THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 INTERNATIONAL Two S Korean soldiers die during training SEOUL: Two young soldiers in South during a mock training exercise on how drill, soldiers had to spend an hour kneel- widespread public fury over a series of arrested for manslaughter after an initial Korea’s special warfare unit died during to survive when captured by enemies, ing down with their heads wrapped in deaths and suicides of young conscripts investigation showed Yoon had been training, the military said yesterday, fol- said a spokesman of the Special Warfare cloth and hands bound behind the back, caused by barrack-room bullying. repeatedly bullied. lowing a series of incidents and suicides Command (SWC). military officials said. “This is the first South Korea’s army chief of staff Kwon The case-revealed by rights activists that have unleashed public fury over bul- “They had breathing problems during time that we adopted the programme, Oh-Seong resigned last month to take in July-came on the back of two separate lying in the army. the mock captivity training when their which has been used by special warfare responsibility for the death in April of a suicides by army privates also in July, The two staff sergeants in their early heads were wrapped in cloth, and died units in the US, Britain and Australia,” it bullied soldier. and a deadly shooting spree in June in 20s, surnamed Lee and Cho, died after after being sent to hospital,” the quoted one official at the SWC. The 23-year-old private, surnamed which a sergeant shot dead five com- collapsing during training on Tuesday spokesman Lee Hong-Joo said. “There must have been some sloppi- Yoon, died of asphyxiation after being rades for taunting him. Conscripts, most night, a defence ministry spokesman Another soldier is being treated after ness in carrying out the training,” said struck in the chest by comrades during of them in their early 20s, account for the said. being injured during the training, he said another official quoted by Yonhap. The mealtime, with a chunk of food lodged in lion’s share of the military’s 690,000 They appeared to have suffocated without elaborating further. During the latest incident comes as the army faces his airway. Five young soldiers were later active personnel. —AFP Abe picks China-friendly lawmakers to key posts Japan PM names five women to new cabinet TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister members such as Chief Cabinet campaign chief. tionship on common issues con- Shinzo Abe picked two veteran law- Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Finance Tanigaki, 69, is from a moderate fronting international society,” Suga makers with friendly ties to China for Minister Taro Aso, 73, Economics wing of the LDP that favours better told a news conference as China top party posts yesterday in an Minister Akira Amari, 65, and Foreign ties with China. He was also an archi- marked the anniversary of its World apparent signal of hope for a thaw in Minister Fumio Kishida, 57, signalling tect of a plan to hike the sales tax in War Two victory over Japan. chilly ties with Beijing and a summit policy continuity. two stages to curb Japan’s huge pub- Former vice defence minister with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Abe’s new line-up faces a number lic debt. Implementation of the sec- Akinori Eto takes over from moderate The change in executives in Abe’s of challenges, including how to ond stage is now in doubt due to a conservative Itsunori Onodera as Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was repair ties with China that have been string of gloomy economic data. defence minister. He also assumes a twinned with a cabinet reshuffle in frayed by rows over disputed territo- Veteran lawmaker Toshihiro Nikai, new post responsible for national which Abe gave the health and wel- ry and Japan’s wartime history, and 75, who also has close ties with security reform as Abe pushes ahead fare portfolio to a reform-minded whether to go ahead with a planned China, was appointed to a second with efforts to ease the limits of lawmaker, kept core ministers and sales tax rise next year despite signs top party post. Outgoing administra- Japan’s pacifist constitution on its HONG KONG: Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (R) speaks boosted the number of women in an the economy is faltering. tive reform minister Tomomi Inada, military. during a press conference in Hong Kong yesterday. Tung supported the The little-known Eto, who is close standing committee of China’s rubber-stamp parliament who on August 31 to Abe, belongs to a group of law- ruled out public nominations for Hong Kong’s next chief executive in 2017, makers advocating visits to Tokyo’s with candidates for the city’s top job to be approved instead by a Beijing- controversial Yasukuni Shrine for war backed committee. — AFP dead, although his office said he has not visited the shrine this year. China rejects ‘interference’ over Abe’s pilgrimage there in December outraged China, where HK after US pledges support the shrine is viewed as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism. Abe has since BEIJING: China stressed yesterday that it which allows civil liberties not seen on avoided visiting the shrine in person. Eto has policy expertise, political would tolerate no foreign interference in the mainland, including free speech and analyst Ito said, but added: “He will Hong Kong affairs, after the United the right to protest. not have a lot of influence. The mes- States said it supported “universal suf- The NPC standing committee deci- sage from the appointments to the frage” in the territory. sion “represents an important progress two party posts is stronger.” The “constitutional reform of Hong in the development of democracy in Abe has not revamped his cabinet Kong is China’s domestic affair which Hong Kong”, Qin said. “To safeguard the since returning to office in December brooks no interference from the out- lasting prosperity and stability of Hong 2012, a record for a post-World War side”, Chinese foreign ministry Kong serves the common interests of Two premier. That means dozens of spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a the international community including veterans in his male-dominated LDP regular briefing. the US.” were eager to be tapped for a post. Qin was responding to comments China hopes the international com- Abe, who has made a push to get made by State Department spokes- munity will see the issue “from a positive more women into the workforce a woman Jen Psaki in Washington on and objective perspective”, Qin added. linchpin of his “Abenomics” growth Tuesday supportive of pro-democracy Asked to react to the continuation of a plan, appointed five female ministers, protesters in Hong Kong, a semi- British parliamentary inquiry into Hong equalling a record set by Junichiro autonomous region of China. Kong, Qin underlined that the region Koizimi in 2001. “The United States supports universal was no longer under London’s control. Yuko Obuchi, 40, daughter of a suffrage in Hong Kong in accordance “It is not the Hong Kong of before former prime minister and mother of with the Basic Law and the aspirations of 1997,” he said, adding that its matters are two, takes over as minister of trade the Hong Kong people,” Psaki told part of China’s domestic affairs. TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (front row C) poses with cabinet members during a and industry, while LDP policy chief photo session after their first cabinet meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo Sanae Takaichi, 53, an Abe ally and reporters, referring to Hong Kong’s mini- “We are opposed to any interference yesterday. Abe named five women to his new cabinet yesterday, leading by example in a country former minister for gender equality constitution. from the outside in any forms,” he said. economists say must make better use of its highly-educated but underemployed women. — AFP in his first cabinet in 2006, was The standing committee of the “This position is resolute and clear.” named minister of internal affairs and National People’s Congress, China’s rub- Separately, Hong Kong’s first post-han- effort to polish his image. “A positive economic cycle is kick- 55, a close conservative ally of Abe, communications. ber-stamp parliament, said Sunday that dover leader yesterday urged activists to In a move welcomed by Tokyo ing off,” Abe told a news conference became LDP policy chief. His message, however, was some- Hong Kong citizens would be allowed to cooperate over political reforms. stock market players, Abe drafted after the new line-up was announced. “He is sending a strong message what mixed since some of the elect their next leader in 2017 — but Tung Chee-hwa, the 77-year-old for- Yasuhisa Shiozaki, 63, a proponent of “We’re only halfway through in to China that he wants to improve appointees, including Haruko candidates must be chosen by a pro- mer British colony’s chief executive from an overhaul of Japan’s Government reforms and we need to deal with ties. Not only Tanigaki but Nikai have Arimura, new minister in charge of Beijing committee and must win the 1997 until 2005, said at a press confer- Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), to new challenges. I reshuffled my cab- good ties with China,” said political women’s issues and the falling backing of more than half of the com- ence in Hong Kong that activists should head the ministry of labour, health inet so that we can tackle these analyst Atsuo Ito.