News Story: Duterte now claims arrest warrant vs drug lord triggered Marawi siege

Philippines Dictator Rodrigo Duterte

By Ian Nicolas Cigaral

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday claimed that the deadly Marawi siege, which has dragged on since May, erupted after security forces served a warrant of arrest on a drug lord operating there.

“The Marawi war was ignited by the service of a summon and a warrant of arrest of one of the drug lords there,” Duterte said in his speech during the 56th anniversary of the Philippine Constitution Association.

“There was a firefight and that started the rebellion. And I was really aghast to know that until now, they have so many bullets, ordnance and everything that the fight is still going on,” he added.

The president's claim runs counter to what security forces have been saying since hostilities in the city began months ago.

According to the military, a failed attempt by government troops to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon in Marawi on May 23 triggered the battle against the Maute group, homegrown jihadist militants who claim allegiance with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and backed by some foreign fighters.

"A firefight ensued and our troops reacted properly, but as of tonight, in the Philippines, the Maute group burned several facilities (in the city)," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a briefing from Moscow the night of the attacks.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Report: Beijing Boosts Security Presence to New Highs Among Restless Uighur Minority

China has greatly expanded their police and security presence in Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, in which Uighur independence movements have been flourishing, including those that the Chinese government believes have links to Islamist terrorist groups in the Middle East.

NPR reports that in Urumqi, razor wire fences and cameras are an inescapable sight. The provincial government requires all restaurants to play two propaganda songs every hour of the day: a cheery song about obeying traffic laws and a slower piece about core communist values. Residents must download a government app that deletes unapproved applications and videos about forbidden topics like terrorism. 

Earlier in 2017, Chen Quanguo, the Communist Party’s secretary of Xinjiang, made a speech before 10,000 officers dressed in riot gear where he told them that "the sword is drawn, and we're about to hear the thunder."

News Story: Myanmar gov't to seek UN assistance in resettlement of displaced ethnic people

YANGON, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's government will ask the United Nations Human Settlement Programme to help in resettlement of displaced ethnic people, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi told a meeting with the Implementation Committee of recommendations on Rakhine state on Friday.

The state counselor also urged the Implementation Committee to speed up the search of 93 Hindu people from Tamanthar village who were attacked by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army extremist terrorists.

She called for repatriation through diplomatic channel with Bangladesh of six Hindu women and three children who were said to be living in displaced persons' camps at the border area.

Read the full story at Xinhua

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Story Quote: "She called for repatriation through diplomatic channel with Bangladesh of six Hindu women and three children who were said to be living in displaced persons' camps at the border area."

PacificSentinel: Note that they only want the Hindus back, no mention of the Rohingya refugees.

News Story: Duterte warned on martial law talk as protests set

Philippines President Duterte

By Jess Diaz

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte’s talk of imposing martial law nationwide is just a “scare tactic” to stifle political dissent, leftist congressmen said yesterday.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate said if any saboteurs would join the massive protest rally on Sept. 21, they would most likely be state agents “out to create chaos and justify the declaration of martial rule.”

He warned that this was what dictator Ferdinand Marcos did to justify the declaration of martial law on Sept. 21, 1972.

“Floating the idea of a nationwide state of martial law is a tactic designed to scare our people and reduce the number that would participate in and join the massive rally on Sept. 21, the anniversary of the declaration of martial law,” Zarate said. 

“The organizers of the protest, particularly the Movement Against Tyranny, would not allow infiltrators or saboteurs among their ranks that would sabotage the peaceful gathering,” he added.

Rep. Antonio Tinio of Alliance of Concerned Teachers said the martial law statements of Duterte and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana “are intended to counter the growing opposition to Duterte’s increasingly tyrannical rule, cow citizens outraged by the rising death toll due to tokhang and martial law in Mindanao, and dissuade them from participating in rallies.”

Tinio also warned that Duterte is laying the basis for declaring martial law nationwide.

“He is insidiously conditioning the public to accept that ‘massive protests’ and ‘fighting in the streets’ are sufficient justification for declaring martial law, conveniently ignoring that the Constitution allows for martial law only in cases of invasion or rebellion,” he said.

Tinio added that next week’s planned protest actions could not be considered invasion or rebellion. He also urged people to join rallies against extrajudicial killings and “rising tyranny.”

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Report: Leverage in Cambodia Key Question for US, EU

David Boyle

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — Radio Free Asia has joined the ranks of media outlets shuttered under the now almost blanket smothering of an independent press in Cambodia, as U.S. and European diplomatic efforts have failed, so far, to halt the county's descent into authoritarianism ahead of elections next year.

The closure of the U.S.-funded outlet, due to what it called intimidation, represents another escalation in opposition to Washington by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Conciliatory overtones made in a news conference Tuesday by U.S. Ambassador William Heidt have failed to halt the government's campaign to paint Washington as the masterminds of a vast conspiracy involving all major opponents of the government.

"These are extraordinary allegations. The business of diplomacy is normally carried out with careful and respectful language, the kind of language I'm going to use today. Difficult messages are delivered privately first. Friendly nations seek ways to bridge differences," he told reporters.

Two days later, the government mouthpiece Fresh News posted an article declaring the United States "should take a helicopter to transport its citizens from Cambodia, as it did in April 1975."

News Story: Destroy or be destroyed - Philippine senator battles Duterte

Antonio Trillanes (Image: Wiki Commons)

By Karl Malakunas

After launching his political career from a jail cell, Philippine Senator Antonio Trillanes believes it could end in a grave thanks to a relentless campaign against his "hitman" president.

But the former Navy officer with a history of coup attempts appears to thrive on the pressures that have come with regularly accusing President Rodrigo Duterte of being a corrupt mass murderer.

"This man is a sociopath and he has the mindset of a hitman," Trillanes, 46, told AFP in an interview on Wednesday from his senate office, offering a typically incendiary assessment of his rival.

Duterte won last year's presidential elections on a brutal law-and-order platform in which he promised an unprecedented campaign to eradicate illegal drugs in society by killing up to 100,000 traffickers and addicts.

He vowed so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish would grow fat from feeding on them, and said he would pardon police if they were found guilty of rights abuses while enacting his drug war.

Since Duterte assumed office in the middle of last year, police have reported killing more than 3,800 people while thousands of others have been murdered in unexplained circumstances.

Many Filipinos looking for quick solutions to crime continue to support Duterte, according to polls, and he enjoys majority backing in both houses of Congress.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Report: US Envoy Criticizes Cambodia Over ‘Absurd’ Plot Claims

The U.S. ambassador to Cambodia on Tuesday described as "baseless" claims from the country’s leader that the United States was involved in an attempt to overthrow the government.

The accusation comes after Cambodian authorities arrested leading opposition politician Kem Sokha September 3 and charged him with treason in connection with an alleged plot to work with the U.S. to depose Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The government in Phnom Penh said the charges against Kem Sokha, of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP, were based on comments he made in 2013, in which he claims to have received help from the U.S. to build a pro-democracy movement.

Ambassador William Heidt said in a statement that stories about U.S. plots involving Kem Sokha “have completely, and intentionally, mischaracterized what the United States is doing in Cambodia.”

“Honestly, the whole thing is just absurd,” he said in his statement. Heidt also called for the immediate release of Kem Sokha, adding that his arrest threatened Cambodia's fragile democracy.

News Report: Cambodian Opposition Leader Formally Charged with Treason

Richard Green

Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha has been formally charged with treason, and is facing a jail sentence between 15 to 30 years in jail if convicted.

A court in the capital, Phnom Penh, announced Tuesday that the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party is accused of secretly colluding with a foreign entity to undermine the government.

Sokha was arrested Sunday during a raid on his home, along with his bodyguards, according to a tweet by his daughter, Kem Monovithya. The government said it arrested Sokha based on his comments in a video broadcast by the private Cambodian Broadcasting Network, based in Melbourne, Australia.

News Report: Cambodia Arrests Opposition Leader, Alleges Treason

David Boyle

NEW YORK — Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was arrested early Sunday on an espionage charge, accused of conspiring with a foreign power to harm the country, according to a government statement.

Kem Sokha’s daughter, Kem Monovithya, tweeted: “Kem Sokha and all bodyguards are taken away by 100-200 police without warrant after they raided his home. We don’t know where they take him.”

The Cambodian government statement said Kem Sokha, the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, had been charged with espionage under Article 443 of Cambodia’s criminal code.

“The Royal Government would like to inform the public that according to a video clip broadcasted by the Cambodian Broadcasting Network, based in Australia, and other evidences collected by the competent authority, it clearly proves the conspiracy between Kem Sokha and the accomplices with foreign power, which harms the Kingdom of Cambodia,” the statement read.

News Story: China demands internet platforms verify users' true identity

China has ordered the country's internet platforms to verify users' true identity before letting them post online content, the latest step by authorities to tighten policing of the web.

All social networking sites and discussion forums must "check the real identity" of their users before they can post online content and comments, under new regulations published Friday by the Cyberspace Administration of China.

The platforms will also have to strengthen their oversight over all published information, deleting all illegal content while also alerting authorities to the postings.

The new guidelines take effect October 1.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Report: Kim Jong Un Shows Little Interest in Diplomacy

North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un

Brian Padden

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — The prospect of reaching any diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear threat remains unclear as its leader Kim Jong Un has shown little willingness to compromise with adversaries in Washington or even to engage with allies in Beijing.

“He is a true believer in the hard-line policy, because actually the completion of the nuclear program, the missile and nuclear program, is one of the strongest factors legitimatizing his power, his control of the regime,” said political analyst Choi Kang with the Asan Institute in Seoul.

​Image a strong leader

After taking power in late 2011 following the death of his father Kim Jong Il, there were questions as to whether the young Western-educated North Korean leader would liberalize the longstanding repressive rule of his country, and whether he would be able to consolidate his grip on power.

Yet analysts say Kim has enhanced his image as a strong leader by following in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the founding leader of North Korea, with his “byongjin” policy to bolster the country’s nuclear deterrent against the United States, and to improve the economy.

“I think his regime is stable. Moreover, as he declared to pursue a dual economic and nuclear policy, and push for nuclear and ballistic missile development, though the economic side is insufficient, I think he has gained a wide range of popularity from North Koreans,” said Research Professor Suh Bo-hyuk, with the Seoul National University Institute for Peace and Unification Studies.

News Report: China May Resurrect Title of ‘Chairman,’ Unused Since Mao’s Death

President Xi Jinping

Ning Xin

WASHINGTON — There is but one chairman in China, and that is Chairman Mao Zedong.

He served as chairman of the central committee of the Communist Party of China, a position so absolutely powerful that party leaders retired it within years of his death in 1976.

But is the title truly retired?

Maybe not, given hints this summer that President Xi Jinping may be angling to resurrect it.

Military greetings

On June 30, at a military parade at the Hong Kong garrison of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Xi met the troops with “Greetings, comrades!” Instead of replying “Greetings, leader!” the comrades answered Xi with the shout: “Greetings, chairman!”

It happened again July 30, during a military parade to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the PLA at the Zhurihe military training base in Inner Mongolia. Troops on review there, clad in military camouflage, answered Xi’s salutation with “Greetings, chairman!”

Xi is both general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as well as chairman of the Central Military Commission. But as the party prepares for the 19th National Congress, a twice-a-decade gathering scheduled to begin in Beijing in several months, that deviation from standard protocol — general secretary rather than chairman, as was favored by Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao — has some analysts thinking Xi may want to re-establish the position.

News Report: Thousands Protest Against Political Activists Imprisonment in Hong Kong

2014 Umbrella Movement protests

Thousands of people went out onto the streets of Hong Kong to protest against prison sentences for student political activists for their role in 2014 protests, known as the Umbrella Movement, The Straits Times reported Sunday.

BEIJING (Sputnik) — On Thursday, the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal sentenced Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow to 6, 8 and 7 months in jail respectively.

It's the first time since Umbrella Movement that Hong Kong's opposition groups made high-profile calls for unity, and look at the results: pic.twitter.com/BCv7KbAXDV

— Elson Tong (@elson_tong) August 20, 2017

News Story: HRW slams Duterte remarks on shooting rights advocates

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte

By Audrey Morallo

MANILA, Philippines — New York-based Human Rights Watch on Thursday slammed President Rodrigo Duterte for threatening to have human rights activists shot if they get in the way of police operations, saying these remarks could pave the way for prosecution for crimes against humanity.

The chief executive should immediately withdraw his statement or face the specter of an investigation into for possibly instigating the harming of human rights workers, the human rights watchdog said.

“President Duterte’s threats against human rights activists is like painting a target on the backs of courageous people working to protect the rights and upholding the dignity of all Filipinos,” the deputy Asia director of the rights body, Phelim Kine, said.

Kine added: “Duterte should retract his reprehensible remarks immediately before there is more blood on his hands.”

The official said that Duterte’s threats, issued a day after one of the bloodiest days in the president’s brutal and ruthless campaign against illegal narcotics, could serve as a basis for indictment for crimes against humanity.

During a speech before members of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, Duterte vented anew his anger at human rights activists over their investigations into possible rights abuses surrounding his drug war, his flagship security program.

“One of these days, kayong human rights, kayong imbestigahan ko. Conspiracy. If they are obstructing justice, you shoot them,” the hot-tempered Duterte said.

("One of these days, you have human rights, I'll investigate you. Conspiracy. If they are obstructing justice, you shoot them" [Translation: Google Translate]) the hot-tempered Duterte said.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: 'This is a moment for Kim Jong-un' - Important dates loom on N Korean calendar

North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un

Anna Fifield

Seoul: If North Korea goes ahead with its threat to fire ballistic missiles toward the US territory of Guam, the order will come from Kim Jong-un himself.

The officials in charge of North Korea's missile program could complete their preparations by next week and would then wait for the 33-year-old leader to decide what to do next.

Will Kim give the order to fire, potentially inviting retaliation from an American President who has his military "locked and loaded"?

This is not a question of technical capability. North Korea has already demonstrated that it has made great advances in its missile program and can theoretically now hit the US mainland.

No, this is a question of strategy.

"The North Koreans have been very clear that they need his authorisation. This is a moment for Kim Jong-un," said Michael Madden, who runs the North Korean Leadership Watch website and closely studies Kim. "He may take it as an opportunity to prove himself, or as an opportunity to let cooler heads prevail."

The Kim regime has a history of making bellicose threats that it cannot or does not make good on. This may well be one of those cases.

Or it might not. For starters, North Korea likes to mark important dates, and there are two approaching.

Read the full story at SMH

News Story: China to non-regional forces - Keep off South China Sea

By Pia Lee-Brago and Alexis Romero

MANILA, Philippines - “Non-regional forces” should avoid interfering in activities in the South China Sea, Beijing’s foreign minister warned yesterday as he also called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to help China ward off “outsiders” in the region.

 “Outsiders are only out to stir trouble and ASEAN and China should unite to stop this,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech at the Shangri-La at the Fort in Taguig.

Wang also signed with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano a memorandum of understanding on strengthening bilateral cooperation.

The two officials said the bilateral consultation mechanism has helped clear the air in the South China Sea issue.

In his speech, Wang said China is eager to be a “good neighbor and good brother” to the Philippines as he cited Beijing’s support for President Duterte’s war on drugs.

Wang cited the delivery of more drug screening and inspection equipment from China. Beijing will also fund the construction of two more drug rehabilitation centers, as well as help in the resettlement and rehabilitation efforts in war-torn Marawi.

In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, Duterte revealed having agreed to joint exploration with China in disputed waters.

In a press briefing after his SONA, Duterte also said he would not dare insist on the country’s territorial claims and antagonize China because the latter has missiles trained on Manila that could reach its target in minutes.

He said joint exploration is better than waging war with the Asian giant.

But he said the West Philippine Sea issue would be tackled “sooner or later.”

Read the full story at PhilStar

Related Link: China: We must stand together vs South China Sea outsiders

News Story: Duterte 'lowest of the low' over threat to bomb lumad schools, Reds say

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte

By Janvic Mateo

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte is facing criticism over his threat to bomb indigenous schools supposedly being used by communists to influence the youth to rebel against the government.

In a statement, the Communist Party of the Philippines dubbed Duterte as “lowest of the low” for threatening to bomb schools.

“You are a madman with bombs. You are a bully. An arrogant street thug intoxicated with power. But you only pick on the weak, the small and the oppressed. You bomb their homes, shell their communities and expect them to bow to your power. You exercise power but only against the powerless,” the CPP said.

“But you are a weakling when faced with the powerful. You cannot even keep your word to stop the mining companies that poison and plunder the land. The NPA has done much more than you in defending the country’s patrimony,” it added, referring to the New People’s Army.

Eule Rico Bonganay, secretary-general of Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns, said the president’s remark poses a serious threat to schools in Mindanao.

“What could be worse than what can be taken as an open command from the chief executive with sheer impunity on the genocide of our indigenous people?” Bonganay said.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Report: Beijing Confirms Putting Pressure on Hanoi to Stop South China Sea Oil Drilling

The Chinese Foreign Ministry verified media reports that Beijing pressured Hanoi to terminate an oil expedition in the South China Sea.

"China urges the relevant parties to cease the relevant unilateral infringing activities" spokesman Lu Kang told reporters on Tuesday, adding that China, "with practical action, safeguards the hard-earned positive situation in the South China Sea."Kang didn’t disclose what "practical actions" were taken.

Repsol, the Spanish oil firm cooperating with Hanoi on the project, had spent $300 million developing an oil field near the disputed waters. While Repsol seems to have wanted to make Block 136-03 commercially viable, Beijing reportedly vowed to Vietnam that drilling would lead to an attack.

Beijing reportedly threatened to use force against Vietnamese bases in the Spratly Islands if Hanoi did not promptly call the oil expedition off on Monday. Vietnam leased the waters under dispute to Repsol subsidiary Talisman-Vietnam, while officials in China, which also claims the area, sold rights to explore part of the area to another firm.

News Report: China Escalates Efforts to Shut Down Unauthorized VPNs

Joyce Huang

In spite of an earlier denial, the Chinese government has tightened its grip on the Internet, stepping up efforts against netizens’ access to unsupervised connections, including those via virtual private networks (VPNs) halfway through its 14-month-long crackdown nationwide.

VPNs are third-party services that help bypass the so-called Great Firewall, installed by state censors to filter traffic between Chinese and overseas servers and block banned websites such as Google, Twitter and scores of international news media, including VOA.

“Some local services have been brought offline, some VPN apps no longer work, and the authorities are targeting other specific VPN providers,” Charlie Smith, a co-founder of Greatfire.org, said in an emailed reply to VOA.

The anti-censorship group’s earlier report showed that China blocked 135 of the world’s top 1,000 websites.

News Report: US Intel Concludes N. Korea Leader Not Crazy, Actions Driven by Regime Survival

North Korean Dictator Kim Jung-un

Although North Korean leader Kim Jung-un has demonstrated concerning behavior he makes rational decisions to ensure the survival of his regime, according to US National Intelligence Director Daniel Coats.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Although North Korean leader Kim Jung-un has demonstrated concerning behavior he makes rational decisions to ensure the survival of his regime, US National Intelligence Director Daniel Coats said at a security forum.

"He’s demonstrated behavior publicly that raises questions about who he is and how he thinks and how he acts and how his behavior is," Coats said on Friday. "Our assessment has resulted in the fact that, well, he’s a very unusual type of person, but he’s not crazy. There’s some rationale backing his actions which are survival."

Coats added that the North Korean leader weighs the survival of his regime and country in his decisions.

He added that the dictator is aware of the "deterrence" capabilities that exist as a result of having nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang said on July 4 that it had successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). US officials have also said the test marked North Korea's first successful firing of an ICBM.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.