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The Kalayaan, Panatag & other disputed islands; Future conflict zones?
Topic Started: Feb 2 2005, 08:00 PM (156,018 Views)
migzky19
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China says military operation in S.China routine drill
Military and Security 8/9/2011 6:28:00 PM

TOKYO, Aug 9 (KUNA) -- China's Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday said that a recent People's Liberation Army (PLA) operation in south China was a routine drill, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
Media reports have speculated that a large buildup of PLA troops in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region along the Vietnam-China border could be related to the recent tensions over the South China Sea. The PLA had conducted "an annual routine drill in the region and the media should not leap to speculations," the ministry said in a statement, according to Xinhua.
Tensions between China and neighboring countries over territorial claims to the resource-rich South China Sea and its island groups have escalated in recent months. Vietnam staged the military drills in June over sovereignty claims on the Spratly Islands, which are also claimed by China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines, after accusing Chinese boats of disrupting oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea. (end) mk.ajs KUNA 091828 Aug 11NNNN
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicS...309&Language=en
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spearhead
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DoctorNO, Your Neutral Observer.
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^^Lagot na...
"Men of War must learn the art of numbers or he will not know how to array his troops." - Plato

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spearhead
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DoctorNO, Your Neutral Observer.
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[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ra28v0fFvQ[/YOUTUBE]
"Men of War must learn the art of numbers or he will not know how to array his troops." - Plato

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migzky19
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What peace to pray for in the Spratlys
By Rodel Rodis
5:17 pm | Friday, August 12th, 2011
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When the Filipino American community bid adieu to the officers and crew of the BRP Gregorio del Pilar at Coast Guard Island in Alameda on July 18, 2011, many of us worried about what would happen to them once they were deployed to the Spratly Islands to defend the sovereignty of the Philippines. If they faced a military confrontation with the formidable warships and submarines of China, we were certain they wouldn’t have a prayer.
Many of us were aware of what happened when another Southeast Asian nation attempted to defend its claims to the Spratly Islands. On March 14, 1988, three Vietnamese vessels landed on the Johnson South Reef area of the Paracel Islands in the Spratlys—which Vietnam claims as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) within the 200 mile radius according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). When they saw a flag of the People’s Republic of China planted on their reef, they removed it. As they did so, China’s battleships quickly opened fire, and after the smoke cleared, three Vietnamese ships were sunk and 66 Vietnamese sailors were dead.
The March 14, 1988 massacre was filmed by Chinese videographers on board the Chinese naval vessels and shown all over China as an example of what happens to those who dare to challenge China. It is available on YouTube.
Before the del Pilar officers and crew boarded the ship to return to the Philippines, they stood in two lines on each side of us as we walked down the lines to shake their hands. Some even embraced us. I asked them where they were from and they rattled off the names of towns and provinces all over the
Philippines. Most said they dreamed of enlisting and serving in the Philippine Navy, defending the country and their dreams had been realized.
While most of the officers and crew were men, we met three remarkable women on board: Dr. Joanne Cornista, the chief medical officer; Ensign Lolit Gonzales; and Lt. Junior Grade Andrelee Mojica, the damage control officer and the first female valedictorian of the Philippine Military Academy (Class of 2007). We met the ship’s skipper — Navy Captain Alberto “Abet” Cruz — who clearly enjoyed the
respect of all his officers and crew. I had an engaging discussion with Navy Commander Reynaldo Lopez, the well-read Executive Officer of the ship.
What would happen to all these outstanding individuals — the “crème de la crème” of the Philippine Navy — if they ordered the Chinese Navy to leave Mischief Reef, the military base erected by China only 125 miles from Palawan and within the EEZ of the Philippines?
As we thought about how lopsided a battle with China would be, with high casualties on the Philippine side, it was then that it dawned on us that if those brave men and women of the Philippine Navy don’t have a prayer against China, then that’s what we can offer them, at the very least.
That was the origin of the idea to hold a Day of Prayer for Peace in the Spratlys on Sunday, August 21. Members of the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), which sponsored simultaneous protest demonstrations in front of all the China consulates in the US on July 8, unanimously adopted the proposal and made plans to hold the prayers for peace in 100 cities throughout the US.
But what kind of peace shall we pray for? Shall we pray for the peace that comes with the victory of the Philippine Navy over China’s armada, for the peace of the Old Testament when God smites the heathens?
The issue provoked a thoughtful Internet discussion and Ted Laguatan offered this wise perspective:
“I believe God does not identify with any nationality or race. He (or She) identifies with all people. I believe He loves the Chinese people as well as the Filipino people which is not the same as saying He loves the bullying policies of the Chinese government. Christ suffered and died for all mankind including
non-Christians.
Since this is a day of prayer for the peaceful settlement of the Spratlys issue, we should also pray for the Chinese people — for their well being and happiness. We should make it clear to the world, to ourselves and to the Chinese people — that we do not consider the Chinese people, whom we wish goodwill, as are our enemies. What we condemn is the bullying, trespassing, oil-grabbing ways of the Chinese government in the same way that we condemn some of our own politicians who are ready to sell out our patrimony for personal gain.
We should also pray that well-meaning Chinese people should try to influence their government to respect the property rights of their neighbors and to cease resorting to bullying tactics which if they succeed — will gain for their country the respect and goodwill of other nations — and mutual cooperation for the prosperity, safety and well being of all.
Aside from asking the Almighty to protect us, to protect our energy and marine resources and thanking Him for His bounty — yes, we should also pray for the Chinese people, who are a part of our family under our Almighty Father. I believe God will be pleased if we do.”
Amen.
Fr. Mark Reburiano, the priest who officiated at the last mass of the BRP del Pilar on US soil on July 17, wrote a Prayer for the Faithful that will be included in Catholic masses throughout the US on August 21:
“We pray for God’s enlightenment for a peaceful and just resolution of the Spratly Islands dispute especially between the governments of the Philippines and China. We pray to the Lord… Lord hear our prayer.”
If you would like to attend a Prayer for Peace in the Spratlys on Sunday, August 21, and would like to know the location of a Spratlys prayer event nearest you, please log on to: epeoplepower.ph or USP4GG.org, or contact Carissa Villacorta, the prayer for peace national coordinator at epeoplepower.organizer@gmail.com or call (646) 431-3611. If you live in San Francisco, please join us at the parish hall of the Mission Dolores Church (16th and Dolores) at 4PM on Sunday, August
21.
Please pray for Capt. Abet Cruz, Lt. Andrelee Mojica and all the brave officers and crew of the BRP Gregorio del Pilar. May God protect them from harm. Amen.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/8751/what...in-the-spratlys
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S'llewuol
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realistically, I don't think China would give up their claims over Spratleys.. it just wont happen that they would say ''sure you can have all the oil rich islands..please enjoy yourself''....
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migzky19
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Sovereignty issues with China, MILF a test for President Aquino
By Amando Doronila
Philippine Daily Inquirer
5:35 am | Monday, August 15th, 2011
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China has launched its first aircraft carrier, signaling its growing naval power that’s likely to increase tensions between Beijing and smaller Asian maritime states, including the Philippines, over territorial claims on islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
The 67,000-ton, 302-meter warship sailed from its home port, Dalian, in northeastern China on Wednesday to start its sea trials, amid a show of force in the disputed sea by the US Navy and the expected arrival shortly of the biggest warship of the Philippine Navy, the Hamilton class, World War II-vintage Coast Guard cutter.
The cutter, recently purchased from the United States and renamed BRP Gregorio del Pilar, is on its way from California to join the Philippine Navy as its flagship.
It is a puny vessel compared to the Chinese carrier, but Philippine Navy officials have said the ship would be used, among other purposes, to defend the country’s maritime interests in waters near the disputed Spratly Islands.
Navy officials said the ship would be deployed to patrol near the Palawan area where the Philippines has established outposts and planted its flag to underscore its sovereignty following intrusions of Chinese vessels over the past five months.
The United States showed its concern with the visit last week of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier in Hong Kong for a four-day port call, three days after the voyage of the Chinese carrier. The port call is more likely to impress the Chinese of the US naval presence in the West Philippine Sea.
Sovereignty issues
For the Philippines, the cruise of the Chinese carrier came at an inauspicious moment, with the country embroiled in a more domestic issue involving sovereignty over its own territory threatened with dismemberment by the decadeslong insurgency of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The stalled peace negotiations between the government and the MILF came to a head two weeks ago when President Aquino secretly met Murad Ebrahim, chair of the MILF, in Tokyo in an initiative to restart the stalled talks.
The Tokyo meeting has dumped into the hands of Mr. Aquino two national sovereignty issues—the territorial dispute with China over the Spratly Islands and the enforcement of Manila’s authority over its national territory against secessionist demand.
After the meeting, the MILF demanded the establishment of a Muslim “substate” in Mindanao as a condition for the withdrawal of its early demand for a separate state.
This new demand appeared to be an ultimatum poised on the head of the Manila government. The demand sounded like it was a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum to agree to the MILF’s scaled down proposal.
Test for Aquino
These two tests on the Aquino administration involving national sovereignty issues emerged as its popularity declined in public opinion polls and as it faced increasing criticism over its competence in managing domestic issues, including boosting economic growth.
The launch of the Chinese aircraft carrier has cast a dark shadow on the ability of the administration to effectively carry out in the near term its strong remonstrance that it would never cede any inch of Philippine territory to counter claims by neighbors on the disputed territories.
The start of the sea trials of the Chinese aircraft carrier is believed by China watchers to be a sign of its burgeoning naval power.
The International Herald Tribune (IHT) quoted Xinhua, the state-run Chinese news agency, as saying that the launch was “a highly symbolic step in what is certain to be a multiyear effort to create a carrier presence in the Pacific waters off its coast.”
Scientific research
The carrier, once known as Varyag, is a refitted version of a Soviet vessel, the Riga, that was once supposed to become the most advanced carrier in the Soviet fleet, the IHT report said. But construction at a Ukrainian shipyard was halted when the Soviet Union collapsed.
Ukraine later stripped the ship of its weapons and engines and put it up for sale. A Chinese company bought the Varyag for $20 million, ostensibly to turn into a floating casino. Work to retrofit the ship started in Dalian in 2004.
The Chinese defense ministry said last month that the carrier would be used largely for scientific research and training. According to the IHT, foreign analysts said it could be a decade or more before the Chinese can deploy and operate a fleet of carriers, the most costly and complex weapons system in any nation’s arsenal.
“The launch is nonetheless a highly significant moment for China’s fast-growing military,” the report said.
Long march
Andrei Chang, the Hong Kong-based editor of Kanwa Defense Review, said: “It’s a milestone for them, and not only the Navy, but it’s the first step in a long march.”
A Chinese defense ministry spokesperson said last month the vessel did not alter China’s stated policy that its armed forces were wholly defensive in nature and that the ship had “nothing to do” with China’s disputes with neighboring countries over its claim to most of the West Philippine Sea.
But the IHT said “a fleet of carriers would nevertheless bolster the Navy’s already overwhelming military advantage over the Navies of China’s smaller neighbors.”
Accept reality
In a commentary, Xinhua said: “There should be no excessive worries or paranoid feelings on China’s pursuit of an aircraft carrier.” It noted that the People’s Liberation Army will be the l0th Navy to operate one.
“It will not pose a threat to other countries and other countries should accept and be used to the reality that we are developing the carrier.”
Chinese nationalists were less diplomatic, according to the Financial Times. Quoting an online discussion forum, the newspaper reported reactions that said: “China is the world’s next superpower. It’s just that we don’t admit that to the outside world!”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/41733/soverei...resident-aquino
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migzky19
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Sprat me Xisha, Nansha, and Hoang Sa


By Jaime R. Vergara
Special to the Saipan Tribune
To Zhongguo/China, the different groups of islands in the South China Sea are known as Xisha, the Western Beach named Ilhas de Pracel by the Portuguese before the French made it Le Paracel), Nansha, the Southern Beach, named Spratly by the Brits, Dongsha, the Eastern Beach, and Pratas for the Central Beach. During the Ming dynasty, the whole group was called Wanglishitang, or “Ten Thousand Miles of Stone Pond” in the book Voyage with the Tail Wind. Zheng He, the legendary navigator and explorer, who might have reached the American continent 80 years before Columbus, allegedly referred to the islands as Wanglishitang, as well.

The islands are more popularly known today as Paracel and Spratly islands, a source of access discord between Taiwan and the PRC, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Vietnam calls the area Hoang Sa, the Yellow beach.

The Taiwan-China disagreement is in-house since each considers the other as part of one whole; the Vietnam-China discord is between cousins. China's Yue Nan before the French called it Vietnam has a contiguous geo-ethnic relation to land and peoples of Yunnan and Hainan. The long historical conflict between these territories makes the claims and counterclaims understandable.

Not so with Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines. Pacific World War II was triggered over maritime control of the Malacca Straits when the U.S. squeezed out the Japanese access to oil and gas developed by the Dutch, English, and the French in the Malayan peninsula and Indochina. Today, maritime tonnage in the South China Sea exceeds the combined crossings of the Suez and Panama canals. Japan and the U.S. are now in the same ship; the force to reckon with flies a red flag with five stars.

A senator in the Philippine legislature of 1933 protested France's annexation of Spratly. Japanese forces occupied the island during WWII and shortly after the cessation of hostilities, some Filipinos wanted the islands included in the sovereign territory of the newly independent Philippines. It was not so. But rumors of minerals and oil proliferated, and shortly before martial law was declared, the Philippines “discovered” and settled some uninhabited islands of the Spratlys.

In 1974, oil gushed out of drillings off Palawan. It did not take long before Pea Eye started calling the eastern part of the Spratlys, Kalayaan (freedom) group, and began naval maneuvers and military occupancy. By 1976, the oil industry estimated the whole basin to contain the fourth largest deposit of natural gas and oil in the world, even larger than Kuwait's. Both Vietnam and China started contracting American companies to assist in drilling for oil, and allegations of encroaching on each other's territory led to military conflict including the well publicized massacre of Vietnamese sailors. In 1978, Ferdinand Marcos declared the Spratlys a part of the Philippines.

If one thinks, as many Americans do, that the Vietnam conflict stems from America's mistaken altruism in defending freedom of nascent democratic folks, think again. The same rhetoric of defense of freedom and democracy justifies our military presence in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The politics of oil is hardly mentioned.

Filipinos last month picketed China's embassy and consulates for the increasing incidences of the Chinese Navy's “harassing” U.S. and Philippine “peaceful” presence in the Spratly Islands, now referred to by the Philippines' Foreign Affairs Department and Pinoy media as West Philippine Sea. Our very own Celia Lamkin, MD, erstwhile appropriate technology center director for the differently-abled, is promoting a prayer vigil on Aug. 21 over the Spratly. At least, the signs are more honest: Protect our oil!

The 1983 UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, which the U.S. Congress has yet to ratify, began to clarify the procedure of establishing the 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) by declaring claims, but the UN has no implementation teeth. Traditionally recognized as a Chinese/Vietnam matter to settle, the EEZs of nations gave a new definition on access and responsibility over mineral rights, fish stock, and the control of pollution in the sea. Suddenly, what was perceived as mere sandbars and rock outcroppings in the South China Sea has become every ones' promised wealth of liquid, gas, and solid minerals when extracted from the ocean floor. Jingoistic patriotism was not too far behind.

Taiwan and Xizang (Tibet) are in-house sovereignty disputes, along with border definitions with India, but the case of South China Sea has the vested interest of Western powers, particularly with the oil companies associated with the colonials that used to rule the territories in the surrounding region. Clearly, China has the upper hand on this one, and the oil companies are the muckrakers who unfortunately have the Pentagon by the balls, and former colonials singing their tune!

Our dual sovereign partition in the CNMI as a nation and a state itself muddies the definition of the 200-mile EEZ but, however we fight that fight even at our own Congress, let us be clear that the icon we serve is oil.

Asked who I work for when in the CNMI, I answer in serious jest: CUC, Shell/Mobil, and IT&E, in that order. So, as to the Spratlys, go ahead, “Sprat me!
http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.asp...3&newsID=111579
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AVBsupersonic
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We can deploy SENTRY ROBOTS like this particularly our "TRIDENT" Machine Gun invented by SRDP/PN Mapua Robotics to protect KiG occupied Islands, particularly PAG-ASA and others...

They only need to set up a Command Post on each Islands, position them strategically and modify the Cameras and Sensors of the TRIDENT similar to what the South Koreans are using for a wider effective range with Night Vision All weather Capabilities.
This can save our Soldiers lives and deployment, maintenance,operations, budgets expenses in a long term perspective.. something for the Govt/AFP and DND to think about, if they really want to save Money, Soldiers Lives and to protect those remote islands effectively that can be protected and Monitored remotely from a safe area with less Soldiers to look after. :thumb:

Another suggestion is to incorporate in the design using an Anti-Rust make of the components, base, everything in general, since it will be exposed near the Sea for longer Maintenance...

South Korea's Sentry Robot;
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http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/13/south-k...-to-patrol-dmz/

"Trident" Sentry Machine Gun Philippine Made;
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NevCAx6zWNU...player_embedded
"Some are just lucky that they're not under oath and are not classified!"- Blue badge
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truegrit


How about an Unmanned Surface Vessel since the environment that we are going to secure is Maritime territory> USV should be armed with a 50cal MG and Unguided Rocket Launcher to give it a more powerful punch against a Bigger vessel...

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQme9TF8Myg[/YOUTUBE]
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Tsukiyomi
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Here is the deal...The devices will be best utilized when paired with humans, preferably on the same islands.

The chicoms can come in and blow those things away with a airstrike if they are stand alone. We will have lost an expensive asset and it will barely make the headlines for a few seconds. The delay if these things are remotely operated will further complicate issues.

Put people on the islands and when they get killed or captured then we get serious international attention. That blood-bought attention is the only way the international community will react. The same people will need to operate the SAM systems and control these devices from a bunker.

When the faces of dead young men, their grieving mothers and the wailing widows and children are plastered on TV enmeshed with clips of the chicom juggernaut with the statistics outlining their expansionism over the decades and you will have some great ammo. We are already behind and we need to be cranking out nationalistic 20 second public "infomercials" showng our people that our lands that are in jeapordy and the threat we face. Call a spade a spade, no more sugar coating and kumbaya bull$hit.

I am not about to needlessly sacrifice anybody but we need to make a very clear line in the sand that those islands are ours.
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