘flip of a switch.’”

Restoring market balance will take time because semiconductor manufacturing is not suited to rapid and large shifts in demand, he noted. “Making a semiconductor is one of the most complex manufacturing processes,” he said. “Lead times of up to 26 weeks are the norm in the industry to produce a finished chip.”

The Defense Department is not immune from the chip shortage, said Sarah Leeper, principal director of defense systems at Draper Laboratory, a not-for-profit research and development organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“There’s definitely a supply chain shortage in general with defense programs,” she said. “The overall access to electronics from a Defense Department [perspective] is very challenging right now.”

Industry consolidation between three major companies — Samsung, Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. — is raising considerable concern about both supply chain access and security given that those companies, with the exception of Intel, are based offshore, she noted.

In March, the Pentagon announced it would be working with Draper — which is known for its packaging technology — on an effort to create a sustainable supply of defense-grade microchips for its weapon systems.

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/5/21/semiconductor-shortage-shines-light- on-weak-supply-chain

The Art of War in the Age of Peace

America should not try to cover the whole Earth with a U.S. security blanket. That is especially true for areas near Russia or China. by Michael O'Hanlon Follow @MichaelEOHanlon on TwitterL

As President Joe Biden and his team settle into their new jobs, how should they view the national security challenges facing the United States at his juncture in history? And what should U.S. national security policy seek to achieve? Four months into the new administration, it is no longer enough to be the antidote to Donald Trump’s unilateralism; a more forward-looking and visionary foreign policy framework is needed.

As for the state of the world, for some, the headlines say it all. There’s an aggressive China, a vengeful Russia, a nuclear-minded North Korea, a hostile Iran, and a disintegrating Afghanistan. All of these foreign policy problems are superimposed on top of warming climates, rising oceans and spreading pandemics. This troubling state of affairs would suggest that Biden must be hypervigilant against more threats than the nation has perhaps ever confronted at once.

In fact, while these threats are all real, and while the coronavirus will cause misery for at least another one to two years on much of the planet, there is a much happier narrative as well. The world has never been more prosperous, democratic, or—for most of us at least—safe and secure. However oxymoronic, these competing realities need to be understood correctly if U.S. foreign policy is to be rightsized for the dangers the country faces. There is clearly no basis for complacency, retrenchment, or a lowering of America’s guard (although it seems the Biden team has already made a big mistake in deciding to withdraw from Afghanistan in the hope that the dangers there will easily be contained without a small American or NATO presence). Yet at the same time, America need not overreact to each and every provocation, by China or Russia in particular. The world order is fraying a bit around the edges, but its central core remains strong. Getting this diagnosis roughly right is important if the United States is to avoid the twin but opposing dangers of overreacting and underreacting to various possible and perceived threats.

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/art-war-age-peace-185645

The Art of War in the Age of Peace

America should not try to cover the whole Earth with a U.S. security blanket. That is especially true for areas near Russia or China. by Michael O'Hanlon Follow @MichaelEOHanlon on TwitterL

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/art-war-age-peace-185645

Ivermectin now on retail—solon posted May 24, 2021 at 12:50 am by Rio N. Araja

Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Michael Defensor on Sunday welcomed the availability of ivermectin tablets in the retail outlets of Watsons Personal Care Store (Philippines) Inc.

Defensor said Mercury Drug Corp., in a separate advisory, said ivermectin as a prescription drug “will soon be available at all stores nationwide.”

“We applaud Watsons for improving public access to ivermectin, which has a fervent following not only in the Philippines but also across the globe,” he said.

The Food and Drug Administration earlier issued a certificate of product registration to Lloyd Laboratories for the manufacture and sale ofivermectin, thus paving the way for its legal human consumption.

But FDA director-general Eric Domingo said the CPR was on the use of “locally manufactured ivermectin as an antinematode (parasitic worm) drug.”

Defensor said Watsons, in an advisory in its social media pages over the weekend, said ivermectin tablets may now be purchased at select stores with a doctor’s prescription.

Ivermectin 12mg and 15mg tablets are each being sold at P24.50 and P26.50, respectively.

Defensor has been pushing for the use of ivermectin as a potential low-cost treatment for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Buhay party-list Rep. Joselito Atienza criticized former health secretary Dr. Esperanza Cabral for questioning the government’s readiness to fund a clinical trial on ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19.

“Government itself is sponsoring the clinical trial on ivermectin because we are in the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic. Filipinos are desperate for affordable prevention and treatment, and yet nobody else wants to fund a study,” he said.

“To put it bluntly, nobody in the private sector wants to fund any research on ivermectin because it is an inexpensive and low-margin generic drug,” he added.

Cabral earlier challenged the government’s decision to earmark P22 million for the ivermectin trial, adding that those who wish to promote and market the drug should be the ones to fund the research. Upon President Rodrigo Duterte’s orders, the Department of Science and Technology is set to conduct the clinical trial to ascertain effectiveness of ivermectin against COVID- 19.

The DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development is recruiting COVID-19 patients in Metro Manila to participate in the trial that is expected to begin in the first week of June and last for eight months.

https://manilastandard.net/news/national/355285/ivermectin-now-on-retail-solon.html

Do fake Covid-19 vaccine arrests in China herald global crime wave?

• Interpol warns criminals are trying to scale up trade in counterfeit jabs across the world • Scams include dark web sales and criminals selling genuine vials to be filled with harmless or potentially dangerous substances

Simone McCarthy

Fake Covid-19 vaccines seized by police from a warehouse in South Africa were linked to a Chinese operation which resulted in 80 arrests across several cities earlier this year. Photo: Interpol

When police in China seized 3,000 fake Covid-19 vaccines and made 80 arrests across several cities earlier this year, they halted a months-long international scam. But it may have been a sign of more to come.

Interpol and other law enforcement-related groups are warning of the increased risk of vaccine trafficking and counterfeiting as the infects thousands each day and most countries have insufficient doses.

“This has created a level of desperationce services. in communities across the world and that means criminals will use their predatory, parasitic mentalities to make money from the fear,” said Stephen Kavanagh, executive director of Interpol’s poli -out programme seems to stutter in certain countries, there noting“If the profitsthe agency are there had already and the seen [vaccine] examples roll of fake vaccines around the world. is little doubt that criminals today are trying to scale up their production of fake vaccines,” he said, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3134124/do-fake-covid-19-vaccine-arrests-china- herald-global-crime-wave

‘Far from out of the woods’: how a Covid-19 variant put Singapore back in defensive mode

• Life hadturned to somewhat normal in the city state until the B.1.617 variant arrived on its shores and began spreading in the community

• With tens of thousands being tested, high-profile events and a travel bubble not going ahead this month, will it take a lockdown to stem the rise in infections?

Dewey Sim in Singapore and Kok Xinghui in Singapore

Published: 11:45am, 23 May, 2021 Why you can trust SCMP capability. Get vaccinated when your turn comes. Remain at home and leave the house only if it’s essential. Wear a good mask with high filtration These exhortations from Singapore’s health authorities underscore how seriously they are treating the current spike in local infections, even though the outbreak is smaller than the one last year involving dormitories housing low-wage migrant workers, and less severe compared to the daily caseload of its Southeast Asian neighbours.

At the heart of their worries is the Covid-19 variant known as B.1.617, which was first identified in India

late last year. Unlike the mutations first found in South Africa, Brazil and Britain that were also imported into Singapore by travellers, B.1.617 and its sub-variants have spread faster within the community, causing larger infection clusters. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3134497/far-out-woods-how-covid-19- variant-put-singapore-back

Indonesia finds new COVID-19 cluster after cargo ship infections

A police officer inspects a car at a checkpoint as travellers return to the capital city after the Eid al- Fitr festival, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Cikarang, Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

JAKARTA: Indonesia reported a new cluster of 42 coronavirus infections among medical workers who treated 13 Filipino ship crew who were sick with COVID-19, and is tracing dozens of others, a government official said on Sunday (May 23).

About 140 other medical workers came into close contact with the crew of the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship Hilma Bulker, who tested positive for the new coronavirus after docking in Central Java on April 25, the province's governor, Ganjar Pranowo, told Reuters. The vessel had come from India.

Genome sequencing showed the crew had the highly infectious B.1617.2 variant first identified in India, Ganjar said, adding that one of them had later died in hospital.

"For now we're actively tracing their nurses. Hundreds had had direct contact, close contact, and 42 had tested positive," Ganjar said by phone.

With more than 1.7 million confirmed cases and 49,000 deaths, Indonesia is the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia.

Its COVID-19 crisis is not as bad as that seen in India, but some health experts are concerned mass gatherings at this month's Eid al-Fitr celebrations and virus variants could trigger a surge of new cases in the world's fourth-most populous nation. Last month Indonesia stopped issuing visas for foreigners who had recently been in India.

Ganjar said all other crew members of the Hilma Bulker had self-quarantined on the ship, and 49 Indonesian officials who oversaw the unloading of the ship had all tested negative for the virus.

The vessel had delivered refined sugar from India, Ganjar said. It left Indonesia this month headed to the Philippine capital Manila, according to Refinitiv Eikon's vessel tracker.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-finds-new-covid-19-cluster-after-cargo-ship- infections-14869512

Vaccine hesitancy puts Asia’s ‘zero-Covid’ economies like Hong Kong, Australia in herd immunity stalemate

• While jabbed-up Europe prepares to open its borders, public reluctance towards Covid-19 shots is so great in zero-tolerance places like Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan it puts in doubt their ability to reach the threshold • Incentives are needed if these places are to avoid becoming isolated from the rest of the world, experts say

John Power

As Covid-19 patients fill hospitals to the brim in India, the Philippines and Malaysia, the Asia-Pacific’s “zero-Covid” economies are facing an ironic conundrum: how do you convince people to get vaccinated for a virus that, as far as they are concerned, may as well not exist?

For many Asia-Pacific economies that practically eliminated the virus with border closures and sporadic lockdowns, herd immunity, long held out as the great hope for returning to normality, is looking increasingly out of reach.

From Australia to Hong Kong and Taiwan , vaccine hesitancy has risen to levels that suggest they may never reach the 80 per cent-plus coverage believed necessary to stop the virus from spreading, even as poorer Asian countries hit hard by the disease such as India and the Philippines remain desperate for jabs.

For authorities with zero tolerance for infections, the lack of public enthusiasm for vaccines, coupled with limited vaccine supplies, raises the spectre of a permanent pandemic stalemate, in which borders stay closed indefinitely and sporadic outbreaks remain an ever-present threat.

The grim outlook, which comes as Europe prepares to reopen its borders to vaccinated travellers within days, highlights what a growing number of experts say is an urgent need for bold action by authorities to break the impasse.

allow any community transmission, but in reality we worked hard to get to this stage so we could shift to relying on the protections vaccines offer, and knowing we “There is a sense there is a lot to lose if we alth expert and epidemiologist at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. could now let the virus in and maintain the upper hand,” said Catherine Bennett, a public he https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3134408/vaccine-hesitancy-puts-asias- zero-covid-economies-hong

India’s capital Delhi to ease COVID-19 restrictions as cases drop Devjyot Ghoshal

India’s capital New Delhi will start relaxing its strict coronavirus lockdown next week if new cases continue to drop in the city, its chief minister said on Sunday. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-reports-daily-rise-coronavirus-cases-240842-2021-05-23/

Two COVID shots effective against India variant - English health body Reuters01:17

A double dose of COVID-19 vaccines is almost as effective against the fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus first identified in India as it is against Britain’s dominant strain, English health officials said on Saturday.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/two-covid-shots-effective-against- india-variant-english-health-body-2021-05-22/

U.S. CDC looking into heart inflammation in some young vaccine recipients Radhika Anilkumar 01:10

Some teenagers and young adults who received COVID-19 vaccines experienced heart inflammation, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory group said, recommending further study of the rare condition. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-investigating-heart-problem- few-young-vaccine-recipients-nyt-2021-05-22/

Moderna, Novavax to produce more COVID-19 vaccines in S.Korea Maria PonnezhathSangmi Cha

Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) and Novavax Inc (NVAX.O) entered into a deal with the South Korean government to manufacture their COVID- 19 vaccines, as the country has been under pressure to secure more and faster deliveries of U.S.-made vaccines. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-south-korea-sign-production- deal-mrna-vaccines-2021-05-22/

Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak Across the World Updated: May 24, 2021, 9:20 AM GMT+8

Brazil 2,135 76,477 N/A N/A

U.K. 1,956 68,438 2,592.3 2.5

U.S. 1,786 100,272 1,325.0 2.8

France 1,603 88,452 N/A 6.0

Germany 1,088 45,543 736.2 8.0

Russia 821 34,831 925.1 8.1

India 228 20,228 247.4 0.5

Japan 97 5,720 102.0 13.1

Mainland China 3 65 N/A 4.3

Testing data as of May 21, 2021, 8:42 PM GMT+8

Sources: OECD for number of hospital beds (2016 for the U.S., 2017 for other countries), government agencies and the COVID Tracking Project via Our World in Data for testing data (various recent dates) (reported in the past 45 days) and the U.S. Census Bureau for population figures (2019).

The world is bracing for a new wave of Covid-19 infections, as the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 165 million people and killed more than 3.4 million globally since late January 2020. Efforts many countries took to stamp out the pneumonia-like illness led to entire nations enforcing lockdowns, widespread halts of international travel, mass layoffs and battered financial markets. Recent attempts to revive social life and financial activities have resulted in another surge in cases and hospitalizations, though new drugs and improved care may help more people who get seriously ill survive.

Getting to a Flatter Curve  The first 492 days with more than 100 confirmed cases

• Asia

• Other Show deaths

01002003004001 yrDays since 100 confirmed cases1001,00010,000100,0001,000,00010,000,00030,000,000CasesMainland ChinaSouth KoreaJapanFranceSingaporeSpainU.K.Hong KongU.S.AustraliaBrazilIndiaRussiaTaiwanNew Zealand

Note: JHU CSSE reporting began on January 22, 2020, when mainland China had already surpassed 500 cases.

Source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering

166,936,355 Confirmed cases worldwide 3,458,820 Deaths worldwide Jurisdictions with cases confirmed as of May 24, 2021, 9:20 AM GMT+8 1–99

100–999

1,000–9,999

10,000–99,999

100,000–999,999

1,000,000–9,999,999

10 million or more Where deaths have occurred Deaths Cases U.S. 589,890 33,116,798 Brazil 449,068 16,083,258 India 299,266 26,530,132 Mexico 221,597 2,395,330 Where deaths have occurred Deaths Cases U.K. 127,983 4,478,390 Italy 125,225 4,192,183 Russia 116,497 4,944,129 France 108,358 5,980,325 Germany 87,395 3,657,662 Colombia 84,724 3,232,456 Spain 79,620 3,636,453 Iran 78,597 2,832,518 Argentina 74,063 3,539,484 Poland 72,928 2,865,622 Peru 67,807 1,920,851 Show more

Note: Totals for Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S. include overseas territories and other dependencies. Cases and deaths for cruise ships have been separated in accordance with JHU CSSE data.

More Coverage From Bloomberg • Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter • Stories about the coronavirus outbreak from Bloomberg News • Virus Update from Bloomberg News • The Future of Travel in the Covid Era • How Covid Is Shifting Human Behavior Around the World • The Covid Resilience Ranking

The epicenter of the pandemic has continued to shift throughout the year, from China, then Europe, then the U.S., and now to developing countries like Brazil. Cases globally surpassed 10 million in late June, but ever since infections have been multiplying faster. The U.S. and India have the most infections, accounting for more than a third of all cases combined.

Global Cases Added Per Day New cases: 560,116 Jan 21, 2020 May 22, 2021 India New cases: 240,842 Jan 21, 2020 May 22, 2021 Brazil 76,490 U.S. 19,778 Russia 8,585 Iran 8,005 Germany 6,419 U.K. 2,524 France 228 Mainland China

Note: On February 14, 2020, Hubei officials changed their diagnostic criteria, resulting in a spike in reported cases.

Countries took drastic measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 on their homefront— with varying degrees of success. More than 140 governments placed blanket bans on incoming travelers, closed schools and restricted gatherings and public events, according to data compiled by Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government and Bloomberg reporting.

As countries loosen lockdowns in an effort to reboot their economies, many have seen a resurgence of infections. The number of new daily cases in the U.S. rose to record highs after some states relaxed social distancing requirements. Even places that successfully contained infections earlier in the year, like China and South Korea, have seen cases bubble back up. Theories that warmer weather in the Northern Hemisphere would bring relief appear to be unfounded.

How the Outbreak Spread Country by Country  Seven-day rolling average of new deaths and cases

• Asia

• Other Show cases

Mar 2020Jan 2021May 2200.5K1.0K1.5K2.0K2.5K3.0K3.5K4.0KNew deaths by dayU.S.IndiaRussiaU.K.

Note: Shown are the 15 places with the highest totals of confirmed cases, as of May 22. Negative values resulting from governments revising their totals have been excluded from rolling average calculations. The “worst is yet to come” given a lack of global solidarity, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, said at a briefing in Geneva on June 29.

In May, the WHO emphasized the need for a plan that includes testing for the virus and its antibodies, effective contact tracing and isolation, and community education. Antibody tests on the market that could potentially indicate a person’s immunity have been unreliable so far. Researchers and drugmakers are racing to develop treatments that could hold the key to recovery.

Gilead Sciences Inc.’s antiviral remdesivir is one of the first widely used drugs for Covid- 19. It received an emergency use authorization from U.S. regulators in May, after a trial found it sped recovery by about four days in hospitalized patients. It was also part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s treatment after he tested positive for the coronavirus in early October, along with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s antibody cocktail and the generic drug dexamethasone.

Vaccines are also in development, though the study of one leading candidate from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc is on hold in the U.S. while regulators investigate a potential safety issue.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-coronavirus-cases-world-map/?srnd=coronavirus)

Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country

By The Visual and Data Journalism Team BBC News

Covid-19 is continuing to spread around the world, with more than 165 million confirmed cases and three million deaths across nearly 200 countries.

The US, India and Brazil have seen the highest number of confirmed cases, followed by France, Turkey, Russia and the UK. Very few places have been left untouched.

mapped https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105

Trillanes' Magdalo putschists behind retired generals' anti-Duterte group? Read Next

By Rigoberto Tiglao

May 24, 2021

2000

A GROUP of a dozen and a half retired generals and colonels calling themselves "Advocates for the National Interest" issued a statement a week ago that tried to spread the colossal lies the Yellows and former magistrate Antonio Carpio have been spreading on the South China Sea dispute.

This mostly septuagenarian lot should do what retired generals of integrity anywhere in the world do, which is to shut their mouths on an incumbent president's policies and on issues they either know nothing about or are too lazy to study - unless their intention is to spread rumors that there is a coup d'etat in the works.

But that, in fact, may be its aim - wittingly or unwittingly though on the part of its members - or at least to portray President Duterte as a puppet of China among our uniformed m

The cabal behind this "association," however, has been so amateurish a few weeks before its statement was released on May 17 that it spread rumors "retired and active generals" were withdrawing their support for President Duterte for his allegedly weak stance against China. That Viber group even claimed Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana were with them.

The "association's" statement was then released which was simply a long exposition for the justification for the military's alleged withdrawal of its support from Duterte, signed by retired generals to bolster its credibility. This "association" is nothing but the newest propaganda weapon of the forces pushing the Philippines into conflict with China, designed to focus on the military - which makes it a dangerous group.

My basis for this suspicion is that it has a member who is not a former general nor even a colonel: Francisco Ashely Acedillo, a former helicopter pilot whose highest rank had been of lieutenant in the Air Force. Who is he?

Acedillo was one of the 11 officers first convicted in 2008 by a military court together with Gary Alejano, for leading the short-lived Oakwood Mutiny in 2003 and being kicked out of the military. He spent seven years in the Villamor stockades until his conviction.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/24/opinion/columns/trillanes-magdalo-putschists-behind- retired-generals-anti-duterte-group/1800390

Nansha nonsense Citing tributes paid to China by Phu Nam, the Chinese claim these as proof of a vassal state like the Nansha Islands. Nonsense. Payments were part of trade to access a port. Published 1 day ago on May 23, 2021 12:40 AM

BySurvivingdialects,populationsfragmented Deansense Dela religionscivilizations, of Pazidentities.that nationhood needand even remnant Wea unfortunatelyguidon or havesmaller pushed feudal bearerseen nations, to politicalthatwritten instillto leadneed rewr unity largelysy them iteinstems amon ourhistory throughby 7,101 in gnon-Filipinos. anincreasingly as archipelago dividedthethey labyrinthine see islands, restivefit, whosecompelled mazediverse or historiesdisunited of eithercultures, lost wereand by a The aberrant phenomenon is global. Had the rules been different, at different times and according to different historians, perhaps England might still be under the Roman Empire, and from Macedonia to Egypt and India, Greek would have been the mother tongue. Sailing from Europe, all lands would either have been under the Spanish or Portuguese crown and the smaller islands, bequeathed to the crew and captains- general of the ships that discovered them. That, after all was the deal. Colonization was hierarchical. First the crown then the crew.

Had Ferdinand Magellan waited for the tide to rise on that faithful dawn, then his ships would have been able to approach the shore and the Mactanese would have been within the firing range of its armaments. Even then, the surviving story is told by Antonio Pigafetta who was neither Spanish nor Portuguese. He was a Venetian. Aboard the Trinidad and then the Victoria, he had the title of supernumerary (saling pusa). Fortunately, it is the scholars who write history.

In 1974, following their invasion of the Paracel islands, the Chinese Communist Party published seminal literature as justification. Previously there was little available to western scholars. While the publications were far from scholarly, thereafter, most academic work in English were based on these. In addition to the belated literature, there are the facts. Today, China has eight outposts in the Spratlys, which they claim

https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/23/nansha-nonsense/?__ aSPfw

Sui generis Miriam “She gave an accurate foresight that the “next five years,” which falls until this year, in Philippine-China relations will be the flash point of the world.

Published 8 hours ago

On May 24, 2021 03:00 AM BysinceIt TDT is a she source@tribunephl would of havegreat greatlypity that contributed the nation herSeahad unequa tangle.lost theled late views Senator to resolving Miriam Defensor-Santiagothe West Philippine Santiago was elected for a nine-year term as a judge of the International Criminal Court in December 2011, but did not assume her functions. She resigned on 4 June 2014.

Santiago advocated an approach that is “more progressive” than mere arbitration, which she said resulted into complacency of the previous regime and the eventual loss of Scarborough Shoal to China.

In a view she expressed during the 2016 presidential campaigns, Santiago said the administration of former President Noynoy Aquino must have gained confidence that it will win the case lodged before the Permanent Court of Arbitration that it abandoned other options.

Nonetheless, she said that United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Articles 297 and 298 gave China the option not to participate in the arbitral proceeding.

The two UNCLOS articles, Santiago said, state the limits to arbitration. Article 298 stated that “a State may… declare in writing that it does not accept any one or more of the procedures…” Thus, Santiago suggested then a “second level of diplomacy,” which President Rodrigo Duterte appeared to have taken to heart, which is through “bilateral negotiation bordering on conciliation.” Santiago also sought the country’s breaking from extreme dependence on the United States, saying it also has a vested interest in controlling the West Philippine Sea like China.

It should be noted that Santiago was considered the nemesis of former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile in terms of their legal minds, but both share an almost identical view on the approach that should be taken in engaging China.

She also held the view that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which Aquino signed with the US as an executive agreement, was void without Senate concurrence. The Supreme Court, however, later ruled on its validity. An effective way to resolve the territorial dispute, according to Santiago, is to “negotiate with China together with other Asian countries,” which is what had transpired that led to the drafting of the Code of Conduct that will bind China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

She gave an accurate foresight that the “next five years,” which falls until this year, in Philippine-China relations will be the flash point of the world.

She correctly foresaw that the tension will heighten due to the “statement by (former) President (Barack) Obama that the United States will pivot to Asia, meaning to say that they will not pay as much attention as before to Iraq or Afghanistan. Instead, they will pay more attention to the Southeast Asia Region.”

Indeed, Obama’s rebalancing to East Asia, which President Joe Biden has readopted, has the strategic aim of containing China She cited the resurgence of “irredentism” in the Asian superpower’s political philosophy, plus the ambition of China to become the behemoth of Asia.

“Now, China is going to use soft power for the next five years, meaning to say, it will not send war ships to the Philippines. It does not want to be known for so-called gunboat diplomacy because it knows world public opinion will turn against it,” Santiago accurately foretold.

“It will not resort to hard power. That is why it is futile for the Philippines to engage in an arms race with China. No matter how much military equipment we buy, we can never outfight China. They are just more technologically sophisticated and their economy is simply surging,” Santiago indicated.

Her view contradicted those of former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio who wanted solely a hardline approach to China by insisting on the arbitral ruling.

The path taken by Mr. Duterte is congruent to the visions of Santiago that seek continued dialogue with China instead of agitating the Asian giant by involving interests which are not party in the territorial claims.

https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/24/sui-generis-miriam/

A citizen army for defense

By: Ramon J. Farolan - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:07 AM May 24, 2021

In 1941, as dark clouds appeared on the horizon indicating possible conflict with Japan, the nation proceeded to build up its military strength. Addressing ROTC graduates of the University of the Philippines in March of that year, Gen. Vicente P. Lim, the first Filipino to graduate from West Point (US Military Academy), rtion to our revenues that we cannot sustain a standing army big enough to defend it. We declared: “This country has such an extensive shoreline in propo must, therefore, educate every citizen to be prepared to fight at a moment’s notice. GeneralYou will Limbe the recognized officers of that this the citizens’ Philippines army…” needed to develop a citizen army in response to the threat from the north. Today, the danger lurks just around the corner from a neighborhood bully that has put up artificial islands in the Spratlys and constructed naval and air facilities on reclaimed land within our exclusive economic zone. The bully also prevents our fishermen from engaging in livelihood activities within our own fishing grounds.

When I was in high school in the early 1950s, we were required to undergo Preparatory Military Training (PMT) prior to joining ROTC in college. It was in PMT that I had my first taste of disciplinary training. We were required to have short haircuts (white side walls) and were taught how to march or keep in step with 20 or 30 other guys. This may seem like a simple idea, uncomplicated, although some guys could never tell their right foot from their left. But there was a greater purpose in all this simplicity. Working together to maintain alignment, practicing formations under the hot sun, developing pride in our small unit, following orders for the greater good all these contributed to building up a certain amount of discipline, a better appreciation of the need for sacrifice and — unity in order to achieve common objectives and goals. What our nation needs today among a lot of other things is more discipline in our society. There is too much emphasis on freedoms and rights but not enough — — on responsibilities and obligations. Bringing back the old mandatory ROTC program will contribute to greater discipline, provide directions for the youth and serve as an antidote to the drug problem. It will not be the panacea we all desire; it will have its own share of problems and disappointments but it will be a positive contribution in the struggle against a serio development. us threat to the nation’s security and The Philippines will never have enough resources to modernize our armed forces to a level we all desire. We also do not have the means to support a substantially larger standing army. But we can make life difficult for an enemy occupation force, whether it be American (1899-1902), Japanese (1942-1945), or possibly Chinese. Hand in hand with the acquisition of modern weapons and equipment is the need for a well-trained citizen army that shall complement the efforts of regular armed forces. An important component in the creation of this citizen army is the ROTC program that would strengthen the leadership base of the military organization. In the past, competition for the AFP leadership was mainly between two groups: products of the ROTC program, and Philippine Military Academy graduates. It was a healthy rivalry which often brought out the best in both groups. Today key leadership positions in the AFP have generally been held by PMAers. This has resulted in practically a monopoly of power by one group, oftentimes by one particular class of the academy. Monopolies whether in business or in government, do not always serve the best interests of the nation.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/140532/a-citizen-army-for-defense#ixzz6vkMpy8Gy

It's 2021 and the NPA is still a threat in Central Visayas By Marit Stinus-Cabugon

May 24, 2021

INSURGENCY continues to claim lives in Central Visayas despite and even because of how government is addressing the insurgency and its causes. Illegal arrests, use of excessive force during police operations and planting of evidence, not to mention extrajudicial killings (EJKs) - believed to be the handiwork of the police - produce deep hatred. It likely even drives some people underground. And it certainly doesn't help convince the doubters that the government is the protector of the people.

The police must enforce the law in a manner that doesn't prove the communist propaganda right. The police are supposed to be the good guys!

The police under then-regional director Debold Sinas tried the violent way in addressing insurgency in Negros Oriental, especially in Guihulngan City. The Dec. 27, 2018 Oplan Sauron was the most bloody anti-insurgency police operation that resulted in the killing of five persons in Guihulngan City alone and the arrest of scores of persons with rumored links to the New People's Army (NPA). There were allegations of widespread planting of evidence and other procedural violations. Then, in July 2019, a killing spree by unidentified van-riding suspects claimed numerous lives, including those of four persons from Guihulngan

Last March 23, 10 NPA combatants were killed in an encounter with the Philippine Army in Guihulngan City's far-flung Barangay Trinidad. Eleven high-powered firearms were recovered. It looked like a decisive victory against the NPA in its Central Negros stronghold.

Unfortunately, on May 14, suspected NPA assassins murdered four residents in the barangay. While the Leonardo Panaligan Command-NPA Central Negros hasn't released any official statement, it is believed that the four - Roger Fat, the couple Rodrigo and Cerelina Lubay, and Ronilo Quirante Sr. - were executed by the NPA for having provided information to the army in connection with the March 23 encounter. The four were shot dead in their homes minutes apart. In Barangay Linantuyan, 37-year-old Jing Navarra- Ledesma was killed around the same time but it is not known whether this was related to the attacks in Barangay Trinidad.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/24/opinion/columns/its-2021-and-the-npa-is-still-a-threat-in- central-visayas/1800381

Displacement posted May 24, 2021 at 12:20 am "The problems did not end with the liberation of Marawi."

Four years ago, we were taken aback when terrorists took over Marawi City and when the ensuing fighting flattened structures in the once-bustling city.

Extreme measures were taken, including the declaration of martial law. Eventually the terrorists were defeated, their leaders killed, and the city was liberated after five months of violence between terrorists and government forces.

For residents of the city whose lives were changed drastically by the siege, nothing was ever the same.

While these displaced residents survived the fighting, they found themselves having to eke out an existence one day at a time. In the evacuation centers that housed them, they had to make do with cramped facilities and very few resources. There was aid, of course, especially in the beginning, from both the government and non-government sectors.

The relief they obtained, however, was far from ideal. Long after Marawi was liberated, internally displaced persons experienced the consequences of ineptitude and even irregularities in the relief effort. A paper by the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies said while they were provided with basic necessities like food, clothing and sanitary products, the quality was poor and even caused them to be ill. There was also favoritism and corruption in the distribution of relief, with some favored families receiving more aid and more frequently.

The lack of space in evacuation centers also made continuing education difficult even as some organizations provided opportunities to learn; many parents had also lost their jobs or businesses, causing them to seek the help of their children in earning a living or tending to younger siblings. Disease was rampant, and returning to their communities, damaged if not destroyed by the fighting, was next to impossible.

Many suffered post-traumatic stress disorder on top of these immediate problems. Reconstruction of the city, much less rebuilding homes, became difficult even with external help, especially since other issues and disasters continued to strike in different places across the country in the next few years.

The problems did not end with the liberation of Marawi. We marked on Sunday the fourth anniversary of the start of the siege. It’s a good opportunity to ask ourselves several questions. How safe are we from terrorists -- the real kind who wield death and destruction on anybody, not those who criticize the government or suggest reforms? Have we been able to get the displaced people of Marawi truly get back on track, in all aspects of their lives? Finally, in the numerous instances where entire communities can again be displaced -- by disasters natural and man-made alike -- how soon can we respond in an efficient, organized way and help them get back on their feet? How are we able to account for the money -- donations, loans and government funds -- spent supposedly for reconstruction and recovery?

Again, we are reminded that it’s civilians at the heart of conflict zones and disaster areas, not the decision makers and armed leaders who call the shots, who suffer the most and the longest. We must address their needs, first and foremost.

https://manilastandard.net/opinion/editorial/355273/displacement.html

Carpio has skeletons in the closet If Carpio is the leader of the opposition political party 1Sambayan, then that party symbolizes contempt for the Constitution and has no regard for delicadeza.

Published 1 day ago on May 23, 2021 03:20 AM By Concept News Central

Section 12, Article VIII of the Constitution explicitly prohibits a Justice of the Supreme Court from being designated to a government agency performing administrative functions.

For obvious reasons, a Justice of the Supreme Court is not allowed to practice Law for the entire duration of his incumbency.

In view of these two prohibitions, retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, who has been very critical of the way President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has been handling the current maritime dispute between the Philippines and China over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), has a lot of explaining to do.

The record shows that in 2013, then President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a case against China before the United Nations (UN) affiliated Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) located at The Hague in The Netherlands. Manila took the position that Beijing’s forcible seizure of shoals located in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines is in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. After some preliminary deliberations, the PCA scheduled an initial hearing in 2015. The DFA, then headed by Secretary Albert del Rosario, hired two foreign legal experts to represent the Philippines in the hearing.

That notwithstanding, the DFA, obviously with the consent of President Aquino, sent a mission composed of high-ranking government officials to the hearing, evidently at public expense. Members of an official mission of the Philippines to a foreign legal forum must take their cues and bearings from the DFA.

Aside from Del Rosario, the panel included Aquino administration officials like Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Jr., Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Ronald Llamas.

https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/23/carpio-has-skeletons-in-the-closet/

Logical analysis and democracy Read Nex

By Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino

May 24, 2021 LOGICAL analysts insist for very good reason you be responsible about terms you use, because if you fail to give an account of them or for any of them, you could very well be uttering nonsense.

In its more acceptable form, it is demanded certain things must be present, experienced or verified for a proposition to count as true.

One problematic term is "democracy." These days the term is hardly ever used with logical rigor or, at the very least, with rational decency. It is employed polemically most of the time. When PNoy caused GMA's arrest and engineered Corona's impeachment, his opponents decried the death of democracy. When Digong saw to it the ABS-CBN franchise would not be renewed, when lumad schools were closed and groups red- tagged, his opponents bewailed the demise of democracy.

So, should not philosophers, jurists, political scientists get to work complying with the requirements of logical analysis, or must we admit like games, there is hardly anything common between "democracies" except what Wittgenstein called "family resemblances?" But if this is the case, then we must be willing to live with its polyvalence. Which obviously defangs any charge democracy has perished.

Under the spell, no doubt, of America's founding fathers, we have taken "government with the consent of the governed" to be the crucial element in democracy. But Richard Posner is right in asking: when the people consent to be governed by a military junta or even by a dictator, would their government still be a democracy? Is the essence of a democracy to be found in maintaining three coordinate branches of government between which is a system of checks and balances? If so, parliamentary democracies would hardly make the mark because of the clear fusion of the executive and the legislative branches. Another candidate as the distinguishing feature of a democracy would be the constitutional availability of judicial review. But this does not seem to fare any better because the extent to which courts are empowered to review legislation or administrative action vary in considerable breadth across the "democracies" of the world.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/24/opinion/columns/logical-analysis-and-democracy/1800389

Blind loyalty of past Enrile noted that apart from the resources, WPS is also a very strategic route. Published 1 day ago on May 23, 2021 03:30 AM By TEB It was, after all, former President Noynoy Aquino “and his officialdom” that led to the loss of Scarborough Shoal due to their zealous belief of the Americans, who brokered a mutual agreement in which the Philippines and China were supposed to withdraw from a standoff in 2012.

Former US Ambassador Jose Cuisia admitted it was then US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell who mediated to end the stalemate.

Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the Aquino administration made a fatal blunder that now has made the Filipino people suffer, since they “acted without verifying the facts.”

“Noynoy Aquino ordered the Philippine Navy to withdraw from Scarborough based on his wrong belief that there was an agreement between the Philippines and China for both to mutually withdraw from the place,” according to Enrile.

It was a matter of just being circumspect, Enrile added, for them to find out “there was no evidence whatsoever of such an agreement”.

The long-time public servant lamented that Aquino and his officials swallowed the word of an American “hook, line and sinker.”

Enrile said even the destabilizer Antonio Trillanes IV, who Aquino appointed as backdoor negotiator with China, could not vouch or confirm the existence of such an agreement.

In the Talk to the People briefing of President Rodrigo Duterte where he was a guest, Enrile gave the public a rundown of the blunders of Aquino as a leader in resolving the Scarborough stalemate.

Had there been an agreement, Aquino should have confronted China for failing to deliver on its part to withdraw from the shoal. “Nothing of such happened,” Enrile recalled.

On the claim of retired Associate Justice Antonio Carpio that the shoal is included in the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), Enrile advised him to just read the pact. Provisions of the MDT indicated that only when there is an actual attack on fighter planes and warships can the accord be invoked.

He said that unless the MDT is renegotiated to a pact, which is similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, where the response is automatic on a particular threat, the Americans can’t be relied on to come to the rescue during an actual conflict with whatever nation.

The area, according to Enrile, is strategic for both its natural resources and security purposes, which is the reason for China not to bow easily in giving up its interest in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Enrile cited the best estimate of the proven reserves of oil and natural gas in WPS is from seven to nine billion barrels of crude and 900 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. “That is already proven. It’s there,” he added.

China’s estimate is that the area has potential reserves of 130 billion barrels of oil.

“So, with that volume of wealth to be harvested, I doubt whether China will easily bow to anybody without asserting its rights over the area,” he asserted.

Enrile noted that apart from the resources, WPS is also a very strategic route.

https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/23/blind-loyalty-of-past/

- Pacific pivot to compete with China How Biden’s broken Middle East policy will complicate the US’ Indo

• The tragedies in the Palestinian territories and Afghanistan underscore the fragility of the Biden

• Unless the US radically overhauls its Middle East strategy,administration’s it will struggle efforts to disengagecompete with from China the region in the Indo-Pacific

Richard Heydarian observed. The same logic also applies to 21st-century geopolitics, whereby one cannot understand the future“It is difficult of Sino- toUS understand rivalry by focusingthe universe on theif you Asian only region study onealone. plan et,” the great sage Miyamoto Musashi by developments in other vital regions, most especially the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). In many ways, Washington’s strategic capital and foreign policy bandwidth continue to be determined The twin tragedies in the occupied Palestinian territories and Afghanistan, where hundreds of civilians have been killed in recent weeks, underscore the fragility of the Biden administration’s efforts to disengage from the region. This provides strategic rivals such as China a unique opportunity to expand their influence across the Mena region, where the US enjoys little goodwill among the masses. product is similar to that of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. However, there are three The region’s population is comparable to the European Union’s, while its combined gross domestic - Pacific against a rising China. reasons the region continues to dominate US foreign policy, thus complicating Biden’s pivot to the Indo First, as US congressman Tip O

’Neill once said, “all politics is local”. Although a global superpower, America’shttps://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3134405/how-bidens-broken-middle-east-pol democratic institutions are vulnerable to institutionalised capture by vested interests. icy-will- complicate-us-indo

Lifting missile restrictions Posted : 2021-05-23 16:45 Updated : 2021-05-23 20:47

President Moon Jae-in announced the complete lifting of U.S. restrictions on Korean missile development following his summit with President Joe Biden, Friday. The removal of the U.S. guidelines is more than welcome in many ways. It will restore Korea's "missile sovereignty" for the first time in 42 years and enhance the nation's deterrent to possible threats from surrounding powers. The decision will also promote Korea's scientific, technological and industrial growth by allowing the nation to compete with other countries on an equal footing.

The missile restrictions were introduced in 1979 as Korea sought to develop its own weapons, in return for U.S. technology. Seoul agreed to limit the maximum range of its missiles to 180 km ― just enough to reach Pyongyang ― and the warhead payload to 500 kg. The two countries had since relaxed the guidelines four times until last year. Through these revisions, they extended the range to 800 km, scrapped the limit on warhead weight and lifted the ban on using solid fuel for space launch vehicles.

With all those restrictions gone, Korea can develop and possess any type of missile, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, at least in theory. That will inevitably trigger a backlash from North Korea and China. Pyongyang has shown hysterical responses to the South's buildup of conventional weapons. Beijing will regard the latest agreement between Seoul and Washington as a thinly veiled threat to its security based on the U.S. administration's careful calculations.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2021/05/202_309250.html

ASEAN’s Myanmar dilemma 23 May 2021

Author: Barry Desker, RSIS

Despite the sound and fury from political leaders in Washington and London opposing the February 2021 Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) coup, Western states have very limited leverage with Myanmar. After 25 years of cultivating access to the Myanmar leadership, including the military, ASEAN is better positioned to shape the international response to the Tatmadaw’s takeover.

ASEAN itself faces a dilemma: Thailand and Vietnam, supported by Cambodia and Laos, have advocated for accepting the coup, in line with ASEAN’s traditional focus on non- interference. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore condemned the use of force against unarmed civilians and pointed to ASEAN member states’ Charter commitments to act in ‘respect for fundamental freedoms, the promotion and protection of human rights, and the promotion of social justice’. Doing nothing is not an option. The challenge is to deliver a cohesive ASEAN response.

At the special ASEAN summit in Jakarta on 24 April 2021, several ASEAN leaders did not refer to Min Aung Hliang as the head of the Myanmar State Administration Council. There were also references to major figures of the ousted regime, Win Myint as President and Aung San Suu Kyi as State Counsellor and Foreign Minister. For ASEAN, the convening of a summit to discuss the coup marked a shift in its handling of such events. Previously, ASEAN would have accepted the change of government, even if some members were unhappy with the developments that had taken place.

The summit reached a five point consensus: an immediate cessation of violence and utmost restraint by all parties; constructive dialogue among all parties; a special envoy of the ASEAN chair to facilitate mediation; humanitarian assistance through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance; and the special envoy to visit Myanmar to meet with all concerned parties. A sixth point on the release of political prisoners was moved to the Chairman’s statement to avoid objections from Min Aung Hliang. Including it may have unravelled the consensus, given Min Aung Hliang’s trenchant criticisms of Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the conduct of the elections which saw the NLD overwhelmingly returned to power.

https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/05/23/aseans-myanmar-dilemma/

Events in Myanmar leave ASEAN behind 23 May 2021

Author: Gregory Poling, CSIS

On 24 April, ASEAN leaders convened in Jakarta for a special summit on the situation in Myanmar. Outside parties including the United States were happy to give the bloc the chance to lead, recognising that ASEAN centrality — for all its faults — is an important plank of regional stability. Still, expectations heading into the summit were low; the grouping has long avoided sensitive political or security issues and left mediation to others.

But against the odds, the meeting ended with an ambitious five-point consensus. The nine other members of ASEAN declared there ‘shall’ be an immediate cessation of violence, a dialogue between the opposing sides mediated by a special envoy from ASEAN, a delegation to meet with all parties involved, and the provision of humanitarian assistance.

High hopes lasted barely 24 hours. Coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing had attended the summit but remained coy about whether he endorsed the consensus. He was barely back home in Naypyidaw when he rebuked it. The junta’s ruling body, the State Administration Council (SAC), announced it would consider ASEAN’s ‘suggestions’, but only after ‘the situation returns to stability’. There would be no cessation of violence and no dialogue with the National Unity Government (NUG) representing most of those standing against the junta. This came as no surprise to the NUG, which was denied access to the summit.

In the weeks since, ASEAN leaders have focused on the other points of the consensus, particularly the choice of a special envoy. But the junta has shown no interest in talking. On 7 May, the SAC announced that it would not accept any visit until the domestic situation ‘stabilises’. On 11 May, a group of ethnic armies, most notably the Restoration Council for Shan State and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, called on ASEAN and other partners to mediate, but they are clearly in the minority. The NUG has said it will not negotiate with the junta under current circumstances. Most of the largest ethnic armed organisations seem to agree. All sides on the ground are preparing for a protracted struggle that they hope will shift the status quo in their favour. The NUG has established a People’s Defense Force, training civilians to fight the junta. This force is being trained in territory controlled by the Karen National Union who is engaged in large-scale clashes with the Myanmar military and its allied militias. The Kachin Independence Army has also intensified its fight. The NUG’s nascent plan is to work in coalition with these and other ethnic armed organisations to open multiple fronts while the nationwide civil disobedience movement continues to deprive the junta of revenue and any claim to be effectively governing.

ASEAN, meanwhile, has been left behind. Whatever momentum the grouping carried out of the 24 April summit has dissipated. As all sides arm themselves, the protestor death toll soars past 800, and the Myanmar economy faces collapse, ASEAN leisurely deliberates over the name of an envoy no one is interested in meeting.

https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/05/23/events-in-myanmar-leave-asean-behind/