Tag: Philippines

Something I have been saying should be done for a long time is to seize ships caught violating UN sanctions and then sell them off to pay reparations to the families of people kidnapped or killed in provocations or terrorism launched by the Kim regime in the past.  The cost of having to replace seized ships would definitely hurt the Kim regime’s bottom line while serving as a deterrent to third countries trying to smuggle goods into North Korea:

The Philippines will impound a suspected North Korean cargo ship docked at a port northwest of Manila and eventually deport its North Korean crewmen in compliance with tough new U.N. Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang over its latest nuclear test and rocket launch, officials said Saturday.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III said the U.N. sanctions would be applied to the MV Jin Teng, which arrived Thursday at Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval base that’s now a key commercial port. The ship has 21 North Korean crewmen.

“Our obligation is essentially to impound the vessel and not allow it to leave port and that the crew must eventually be deported,” Quezon said in a radio interview.

The 4,355-ton vessel is among 31 ships listed as being North Korean owned and that should be held under an “assets freeze” order, Philippine Foreign Assistant Secretary Gary Domingo said.  [Associated Press]

You can read more at the link.

All the more reason why I have no urge to ever holiday in the Philippines:

Investigators returned from the Philippines on Friday after looking into the recent shooting death of a South Korean man, adding they have found key evidence to narrow down the suspects.

A 57-year-old South Korean, identified only by his surname Cho, was shot to death by four unidentified, armed assailants on Sunday at his house in Batangas, some 100km south of Manila.

The incident raised the number of South Koreans killed in the Southeast Asian country to 11 this year.  [Yonhap]

You can read the rest at the link.

Arguments Open in Philippine Case Against China's South China Sea Claims https://t.co/EhN0j2jDFO pic.twitter.com/kT4rJ6TiDM

— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) November 24, 2015

What is interesting about the return of the US Navy to Subic Bay is how the Philippines military will have legal authority over the base:

The return of the Americans follows a deal hammered out with the Philippine military last spring. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement grew out of concern here over China’s spread into waters just off the coast here, and China’s claim over more than 80 percent of the South China Sea that extends far below the Chinese mainland.

In Olangapo today, a city of 220,000, enthusiasm is strong for a US return. That’s due not only to the perceived China threat, but also because the Philippine armed forces, not the Pentagon, will govern the sprawling old base with new rules designed to curb off duty behavior.

After World War II, Subic gained prominence as the largest US naval facility in the Pacific, cherished for its deep water, sheltered spots to anchor ships, and elaborate repair infrastructure.

Yet during the heyday of Subic, US naval personnel gained notoriety for helping turn the area into a zone of hostess bars and prostitution that fostered local crime.

Now, the returning military must stay on approved parts of the base, which has added a well-groomed Harbor Point shopping mall with cinemas and some 200 stores including Starbucks, TGI Friday’s, and eventually Gold’s Gym. A midnight to 5 a.m. curfew will be enforced around the base.

To short-circuit charges of a new form of colonialism, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, a local governing body, is authorizing Philippine forces to oversee the former base and its returning inhabitants in segments of 15 years.  [The Christian Science Monitor]

You can read the rest at the link.

It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out.  The Chinese have so much invested in these South China Sea islands I just don’t see them backing down even if the UN court rules against them.  The domestic political blowback would be too much with accusations of the Chinese government backing down to foreigners.  The UN court though could legitimize the freedom of navigation patrols which are currently being executed by the US Navy.  The ruling is supposed to be released sometime in 2016:

The Hague (AFP) – An international tribunal ruled Thursday it had the power to hear a case brought by the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea, in a move likely to trigger fury in Beijing.

Manila has insisted the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which the Philippines and China have both ratified, should be used to resolve the bitter territorial row over isolated reefs and islets, which has triggered growing international alarm.

But China has refused to participate in the proceedings, arguing the Permanent Court of Arbitration — which is more than a century old and based in The Hague — had no jurisdiction over the case.

“Reviewing the claims submitted by the Philippines, the tribunal has rejected the argument” by China that the “dispute is actually about sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and therefore beyond the tribunal’s jurisdiction,” the court said in a statement.

Instead, the court ruled the case reflects “disputes between the two states concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention” — something which falls within its remit.

China insists it has sovereign rights to nearly all of the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which about a third of all the world’s traded oil passes.

The disputed waters — claimed in part by Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Brunei — have also become the stage for a tussle for regional dominance between Beijing and Washington, the world’s two largest economic and military powers.

Following a stand-off between Chinese ships and the weak Filipino Navy in 2012, China took control of a rich fishing ground called Scarborough Shoal that is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.  [Associated Press]

You can read the rest at the link.

Another month and more dead Koreans found in the Philippines:

Another Korean couple was shot to death in the Philippines, confirmed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul on Friday, again in the coastal province of Cavite, 21 kilometers (13 miles) south of Manila. A middle-aged man was shot by an unidentified assailant on the road right outside the couple’s residence early Friday morning, according to the Korean Foreign Ministry. His wife was shot inside the house, where she was discovered dead.

The man, reported to be a 54-year-old surnamed Lee, held Korean nationality. However, his wife, a 47-year-old surnamed Park, was an ethnic Korean with Chinese nationality.

Park called the local police at around 1:30 a.m., which is likely around the time the shooting began. Philippine police are still investigating the fatal shootings to confirm details. Cavite is the same province in which a 64-year-old Korean man surnamed Na and his 60-year-old wife Kim were shot to death in their retirement home by an unidentified gunman on Aug. 19.

Police have yet to find a lead on that case, which was suspected to be an armed robbery. This brings the number of Koreans killed in the Philippines this year to 10, including Korean-Chinese Park, raising questions about how to bolster security for Koreans residing in or traveling to the Southeast Asian country.   [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read the rest at the link.

I wonder  if anyone in the Philippines asked General Scaparrotti how well the ROKs protect classified military information?:

South Korea and the Philippines on Monday signed a pact to protect classified military information in a bid to exchange military intelligence, Seoul’s defense ministry said.

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Filipino counterpart Secretary Voltaire Gazmin signed the deal in Manila following their talks, according to the ministry.

Han arrived in the Philippines on Monday for a two-day visit following his trip to Australia for a so-called “two plus two” meeting among the two nations’ defense and foreign chiefs.

The ministry said that the pact calls for exchanging comprehensive military information between Seoul and Manila, which will help them deepen military cooperation.  [Korea Herald]

You can read more at the link.

The murder of Koreans in the Philippines continues:

A South Korean couple living in the Philippines were found dead in their home apparently by gun-inflicted wounds, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The bodies of the husband and wife, both in their 60s, were found at around 7 a.m. local time by a neighbor inside their homes located in a village south of Manila, the ministry said.

The two, only identified by their surname Na and Kim, reportedly had gun-inflicted wounds in their necks and chests with their bodies lying in the living room.

Local police suspect armed robbery as the motive but are still considering the possibility of murder driven by personal grudge.

The couple reportedly settled down in the Philippines seven years ago after retirement.  [Yonhap]

Dead-Beat Korean Fathers of ‘Kopino’ Children Revealed Online http://t.co/RIkcsgScac

— The Grand Narrative (@JamesTurnbull) July 28, 2015

#Philippines: Chris Brown asked to secure clearance before leaving Manila amid fraud allegations #ChrisBrown pic.twitter.com/40SUJMjeqv

— Asian Correspondent (@AsCorrespondent) July 22, 2015