Myanmar News Articles: SEA ROW DOMINATES AS ASEAN LEADERS MEET IN MYANMAR (BURMA)

SEA ROW DOMINATES AS ASEAN LEADERS MEET
IN MYANMAR (BURMA)

Leaders of Southeast Asia's regional bloc meet
on Sunday in a historic summit overshadowed by soaring tensions in
the South China Sea and growing fears over Beijing's assertiveness
in the disputed waters. The 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is convening just days after both
Vietnam and the Philippines locked horns with China in contested
territory, stoking international alarm. ASEAN foreign ministers
expressed "serious concerns over the on-going developments" in a
joint statement released on the eve of the summit as the bloc sought
to present a unified front in dealing with the region's massive
neighbour. The summit, hosted for the first time by Myanmar in its
sprawling capital Nay Pyi Taw, is set to be dominated by discussion
of the South China Sea, which is crisscrossed by key shipping lanes
and thought to contain vast energy reserves. Myanmar's chairmanship
is the first time it has taken the helm of ASEAN, despite having
been a member for 17-years, as concerns about the rights record of
the former junta kept the country on the sidelines. But reforms
under a quasi-civilian regime that came to power in 2011 have
burnished the country's international standing and seen the removal
of most Western sanctions. Tensions flared this week after Beijing
controversially relocated a deep-water oil rig into territory also
claimed by Hanoi. The area around the drilling well has since seen
several collisions between Chinese and Vietnamese ships, with the
communist neighbours each blaming the other for the rise in
tensions. READ MORE...

ALSO: ASEAN expresses "serious concerns" over
China sea spats

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: Southeast Asia's regional bloc voiced
alarm on Saturday over escalating tensions in the South China Sea
after members Vietnam and Philippines squared off against Beijing in
the disputed waters. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
foreign ministers "expressed serious concerns over the on-going
developments" in the sea, which is subject to a web of bitter
overlapping claims, on the eve of a leaders' summit in Naypyidaw.
Tensions in the South China Sea soared this week after Beijing moved
a drilling rig into waters that are also claimed by Hanoi, sparking
a stand-off in which Vietnam said its boats were attacked. The
incident drew a statement of concern from the United Nations.
Manila, which has asked a UN tribunal to rule on China's claims over
most of the sea, also detained a Chinese fishing boat in disputed
territory. The ASEAN ministers "urged all parties concerned... to
exercise self-restraint and avoid actions which could undermine
peace and stability in the area" in a statement issued on Saturday.
READ MORE...

ALSO: China poachers charged; turtles returned to sea

The 11 Chinese fishermen caught poaching off Half Moon Shoal
in the disputed Spratly Islands were criminally charged before the
Puerto Princesa City prosecutors office last Friday, the Department
of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed. This developed as the Philippine
National Police (PNP) maritime group in Palawan released back into
the wild 177 sea turtles seized from the fishing vessel of the
alleged poachers. Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, chief of the
DOJs prosecutorial arm, said yesterday that the complaint of the
arresting officers of the PNP maritime group was docketed last
Friday but the proceedings were postponed. The PNP brought the
Chinese poachers last Friday for inquest. But they had no lawyer and
interpreter, Arellano said. He said the Chinese fishermen did not
want to be represented by the public attorneys being provided to
them during the hearing. The prosecutor asked them to come back on
Monday. But the case was docketed for inquest so its considered
filed, he said. READ MORE...

ALSO: Philippines' Aquino says ASEAN must
tackle China sea claims

Philippine President Benigno Aquino Saturday urged fellow
Southeast Asian leaders to face up to the threat posed by China's
contentious claims to most of the South China Sea as they headed to
a regional summit. Manila filed a case at a UN tribunal in March
challenging Chinese claims to most of the strategic sea. Aquino said
he would discuss the case's regional implications with fellow
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders meeting in
Myanmar. Even though not all ASEAN members are involved in maritime
territorial disputes with China, Aquino said the issue concerned the
security of the region as a whole. "We wish to emphasise, uphold and
follow the rule of law in resolving these territorial issues so that
the rights of all countries involved will be recognised and
respected," Aquino said in a speech at Manila airport. "This step
mirrors our belief that an issue that affects all countries in the
region cannot be effectively resolved merely through a dialogue
between two countries," he added. Aquino said the issue concerned
the "security" of Southeast Asia. Myanmar is hosting the two-day
meeting amid a flare-up of high-seas tensions between ASEAN members
Vietnam and the Philippines and regional superpower China, also one
of their main economic partners. China claims most of the South
China Sea, including waters and rocks close to the shores of its
neighbours, and the Philippines and Vietnam have both accused
Beijing of increasingly aggressive moves to assert its claims. These
claims also overlap those of Taiwan, as well as ASEAN members Brunei
and Malaysia. The sea is crisscrossed by fishing and shipping lanes
and is thought to contain huge oil and gas reserves. READ MORE...

ASEAN must play constructive role in managing South China Sea
issue: Singapore PM Lee

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) must play a constructive role in managing problems in the
South China Sea, said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on
Sunday. And that also means not taking sides with the countries
making various territorial and maritime claims. Speaking at the 24th
ASEAN Summit in Myanmar, Mr Lee echoed the sentiments of foreign
ministers that ASEAN should have a common position on the issue. He
said incidents, like collisions between Vietnamese and Chinese
vessels in the South China Sea within the past week, could easily
spiral out of control and trigger unintended consequences. Mr Lee
also stressed the urgency of coming up with an early conclusion to a
South China Sea Code of Conduct. He urged leaders to give strong
political support to the process. Mr Lee said a united and cohesive
ASEAN is of vital interest for every member of the grouping. A
divided ASEAN, he said, undermines the group's credibility and
relevance to the world. READ MORE...

(ALSO) Balikatan: US regiment honored to
stand shoulder to shoulder once again with Filipino troops

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines For Lieutenant
Colonel Dave Zinn, commander of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry
Regiment of the US Army, Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) is more
than the military exercises staged annually between US and
Philippine forces. Zinn said as far as the 4th Cavalry was
concerned, there was a strong partnership and friendship that
dated back to 70 years ago when his regiment fought shoulder to
shoulder with Filipinos in liberating Luzon from the Japanese. It
is an honor and privilege to be here as the 4th Cavalry, Zinn said
here Saturday, the second day of the military exercises. He recalled
a story wherein his predecessors worked 30 miles behind Japanese
lines plucking out Filipino and American troops during World War II
and working together with locals to hide the rescued soldiers from
the Japanese. Americans always remember, he said. Zinn said with
three decades of friendship between the two countries, the Balikatan
has become a cornerstone of the alliance. Zinn said he told his
soldiers to teach their local counterparts what they knew and to
learn from them whom he describes as a force hardened by combat.
READ MORE...

ALSO: Gun shots ring in Nueva Ecija for
Balikatan

With the Balikatan exercises in full swing, the
first live fire exercises of the year has begun on Luzons largest
military camp. Philippine Army and United States Armys joint forces
swooped down on Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija to conduct the
Balikatan 2014′s platoon live fire exercise on Saturday. Captain
Mark Anthony Ruelos, Public Affairs Officer of Fort Magsaysay, said
that the aim of the live fire exercise is to enhance the cooperation
between the two countrys Armed Forces with the Filipinos taking the
lead. These exercises are primarily used for jungle warfare,
Ruelos said atop the Fernandez Hill where the exercises were held.
The setting of the exercise is a direct simulation of the landscape
where these operations are used. With four US soldiers first
scouting the area, 15 Philippine troops equipped with M16 and M14
rifles zoomed in on the first target, a dilapidated house that
simulates an enemy base. After the first target has been
neutralized, the other 15 troops rained fire on dummy targets
simulating enemy soldiers guarding the other target. Upon the
completion of the objective on the first target, the other half of
the Philippine troops engaged the second target, Ruelos said. THIS
IS THE FULL REPORT.

Editorial - An Asean response

In unity there is strength. The Association of
Southeast Asian Nations has seen this in its trade negotiations with
other regions of the world. A regional market of 600 million people
has substantial bargaining power in the global economy. Since five
countries including the Philippines founded ASEAN in 1967 to push
back communism, the grouping has also seen the advantages of a
peaceful region. ASEAN has prospered in a zone of peace. As armed
conflict ended in other countries in Southeast Asia, they were
welcomed into the regional grouping. With peace, countries such as
Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam could focus on economic recovery and
poverty alleviation. In the past four decades, ASEAN has found it
occasionally necessary to soften its policy of non-intervention in
its members internal affairs. ASEAN pressure contributed to
democratic reforms in Myanmar, which is hosting the groupings
summit this weekend. READ MORE...

Sea Row Dominates Asean Leaders Agenda

ASEAN leaders and some of their wives pose for a photograph ahead of a
welcome dinner as part of the 24th ASEAN summit at the Myanmar International
Convention Centre in Nay Pyi Taw. (AFP/Christophe
ARCHAMBAULT)

NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar, MAY 12, 2014

(CHANNELNEWSASIA.COM) Leaders of Southeast Asia's
regional bloc meet on Sunday in a historic summit overshadowed by soaring
tensions in the South China Sea and growing fears over Beijing's
assertiveness in the disputed waters.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is convening
just days after both Vietnam and the Philippines locked horns with China in
contested territory, stoking international alarm.

ASEAN foreign ministers expressed "serious concerns over the on-going
developments" in a joint statement released on the eve of the summit as the
bloc sought to present a unified front in dealing with the region's massive
neighbour.

The summit, hosted for the first time by Myanmar in its sprawling capital
Nay Pyi Taw, is set to be dominated by discussion of the South China Sea,
which is crisscrossed by key shipping lanes and thought to contain vast
energy reserves.

Myanmar's chairmanship is the first time it has taken the helm of ASEAN,
despite having been a member for 17-years, as concerns about the rights
record of the former junta kept the country on the sidelines.

But reforms under a quasi-civilian regime that came to power in 2011 have
burnished the country's international standing and seen the removal of most
Western sanctions.

Tensions flared this week after Beijing controversially relocated a
deep-water oil rig into territory also claimed by Hanoi.

The area around the drilling well has since seen several collisions
between Chinese and Vietnamese ships, with the communist neighbours each
blaming the other for the rise in tensions.

China and Vietnam, who fought a brief border war in 1979, frequently
trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration, fishing rights and the Spratly
and Paracel Islands.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on both countries to "exercise
the utmost restraint" in the sea, United Nations deputy spokesman Farhan Haq
said Friday.

Observers have said Beijing's decision to move the rig could have been a
tit-for-tat response to a visit to the region by US President Barack Obama,
who reaffirmed support for Asian allies the Philippines and Japan, which is
locked in its own maritime territorial dispute with China.

Beijing claims sovereign rights to almost the whole of the South China
Sea, which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas deposits.

The Philippines and Vietnam are China's most vocal critics.

But the South China Sea is also claimed in part by ASEAN members Brunei
and Malaysia as well as Taiwan.

Manila, which has asked a UN tribunal to rule on China's claims over most
of the sea, also said it had detained a Chinese fishing boat in disputed
territory this week.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino Saturday urged fellow Southeast Asian
leaders to face up to the threat posed by China's increasing assertiveness
in the sea, stressing that it affected regional "security".

Beijing prefers to negotiate directly with its smaller, weaker neighbours
on a bilateral basis, a policy that is rejected by its rivals.

The other ASEAN members are Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore
and Thailand. - AFP/de

ASEAN expresses "serious concerns" over China sea
spats

CHANNELNEWSASIA.COM ASIA PACIFIC NEWS

VIDEO SNIP.jpg

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: Southeast Asia's regional bloc voiced alarm on
Saturday over escalating tensions in the South China Sea after members
Vietnam and Philippines squared off against Beijing in the disputed waters.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers
"expressed serious concerns over the on-going developments" in the sea,
which is subject to a web of bitter overlapping claims, on the eve of a
leaders' summit in Naypyidaw.

Tensions in the South China Sea soared this week after Beijing moved a
drilling rig into waters that are also claimed by Hanoi, sparking a
stand-off in which Vietnam said its boats were attacked.

The incident drew a statement of concern from the United Nations.

Manila, which has asked a UN tribunal to rule on China's claims over most
of the sea, also detained a Chinese fishing boat in disputed territory.

The ASEAN ministers "urged all parties concerned... to exercise
self-restraint and avoid actions which could undermine peace and stability
in the area" in a statement issued on Saturday.

The statement also called on claimants to "resolve disputes by peaceful
means without resorting to threat or use of force".

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the ministers' meeting
was dominated by maritime rows.

China and Vietnam, which fought a brief border war in 1979, have been
locked in a longstanding territorial dispute over their contested waters,
and frequently trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration, fishing rights
and the Spratly and Paracel Islands.

Beijing claims sovereign rights to almost the whole of the South China
Sea, which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas deposits.

The Philippines and Vietnam are the most vocal critics of China's claims
among the 10-member bloc.

But the South China Sea is also claimed in part by ASEAN members Brunei,
Malaysia and the Philippines as well as Taiwan.

Natalegawa said the ASEAN statement was aimed "to be in support of peace
and peaceful settlement of disputes".

Singapore Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam said ASEAN did not want to take
sides.

But he said if the bloc stayed silent, "I think our desire to play a
central role, our desire to be united, our desire to have a peaceful region
-- all of these and ASEAN's own integrity I think will be seriously
damaged".

ASEAN suffered a serious knock to its credibility in 2012 during
Cambodia's chairmanship of the group when foreign ministers failed to issue
a joint communique at their annual meeting for the first time in the bloc's
history because of deep divisions on the South China Sea issue.

The Philippines at that time blamed Cambodia, a key Chinese ally, for the
fiasco.

Diplomatic sources said the statement on Saturday omitted reference to
specific incidents in order to achieve consensus from all ASEAN member
states.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters that in issuing the
statement, ASEAN would like to see Vietnam, China and other parties settle
the dispute peacefully. - AFP/ac

FROM PHILSTAR

China poachers charged; turtles returned to sea

By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star) | Updated May 12, 2014 - 12:00am 2 1
googleplus0 0

MANILA, Philippines - The 11 Chinese fishermen caught poaching off Half
Moon Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands were criminally charged before
the Puerto Princesa City prosecutors office last Friday, the Department of
Justice (DOJ) has confirmed.

This developed as the Philippine National Police (PNP) maritime group in
Palawan released back into the wild 177 sea turtles seized from the fishing
vessel of the alleged poachers.

Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, chief of the DOJs prosecutorial arm,
said yesterday that the complaint of the arresting officers of the PNP
maritime group was docketed last Friday but the proceedings were postponed.

The PNP brought the Chinese poachers last Friday for inquest. But they
had no lawyer and interpreter, Arellano said.

He said the Chinese fishermen did not want to be represented by the
public attorneys being provided to them during the hearing.

The prosecutor asked them to come back on Monday. But the case was
docketed for inquest so its considered filed, he said.

It was learned that investigating provincial prosecutor Allen Ross
Rodriguez also required the PNP to present the evidence, including the
fishermens vessel and the sea turtles seized from them.

Arellano confirmed that the PNP filed the complaint against the Chinese
fishermen for violation of Republic Act 8550 (Fisheries Code), particularly
Section 87 or poaching in Philippine waters and Section 97 or fishing or
taking of rare, threatened or endangered species; and R.A. 9147 (Wildlife
Resources Conservation and Protection Act).

The charges are bailable, he said.

Rodriguez said that another case involving the fishermens illegal entry
in the country may prompt the Bureau of Immigration to hold their departure.

He said the vessel will be subjected to inventory by the Palawan Council
for Sustainable Development.

The Chinese government earlier demanded the release of their fishermen.

But the Palace said it would proceed with the prosecution of the arrested
poachers, insisting they had trespassed into the countrys exclusive
economic zone.

Up to DFA

DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima, for her part, said she would leave the issue
involving Chinas demand to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

At this point, its the DFA that should address the matter so as not to
further fuel any tension with China. I know the DFA is working on it, she
said yesterday.

We have our own UNCLOS (United Convention on the Law of the Sea). We
have our own laws like R.A. 8550, she said.

The alleged poachers, who had been taken to the provincial police office
in Palawan for custody, were visited by the Chinese consul.

Sought for comment, the Chinese official refused to give any statement.

Slaughtered, stuffed

The 177 sea turtles released back into the wild by the PNP maritime group
were part of the 555 endangered marine mammals that police maritime
patrollers found in the vessel of the Chinese fishermen last week.

As per inventory, out of the 555 sea turtles that were recovered, only
177 were found alive, while the rest were dead. Two hundred seven of them
were slaughtered and stuffed, the maritime group said in its report.

Seventy-five sea turtle shells were also found in the seized fishing
vessel.

Propaganda tool

Meanwhile, an opposition lawmaker yesterday lambasted China for turning
the poaching incident involving its nationals into a major diplomatic issue
to bolster its claim over the West Philippine Sea.

Whichever way China packages the issue, it cannot hide the fact that
Chinese nationals were caught conducting illegal activities in Philippine
waters, Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said.

Ridon said China is exploiting the poaching incident to advance its
propaganda about its absurd nine-dash line claim.

It is illogical to say that the arrest of the Chinese nationals is a
premeditated provocative action on the part of the Philippines. Philippine
officials were only exercising their police power in our exclusive economic
zone when they made the arrests, he said.

He added that asking the Philippine government to release the poachers
without prosecution is tantamount to saying that China is condoning their
illegal activities.

Chinese officials should stop making absurd statements and claims and
focus on the facts of the incident, the lawmaker said.

Ridon urged the Aquino administration to file a diplomatic protest
regarding the latest incident of Chinese incursion in Philippine waters.
With Jaime Laude, Paolo Romero

Philippines' Aquino says ASEAN must tackle China sea claims
CHANNELNEWSASIA.COM ASIA PACIFIC NEWS

PHNO VIDEO SNIPPET.jpg

MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino Saturday urged fellow
Southeast Asian leaders to face up to the threat posed by China's
contentious claims to most of the South China Sea as they headed to a
regional summit.

Manila filed a case at a UN tribunal in March challenging Chinese claims
to most of the strategic sea. Aquino said he would discuss the case's
regional implications with fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) leaders meeting in Myanmar.

Even though not all ASEAN members are involved in maritime territorial
disputes with China, Aquino said the issue concerned the security of the
region as a whole.

"We wish to emphasise, uphold and follow the rule of law in resolving
these territorial issues so that the rights of all countries involved will
be recognised and respected," Aquino said in a speech at Manila airport.

"This step mirrors our belief that an issue that affects all countries in
the region cannot be effectively resolved merely through a dialogue between
two countries," he added.

Aquino said the issue concerned the "security" of Southeast Asia.

Myanmar is hosting the two-day meeting amid a flare-up of high-seas
tensions between ASEAN members Vietnam and the Philippines and regional
superpower China, also one of their main economic partners.

China claims most of the South China Sea, including waters and rocks
close to the shores of its neighbours, and the Philippines and Vietnam have
both accused Beijing of increasingly aggressive moves to assert its claims.

These claims also overlap those of Taiwan, as well as ASEAN members
Brunei and Malaysia.

The sea is crisscrossed by fishing and shipping lanes and is thought to
contain huge oil and gas reserves.

Hanoi said this week that Chinese ships that had surrounded a Chinese
deep-water oil rig in waters claimed by Vietnam had used water cannon
against, as well as rammed, Vietnamese patrol vessels there.

Meanwhile, Manila said it arrested 11 crew members of a Chinese-flagged
fishing boat Tuesday for poaching hundreds of protected marine turtles in
waters that are part of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

China has rejected arbitration in the Philippines' UN case, preferring to
settle the issue through bilateral negotiations while insisting its
sovereignty over these areas was "indisputable".

The other ASEAN members are Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore
and Thailand.

The weekend summit in Nay Pyi Taw follows a visit to Asia late last month
by US President Barack Obama in which he restated support for Asian allies
the Philippines and Japan, which is locked in its own maritime territorial
dispute with China.

More than 5,000 US and Filipino troops are currently engaged in annual
war games in the Philippines, with a focus on maritime security. - AFP/xq

ASEAN must play constructive role in managing South
China Sea issue: Singapore PM Lee
CHANNELNEWSASIA.COM ASIA PACIFIC NEWS

PHNO VIDEO SNIP.jpg

NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
must play a constructive role in managing problems in the South China Sea,
said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday.

And that also means not taking sides with the countries making various
territorial and maritime claims.

Speaking at the 24th ASEAN Summit in Myanmar, Mr Lee echoed the
sentiments of foreign ministers that ASEAN should have a common position on
the issue.

He said incidents, like collisions between Vietnamese and Chinese vessels
in the South China Sea within the past week, could easily spiral out of
control and trigger unintended consequences.

Mr Lee also stressed the urgency of coming up with an early conclusion to
a South China Sea Code of Conduct.

He urged leaders to give strong political support to the process.

Mr Lee said a united and cohesive ASEAN is of vital interest for every
member of the grouping.

A divided ASEAN, he said, undermines the group's credibility and
relevance to the world.

Mr Lee also said ASEAN leaders must show the political will to address
difficult issues so that the region can achieve its vision of becoming an
economic community.

He said the grouping has made encouraging progress towards an ASEAN
Economic Community.

He said more than 70 per cent of the targets have been achieved, and
urged officials to redouble their efforts so that the outstanding issues can
be resolved.

ASEAN is working towards becoming a single market by 2015.

Mr Lee acknowledged that remaining issues to be agreed upon -- such as
trade in services and eliminating non-tariff barriers -- are difficult and
sensitive.

These, however, offered the most benefits to people and businesses.

As such, ASEAN leaders must find the political will to tackle these
issues and make the necessary reforms to further liberalise their economies.

Mr Lee also said there is a need to promote awareness among businesses --
especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) -- about the ASEAN Economic
Community, so they can take full advantage of these programmes.

One way of creating awareness among businessmen would be to fully
implement an ASEAN open skies agreement before 2015.

Mr Lee said ASEAN must also work together to tackle transboundary haze
pollution. He urged ASEAN member states to operationalise a Haze Monitoring
System for the region quickly.

Mr Lee said Singapore looked forward to full ratification of the ASEAN
Agreement on Trans-Boundary Haze Pollution soon. -
CNA/fa/ir

FROM THE INQUIRER

Balikatan: US regiment
honored to stand shoulder to shoulder once again with Filipino troops
By Bong Lozada INQUIRER.net 5:10 pm | Saturday, May 10th, 2014

PHNO A VIDEO SNIPPET.jpg

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines For Lieutenant Colonel Dave Zinn, commander
of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment of the US Army, Balikatan
(shoulder-to-shoulder) is more than the military exercises staged annually
between US and Philippine forces.

Zinn said as far as the 4th Cavalry was concerned, there was a strong
partnership and friendship that dated back to 70 years ago when his
regiment fought shoulder to shoulder with Filipinos in liberating Luzon from
the Japanese.

It is an honor and privilege to be here as the 4th Cavalry, Zinn said
here Saturday, the second day of the military exercises.

THE VIEW FROM CHINA. US Marines storm a beach along the West Philippine Sea
on Friday but only to simulate an amphibious landing during joint
US-Philippines military exercises dubbed Balikatan 2014 at San Antonio,
Zambales. This years war games focus on maritime security. The exercise
came even as tensions simmer between the Philippines and China over rival
claims to territory in the West Philippine Sea, part of the South China Sea
within Manilas 370-km exclusive economic zone.
MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

He recalled a story wherein his predecessors worked 30 miles behind
Japanese lines plucking out Filipino and American troops during World War II
and working together with locals to hide the rescued soldiers from the
Japanese.

Americans always remember, he said. Zinn said with three decades of
friendship between the two countries, the Balikatan has become a
cornerstone of the alliance.

Zinn said he told his soldiers to teach their local counterparts what
they knew and to learn from them whom he describes as a force hardened by
combat.

I told my soldiers to focus on our Philippine Army partners and teach
them how we operate, Zinn said Saturday at Fort Magsaysay.

They are a force hardened by combat and they should also learn from
them. Colonel Rodolfo Lavadia, Combined Army Forces Commander of the
Philippine Army, said that the Balikatan was meant to focus more on the
field exercises of the troops involved.

Zinn added that, even though the main focus of Balikatan 2014 was on
maritime security, the exercises have a broad spectrum that involves all
branches of the military, Army, Navy, and Air Force. Strengthening of the
Army involves all, Zinn said.

He also downplayed the issues of the dispute with China and the
parameters of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca). This is
not related to anything happening right now, not related to what will happen
in the South China Sea [West Philippine Sea], said Lavadia.

Room for fun

Zinn added that even if the Balikatan was a series of military exercises,
theres always a room to put in some fun. This morning we had a fun run, it
was great the troops were happy and we had fun, the commander of the
American troops said.

Gun shots ring in Nueva Ecija for Balikatan
By Bong Lozada INQUIRER.net 12:12 pm | Saturday, May 10th, 2014

US and Philippine marines storm the beach to simulate a raid during
the joint U.S.-Philippines military exercise dubbed Balikatan 2014 Friday,
May 9, 2014 at the Naval Training Exercise Command, a former US naval base,
and facing the South China Sea at San Antonio township, Zambales province
northwest of Manila, Philippines. More than 5,000 U.S. and Filipino troops
have begun two weeks of military exercises to flex their muscle in jointly
dealing with potential crisis in the Philippines, which is prone to natural
disasters and has been locked in a dangerous standoff with China over a
disputed shoal. This years war games focuses on maritime security.
AP

MANILA, PhilippinesWith the Balikatan exercises in full swing, the first
live fire exercises of the year has begun on Luzons largest military camp.

Philippine Army and United States Armys joint forces swooped down on Fort
Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija to conduct the Balikatan 2014′s platoon live fire
exercise on Saturday.

Captain Mark Anthony Ruelos, Public Affairs Officer of Fort Magsaysay, said
that the aim of the live fire exercise is to enhance the cooperation between
the two countrys Armed Forces with the Filipinos taking the lead.

These exercises are primarily used for jungle warfare, Ruelos said atop
the Fernandez Hill where the exercises were held. The setting of the
exercise is a direct simulation of the landscape where these operations are
used.

With four US soldiers first scouting the area, 15 Philippine troops equipped
with M16 and M14 rifles zoomed in on the first target, a dilapidated house
that simulates an enemy base.

After the first target has been neutralized, the other 15 troops rained fire
on dummy targets simulating enemy soldiers guarding the other target.

Upon the completion of the objective on the first target, the other half of
the Philippine troops engaged the second target, Ruelos said.

PHILSTAR EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL - An Asean response (The
Philippine Star) | Updated May 11, 2014 - 12:00am 2 12 googleplus1 0

In unity there is strength. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
has seen this in its trade negotiations with other regions of the world. A
regional market of 600 million people has substantial bargaining power in
the global economy.

Since five countries including the Philippines founded ASEAN in 1967 to
push back communism, the grouping has also seen the advantages of a peaceful
region. ASEAN has prospered in a zone of peace. As armed conflict ended in
other countries in Southeast Asia, they were welcomed into the regional
grouping. With peace, countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam could
focus on economic recovery and poverty alleviation.

In the past four decades, ASEAN has found it occasionally necessary to
soften its policy of non-intervention in its members internal affairs.
ASEAN pressure contributed to democratic reforms in Myanmar, which is
hosting the groupings summit this weekend.

Security has also become an increasing concern for ASEAN as borderless
threats such as extremist terrorism called for coordinated responses. Now
the grouping is facing a threat to regional stability from a non-member
state.

China is laying claim to nearly the entire South China Sea, and is using
its newfound prosperity to flex its military muscle in waters that lap at
the shores of several ASEAN members. This not only challenges the
sovereignty of Chinas Southeast Asian neighbors but also threatens freedom
of navigation in some of the busiest sea lanes in the world.

Last year, unable to secure a regional consensus on what must be done,
the Philippines went to the United Nations and sought international
arbitration to define its maritime entitlements. Its a peaceful way of
resolving a dispute, based on international rules.

China, which has been trying to reassure the world that there is nothing
to fear about its peaceful rise, should welcome this rules-based approach,
but it has not. Instead it has refused to participate in arbitration and is
hurriedly enforcing its territorial claims, installing oil rigs in disputed
waters and deploying patrol boats to harass fishermen far beyond its shores.

Beijing may brush aside the individual protests of its much smaller
neighbors in Southeast Asia, but together these countries will have a
stronger voice. ASEAN must rise to the occasion and unite to preserve
regional peace.