The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Philippines says China appears to be building airstrip on disputed reef
- Japan PM to pitch security change to divided voters, wary partner
- Turkey mine blast kills at least 201, hundreds trapped
| Philippines says China appears to be building airstrip on disputed reef Posted: 13 May 2014 09:20 PM PDT MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines accused China on Wednesday of reclaiming land on a reef in disputed islands in the South China Sea, apparently to build an airstrip, only a day after Washington described Beijing's actions in the region as "provocative". If confirmed, the airstrip would be the first built by China on any of the eight reefs and islands it occupies in the Spratly Islands and would mark a significant escalation in tensions involving several nations in the area. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, an area rich in energy deposits and an important passageway traversed each year by $5 trillion worth of ship-borne goods. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the area. Philippine Foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose told Reuters that China had been moving earth and materials to Johnson South Reef, known by the Chinese as Chigua, in recent weeks. He said China was reclaiming land in violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, an informal code of conduct for the region. "They're about to build an airstrip," Jose said. He said evidence of the Chinese activity on the reef had been shown in aerial photographs taken by the Philippine Navy. The Philippines and Taiwan already have airstrips in the area. The ministry had already lodged a protest with the Chinese and raised the issue behind closed doors at last weekend's summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations in Myanmar, Jose said. Tensions in the South China Sea were already high after China moved a large oil rig into an area also claimed by Vietnam. Beijing and Hanoi each accused the other of ramming its ships near the disputed Paracel Islands, On Tuesday, Kerry said during a phone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that China's introduction of the oil rig and numerous government vessels into the area disputed with Vietnam was "provocative", a State Department spokeswoman confirmed. [ID:nL3N0NZ37H] China in turn said there had indeed been provocative action taken in the area but that it was not the guilty party, with the foreign ministry blaming the United States for encouraging such behaviour. The ministry said Wang had urged Kerry to "act and speak cautiously". Beijing says the South China Sea issue should be resolved by direct talks between those involved and has bristled at what it sees as unwarranted U.S. interference. It has also looked askance at the U.S. "pivot" back to Asia, especially Washington's efforts to boost existing military links with Tokyo and Manila. The remote and otherwise unremarkable Johnson South Reef has been a catalyst for conflict in the past. In March 1988, China and Vietnam fought a brief naval skirmish on and around the reef with up to 90 Vietnamese reported killed. (Writing by Paul Tait; Editing by Richard Pullin) |
| Japan PM to pitch security change to divided voters, wary partner Posted: 13 May 2014 08:55 PM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Would Japan send its military to defend the Philippines if it was attacked by China? That's the kind of question Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could well face as he pushes for a landmark change to security policy. Abe's private advisers will on Thursday present him with a report urging a loosening of legal limits on Japan's military, including an end to a decades-old ban on helping allies under attack that has kept Japanese forces from fighting abroad since World War Two. The report, a draft of which was obtained by Reuters, sets the stage for Abe to make a pitch for a historic change in a defence policy that has long been based on the principle that Japan has the right to defend itself with the minimum necessary force, but that combat abroad exceeds the limit. A lifting of the ban on "collective self-defence" would be welcome to Japan's ally the United States, but would draw criticism from China, ties with which have been damaged by a territorial row and the legacy of Japan's past aggression. Despite Abe's desire to loosen the limits of the U.S.-drafted charter, doubts remain about how far and how quickly he can go. His Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) junior partner, the New Komeito, is wary, voters are divided and the LDP's deputy leader is worried about the impact on local polls this year and next. "This is not a simple matter that can just be pushed through," a senior LDP lawmaker told Reuters. "It's complex." Previous governments have said Japan has the right of collective self-defence under international law, but that the constitution's pacifist Article 9 prohibited taking such action. Abe's advisers argue that Japan's security environment, including an increasingly assertive China and volatile North Korea, requires a more flexible approach. Tension in the region grew this month when China positioned an oil rig in an area of the South China Sea also claimed by Vietnam and spiked again when China demanded that the Philippines release a Chinese fishing boat seized off Half Moon Shoal in the Spratly Islands, claimed by both countries. Japan itself is locked in a feud with China over Japanese-controlled isles in the East China Sea. "Looking at China's moves, everyone thinks that in broad terms, allowing the exercise of the right of collective self-defence can't be avoided. But when the debate gets specific, it gets difficult. The question is, what kind of limits should be set?" said a second senior LDP lawmaker who also declined to be identified. "Could we say a clash between the Philippines and China has nothing to do with Japan? Some would say after the South China Sea comes the East China Sea. Others would say helping the Philippines is going too far," he told Reuters. ACT WHILE SUPPORT RATES HIGH Given domestic and diplomatic dynamics, a blanket lifting of the ban soon appears unlikely - although critics say even small changes would open the door to more drastic moves later. "There are some changes to which the New Komeito is strongly opposed," the first LDP lawmaker said. Critics also say Abe is taking a stealthy approach by seeking to reinterpret the constitution instead of the more politically difficult step of formally revising the U.S.-drafted charter, which has never been altered since its adoption in 1947. Abe would like to embody the change in a cabinet resolution next month, before the parliamentary session ends on June 22, or at the latest by September, to leave time to revise a slew of related laws in an extra session of parliament late in the year. "The prime minister wants to act while his support rates are high and politics stable," the first LDP lawmaker said. Supporters of the change also want it settled in time to be reflected in updated U.S.-Japan defence cooperation guidelines that Japan wants to finish by year-end. Abe will unveil the government's response to the report on Thursday, outlining cases in which legal limits on the military could be loosened as a basis for talks inside the ruling bloc. Examples in the report include protecting a U.S. warship under attack in waters near Japan; mine-sweeping in sea-lanes in a conflict zone; intercepting a ballistic missile headed for America; and inspecting vessels supplying arms to a country that has attacked the United States. The advisers will also state there are no constitutional constraints on Japan's participation in U.N.-led collective security operations, in which nations join to repel an aggressor against one state, but the government is unlikely to push for that even more controversial change, political sources said. The draft also recommends legal changes to facilitate action not directly tied to collective self-defence but where the military has to date been constrained by legal concerns, such as rescuing Japanese overseas, using weapons in U.N. peace-keeping operations and dispatching troops to low-intensity conflicts that fall short of a full-scale attack on Japan. (Editing by Robert Birsel) |
| Turkey mine blast kills at least 201, hundreds trapped Posted: 13 May 2014 08:30 PM PDT SOMA, Turkey, May 14, 2014 (AFP) - At least 201 people were killed and hundreds more remained trapped underground after an explosion at a coal mine in western Turkey, the government said Wednesday, warning that rescue efforts faced a race against time. The toll has risen rapidly since Tuesday's disaster in the province of Manisa, when a total of 787 mineworkers became trapped inside the mine. Rescue operations continued overnight for the hundreds of people still underground. Of those rescued alive, 80 were injured, four of them seriously, said Energy Minister Taner Yildiz. "We fear the number could rise even further because those who came to help out may be among the injured and affected by the smoke," he told reporters. "As the time passes, we are very quickly heading to an unfavourable outcome," he added. Earlier a security source told AFP that there were pockets in the mine, one of which was open so rescuers were able to reach the workers, but the second was blocked with workers trapped inside. The explosion was believed to have been triggered by a faulty electrical transformer at around 1230 GMT Tuesday. Hundreds of people gathered around the explosion site as rescuers brought out injured workers, who were coughing and struggling to breathe due to the dust. Sena Isbiler, a mother of one of the miners, stood on top of piles of wood, craning her neck to see who was being led out of the mine. "I have been waiting for my son since early afternoon," she told AFP. "I haven't heard anything about him yet." Arum Unzar, a colleague of the missing miners said he had lost a friend previously "but this is enormous." "All the victims are our friends," he said as he wept. "We are a family and today that family is devastated. We have had very little news and when it does come it's very bad," he added. Tragic accident Fire officials were trying to pump clean air into the mine shaft for those who remained trapped some two kilometres (one mile) below the surface and four kilometres from the entrance. Late Tuesday evening injured people were still emerging from the collapsed mine - some walking, others being carried by rescue workers while being given oxygen. Nearby, security officers tried to keep ambulance routes clear to ensure help could reach the victims. The mining company Soma Komur issued a statement saying the mine had maximum safety measures. "Unfortunately, some of our workers have lost their lives in this tragic accident," the statement said. "The accident happened despite maximum safety measures and inspections, but we have been able to take prompt action," it added. Energy Minister Yildiz promised that if it was discovered that any negligence was to blame for the disaster "we will not turn a blind eye to it. We will do whatever necessary including all administrative and legal steps." Time isn't in our favour Turkey's ministry of labour and social security said the mine was last inspected on March 17 and was found to be compliant with safety regulations. But Oktay Berrin, a miner, said workers were not protected underground. "There is no security in this mine," he told AFP. "The unions are just puppets and our management only cares about money." Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said he would arrive in Soma on Wednesday after cancelling a trip to Albania. Speaking in Ankara, the leader expressed his "heartfelt condolences" to the families of those who died. Energy Minister Yildiz told journalists in Soma that a team of 400 people were involved in the rescue effort and that the main cause of the deaths was carbon monoxide and dioxide poisoning. "Time isn't working in our favour. We need to get them out. We could be in a troubled situation," he said. The miners are all thought to have gas masks, but it was not clear how long they would last. Vedat Didari, a professor of mining, told AFP that the biggest risk was the lack of oxygen. "If the ceiling fans are not working, the workers could die within an hour," said Didari, from the Bulent Ecevit University in the city of Zonguldak. Explosions and cave-ins are common in Turkey, particularly in private mines where safety regulations are often flouted. Turkey's worst mining accident happened in 1992 when 263 workers were killed in a gas explosion in a mine in Zonguldak. Soma is one of the key centres for lignite coal mining in Turkey, a district with a population of around 100,000 where the mines and a lignite-fired thermal power plant are the main economic activity. |
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