News Story: Philippines tells U.S. it does not allow extrajudicial killings in anti-drug war

MANILA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have met in Washington to discuss Manila's anti-drug war, a statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said here Thursday.

During the meeting at the State Department in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, the statement said the Philippines does not allow extrajudicial killings.

"Contrary to media reports, Cayetano also clarified to Tillerson that the Philippines does not have a state policy allowing extrajudicial killings, especially of illegal drug suspects," the statement read.

It said Cayetano informed Tillerson that Manila would welcome further cooperation with Washington, especially on initiatives that would address the illegal drugs problem in the country.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Myanmar's ruling party pledges to work for peace

YANGON, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), pledged on Wednesday to work for peace and bring about the reconciliation to the people.

In its announcement on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of its establishment, the NLD said it has to fight against terrorism and the brutality resulting from terrorism, refuting groundless accusations and media trap systematically.

The announcement made it clear that the NLD undertaking the responsibility of the government will never deviate from the path of democracy.

Read the full story at Xinhua

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: Trump Issues More Threats Against N. Korea

Margaret Besheer

UNITED NATIONS — U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to insults from North Korea's foreign minister with more threats.

"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" Trump said on Twitter.

Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

North Korea’s foreign minister brought a dictionary full of insults for Trump when he addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday.

News Story: Battle to free Marawi in Philippines continues, enters fifth month

MANILA, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Bullets continue to fly and rocket bombs continue to explode in Marawi as the military offensive to completely retake the southern Philippine city from Islamic State (IS)-inspired extremists entered its fifth month.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the pro-IS Maute militants managed to prepare sufficient caches of bombs, high-powered firearms and ammunition to fight the government security forces even before they laid siege to Marawi on May 23.

"The Maute was really preparing for a long-haul (fight). Until now, they never run out of ordnance, explosives, ammunition, and all. I really do not know the extent now of the contamination," Duterte told reporters in his home city of Davao late Friday.

He said local politicians who are into drug trafficking funded the war in Marawi. He showed a new diagram of politicians and people who are allegedly linked to illegal drug trade.

To date, he said "hundreds" of soldiers and policemen have been killed in drug-related encounters.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: More explosive devices uncovered in Myanmar northern state

YANGON, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Seven more improvised explosive devices have been uncovered by Myanmar security forces in a village in Yathedaung township of Rakhine state, but were deactivated with no injury, Myanmar News Agency reported Sunday.

The explosive devices, found in Chein Khar Li village Saturday as the security forces were patrolling the area, were suspected of being planted by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) extremist terrorists.

The security forces also found six houses in two villages in Maungtaw and eight other Hindu houses in Kyein Chaung destroyed by fire, and the fire is suspected of starting from a Muslim house and then spread to nearby Hindu houses, the report said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: No Safe Place In Next War - The Army’s Expanded Battlefield

Bradley M2A3 IFVs are unloaded at Busan port RoK (File Photo)

By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.

What if the next war starts, not with a gunshot, but with a tweet? As tensions rise, US troops discover their families’ names, faces, and home addresses have been posted on social media as they prepare to deploy, along with exhortations to kill the fascists/imperialists/infidels (pick one). Trolls call them late at night with death threats, a mentally ill lone wolf runs over a soldier’s children, fake news claims the military is covering up more deaths, and official social media accounts are hacked to post falsehoods. The whole force is distracted and demoralized.

Meanwhile, defense contractors discover the networks they use to deliver supplies to the military have been penetrated. Vital spare parts go missing without ever leaving the warehouse because the serial number saying which crate they’re in has been scrambled in the database. As railways and seaports prepare to transport heavy equipment, they discover key railroad switches, loading cranes, and other equipment – civilian-owned but vital to the military operation – now malfunction unpredictably, forcing prolonged safety inspections.

US forces finally cut through this cyber thicket and begin to deploy abroad by air and sea – but now the shooting starts. A thousand miles from enemy territory, submarines sink transport ships with torpedoes, cruise missiles and covertly laid mines. A few hundred miles out, long-range anti-aircraft missiles blunt the US air offensive. While stealth fighters can penetrate the defenses, the lumbering fuel tankers that let them cover long distances cannot. Transport planes must unload the troops at airfields well outside the danger zone, while transport ships must unload at distant ports.

US forces face a long road march just to reach the ally they’re supposed to be defending. The whole way, they must fight through attacks by everything from surface-to-surface missiles to local malcontents stirred up by social media. By the time the Americans arrive, their ally’s territory is not only occupied but thoroughly defended by dug-in enemies.

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

News Story: Pakistani’s Abbasi Opposed To Any Role For India In Afghanistan

Addressing an event in New York, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said Islamabad is not in favor of any military or political role for India in Afghanistan, AP reported.      

"India, we don't foresee any military or political or military role for India in Afghanistan,” Abbasi said. 

“I think it will just complicate the situation and it will not resolve anything. So if they want to do economic assistance, that's their prerogative. But we don't accept or see any role politically or militarily for India in Afghanistan."

He said Pakistan has received no foreign aid in the fight against "terror".

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Story: Massive protests held in Japan to mark second anniversary of controversial security laws

TOKYO, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Over 10,000 people rallied here on Tuesday to protest against the controversial security laws that were enacted by the parliament two years ago and the government's attempts to revise the pacifist Constitution.

The protesters gathered in front of parliament buildings Tuesday night, holding banners written with slogans such as "Scrap the new security laws and the conspiracy laws" and "Abe shall step down."

Kazuo Shii, head of the Japanese Communist Party, said that the new security laws enacted two years ago could drag Japan into a dangerous place and shall be scrapped.

He also criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's possible decision to dissolve the lower house of parliament and call a snap general election, saying that the prime minister's move was aimed at fleeing from accusations.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Latest U.S. drone strike in Pakistan may further escalate bilateral tension

by Jamil Bhatti

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The latest U.S. unilateral drone attack in Pakistan would possibly enlarge the gaps between the two countries in their common course of anti-terrorism war, experts and analysts here said , expressing their concerns as the strikes are usually condemned by Pakistan as a violation of its sovereignty.

The latest U.S. strike took place on Friday, killing at least three people who were reportedly the members of Afghan Taliban in Pakistan' northwestern tribal region of Kurram Agency that bordering Afghanistan.

The unilateral U.S. military move came after Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's call for joint efforts against militants in both Pakistan and Afghanistan earlier this week. Abbasi said that any one-sided move will be counter-productive, hurting both countries' efforts for peace and fight against terrorism.

"I fear such unilateral acts will further worsen the Pak-U.S. relations in coming days," said Saeed Chaudhry, director of Islamabad Council for International Affairs, adding that the latest attack is a big blow to Pak-U.S. relations which has already gone low after U.S. President Donald Trump's serious criticism on Pakistan for hiding militants in its tribal areas bordering Afghanistan

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: DPRK accuses U.S. of planning to re-deploy tactical nuclear weapons in S. Korea

PYONGYANG, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Friday accused the United States of planning to re-deploy tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea.

The spokesman for the Institute of American Studies at the DPRK's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Trump Administration is publicizing through the media the "possibility of redeploying tactical nuclear weapons" into South Korea and developing an up-to-date miniaturized nuclear bomb.

"Recently, NBC and other American press reported that the Trump administration is currently examining various plans of developing an up-to-date miniaturized nuclear bomb of low intensity to deal with nuclear threats posed by countries like the DPRK and Russia," the official Korean Central News Agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

The spokesman said the deliberate leakage of the information about tactical nuclear weapons by the Trump administration "coincides with its moves to impose heinous sanctions, pressure and military threat on the DPRK."

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Myanmar Ambassador Rejects Allegations of Ethnic Cleansing

Sarah Zaman, Kate Pound Dawson

Myanmar is the victim of terrorists and "false media" reporting on the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine state, the country's ambassador to the United States told VOA.

Aung Lynn said the country's security forces didn't overreact in responding to attacks on security forces by Rohingya militants on August 25.

Since then, nearly 390,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh, as their villages have been burned and looted.

The United Nations calls the exodus "ethnic cleansing," and aid workers report destitute people overloading the resources at refugee camps. On Thursday, the U.N. said 40 percent of the Rohingya in Rakhine had fled their homes, and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the violence against them must stop.

"How can you say that [the response] is out of proportion? There may be many terrorists who were involved" in the attacks last month, Aung Lynn said.

He declined to give Sarah Zaman from VOA's Urdu service an estimate of the number of members of the Arakhan Rohingya Salvation Army, which claimed responsibility for the August 25 attacks.

"I don't want to argue with the numbers, but if people are innocent, innocent villagers, they have no reason to flee away from their villages," he said.

Myanmar security forces are protecting many Rohingya; they just have to ask for help, he said.

However, many refugees and international journalists have reported security forces led the way in burning scores of villages to the ground.

News Story: THAAD deployment hurts China-ROK trade ties - spokesman

BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in the Republic of Korea (ROK) has affected China-ROK trade, a spokesman with China's Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

The deployment "seriously harms China's strategic security interests," spokesman Gao Feng said at a press conference.

"[China] hopes the ROK side respects China's major interests and legitimate concerns and properly deals with the issues in question," Gao said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

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Story Quote: "and properly deals with the issues in question"

PacificSentinel: They are properly dealing with the issues in question, by installing THAAD no mater what China thinks, wants, does, or says! What some people completely forget is that money (trade) is secondary to security.

News Story: Top political advisor addresses ideological issues about Xinjiang

BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor has made a clear stance on a string of historical issues concerning Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, saying they serve as important guidelines to address ideological problems in the area.

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks while addressing a two-day symposium on the region's historical issues, which closed Wednesday.

Yu emphasized that Xinjiang is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and that China has been a unified and multi-ethnic country since the Qin and Han dynasties more than 2,000 years ago.

He pointed out that the various ethnic groups in the region are members of the Chinese nation, and share the common interest of realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

The culture of ethnic groups in the region is rooted in the rich soil of Chinese civilization and is an indivisible part of it, according to Yu.

He further noted that promoting harmonious relations between religions can help maintain peace and prosperity in the region.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: 5 years after nationalizing Senkakus, Japan still looking for solutions with China

As the Japanese and Chinese governments both show signs of working to repair relations, the territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands remains a delicate issue as Japan marked the fifth year since its nationalization of the islets in Okinawa Prefecture.

"There is no doubt both historically and under international law that the Senkaku Islands are a part of Japan's territory," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga at a press conference held on the fifth anniversary of the nationalization of the islands on Sept. 11. Of the Chinese government ships that repeatedly sail into Japanese waters around the islands in protest, Suga said, "The repeated incursion into our territorial waters is truly regrettable. We would like to handle the situation firmly and calmly."

After Japan nationalized the Senkakus, incursions into the waters around the Senkaku Islands by China Coast Guard ships became regular, and in November 2013, the Chinese government designated an air defense identification zone as guidelines for scrambling fighter jets in the East China Sea that included the airspace above the islands. Since then, Chinese government ships -- remodeled naval vessels -- also began appearing in the waters nearby, and in June 2016, the Chinese military sailed a naval ship into the contiguous zone near the Senkaku Islands for the first time.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Myanmar calls for int'l support to bring stability to northern state

YANGON, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar government on Monday night called on the international community to best help and support its efforts to bring stability, peace and development to the northern Rakhine state in conflict.

In a press statement on the situation in the state, Myanmar Foreign Ministry said the latest Arakan Rohingya Salvarion Army (ARSA) extremist terrorists' attack was an attempt to undermine the efforts of the government to find a lasting solution to the issue of Rakhine through the speedy implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"The security forces have been instructed to adhere strictly to the code of conduct in carrying out security operation, to exercise all due restraint, and to take full measures to avoid collateral damage and the harming of innocent civilians in the course of carrying out their legitimate duty to restore stability," the statement said.

"Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict norms of justice," it added.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Myanmar gov't vows to take action against instigation for violence

YANGON, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar government has vowed to take action against the incitement of violence as such rumors are being spread to people via mobile phone messages and social media.

In a statement released late Saturday, the Information Committee of the government asked Myanmar people not to be instigated among communities, and urged them to report to authorities about acts suspicious of such incitement.

The local government in Maungtaw, Myanmar's northern Rakhine state, also called on people not to support terrorists in burning homes or properties and prevent them from entering restricted areas as part of a new order issued on Saturday.

The order, announced by Maungtaw District's General Administration Department, said the security forces will fire warning shots at any law-breakers.

It also called for people's cooperation with the authorities by following instructions not to rob, steal or destroy properties in the restricted areas, or possess sticks, machetes or explosives.

Read the full story at Xinhua

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PacificSentinel: Sounds like propaganda to me, I'll take the word of the UN over that of Burma any day of the week.

News Story: Media urged to join hands with Myanmar gov't to bring in peace, stability in northern state

NAY PYI TAW, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's National Security Advisor to the government U Thaung Tun has urged the media to join hands with the government in its bid to bring in peace, stability and development in northern Rakhine state by reporting the situation there in an objective manner.

Briefing local and foreign media on the current situation in Rakhine state on late Wednesday, U Thaung Tun warned that some fabricated news on the situation in the state are written and published with the intent to mislead the public.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Terrorist attacks in Myanmar's northern state displace more than 30,000 people: official

YANGON, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The number of displaced people has risen to 30,200 due to recent series of extremist terrorist attacks in Maungtaw, Myanmar's northern Rakhine state, the Information Committee of the government said on Friday.

From Aug, 25 to Sept. 4, residents from Taungpyo, Letwe, Kwuntheepin, Thechaung and Meetaik areas in Maungtaw district fled to border areas for refuge and camped along the Myanmar side of the border.

Earlier reports said 97 terrorist attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) occurred during the period, killing 36 people including 13 security force members, two government service personnel and 21 ethnic people and injuring 22.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: Myanmar's Suu Kyi Slams 'Fake News' About Rohingya Crisis

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi responded to growing international criticism of her government by slamming "fake news” reports about the plight of the country’s Rohingya Muslims.

Aung San Suu Kyi said on Wednesday that global outrage over the government’s treatment of the local Rohingya Muslims was being fueled by "a huge iceberg of misinformation.”

Her statement followed the United Nations’ call for an end to the government crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, which has already forced about 146,000 people to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

The conflict between Myanmar’s Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, widely dismissed in Myanmar as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, erupted in Rakhine state in late August prompting a wave of protests across the world over what has been dubbed the disproportionate use of force by the government.