Filipinos: Salute to our South Korean Brother Died to defend their territory

Chinese fishing boat crew resisted being boarded in the latest clash over diminishing fishing stocks in the Yellow Sea stabbed to death a Korean Coastguard

A tribute to the South Korean coastguard officer Lee Cheong-ho, who was stabbed to death while trying to board a Chinese fishing boat. Photograph: Yonhap/EPA

The bloody dispute over diminishing fish stocks in the Yellow Sea has claimed another victim when the South Korean coastguard said one of its officers was fatally stabbed while trying to seize a Chinese fishing boat.

The killing, which prompted a diplomatic protest by Seoul, is the latest in a series of deadly clashes involving Chinese fishermen who are driven increasingly far from their own shores by the lack of stocks.

The officer was stabbed in the stomach and another injured when the Chinese crew resisted being boarded as they were fishing illegally about 55 miles (90km) from Socheong Island, the South Korean coastguard said in a statement.

A helicopter took the casualties to a hospital in Incheon, along with the Chinese boat captain, who was allegedly responsible for the stabbing and then injured in the fight, it said. The remaining eight crew members and their boat have been seized and are being taken to Incheon port, west of Seoul.

South Korea's foreign ministry summoned China's ambassador later on Monday and lodged a strong protest over the latest skirmish in an area of the Yellow Sea that Seoul claims as its exclusive economic zone.

As competition for mackerel, jellyfish, blue crab, croaker and anchovy has intensified, South Korea has seized about 470 Chinese ships for illegal fishing in the Yellow Sea so far this year, up from 370 in 2010.

The skirmishes are often violent. Last December, Beijing demanded compensation after a Chinese fisherman was killed and another went missing during a confrontation between South Korean coastguards and 50 vessels that were suspected of fishing illegally. In March, a coastguard official shot a Chinese fisherman in the leg during a fight with axes and shovels. Two months ago, South Korean coastguard officials used teargas to arrest 31 fisherman who resisted with shovels and staves.

The disputes are not so much about protecting fish stocks as competing for the economic exploitation of what is left. The market for anchovy, jellyfish, mackerel and croaker is increasingly lucrative as demand grows in China.

South Korea has ramped up its exports of marine products by more than 30% in the first nine months of this year, largely thanks to shipments to China more than doubling.

Last week, Seoul raised fines on illegal fishing by foreign boats and moves are afoot to change the law so catches can be confiscated.

"Eradicating Chinese boats' illegal fishing in our waters is a most urgent task to safeguard our fishermen and fisheries resources," South Korea's Yonhap news agency said in a recent editorial. "The government should mobilize every possible means and continue the crackdown on illegal fishing."

The East Asian neighbors have tried to ease tensions. In October, they agreed to reduce catches in each other's exclusive economic zones. Authorities in China's Liaoning province – the origin of many of the fishing boats – say they have tried to curb illegal fishing. But the domestic media say fishermen are driven further from the Chinese coast by pollution and overfishing.

Lu Chao of the Liaoning Academy of Social Science said the long-term problem was an excess of Chinese fishing boats, declining fish stocks and changing views about which waters belonged to which country.

"Traditionally, the older generation believed the fishing area belongs to China. Their grandchildren know they should get permission from the South Korean government to fish there, but the license is expensive so only 10% of them get it," he said in calling for calm. "If South Korea continues to enforce the law violently, it will increase conflict. The use of teargas and similar measures is excessive. Chinese fishermen will not stand for this treatment.

He said the Chinese government was trying to ease bilateral tension by encouraging fishermen to sail even further offshore, into international waters. But with demand for marine products rising, this looks likely to shift the pressure from East Asia on to global fish stocks.

Fishing has heightened diplomatic tensions with other nations in the region. In September 2010, Japan detained a Chinese trawler and its crew after a collision with a coastguard vessel.

The issue has also become the focus of long-standing territorial disputes, particularly in the South China Sea, where Beijing's efforts to assert sovereignty has led to unease – and occasional clashes – with the fishing boats and naval vessels of Vietnam and the Philippines.

Tribute to the Korean Victim: We encouraged all the readers to offer a short prayer for peace in all the country surrounding china and hope that there is a divine intervention for any conflict in the sea and we pray that china must learn how to be contented of what they had and they must stop invading neighbors.

To our Filipino Brothers: You must not forget that the Philippines lead for the victory of the South Korea over the communist North Korea during the Korean war; Filipinos' love to South Korea is already a culture. After the Korean War, the Philippines government helps the South Korea to stand up by funding and building infrastructure for their country, now even South Korea is already rich and more richer than the Philippines in terms of economy, still the Philippines is always be at the back of South Korea. Filipinos let hand in hand with South Korea as we are facing the same conflict with China.

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U.S. military leaves Iraq to Focus in Asia-pacific Security over China's aggression

U.S. soldiers gather before the start of a ceremony marking the end of the U.S. military engagement, with the last American troops withdrawing nearly nine years after the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, at the former U.S. Sather Air Base near Baghdad December 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces formally ended their nine-year war in Iraq on Thursday with a low key flag ceremony in Baghdad, while to the north flickering violence highlighted ethnic and sectarian strains threatening the country in years ahead.

"After a lot of blood spilled by Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the ceremony at Baghdad's still heavily-fortified airport.

Almost 4,500 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis lost their lives in the war that began with a "Shock and Awe" campaign of missiles pounding Baghdad and descended into sectarian strife and a surge in U.S. troop numbers.

U.S. soldiers lowered the flag of American forces in Iraq and slipped it into a camouflage-colored sleeve in a brief outdoor ceremony, symbolically ending the most unpopular U.S. military venture since the Vietnam War of the 1960s and 70s.

The remaining 4,000 American troops will leave by the end of the year.

Toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is dead, executed in 2006 and the worst sectarian violence has, at least for now, passed. But Iraq still struggles with insurgents, a fragile power-sharing government and an oil-reliant economy plagued by power shortages and corruption.

 

A member of U.S. security personnel pulls her luggage while waiting to depart from Iraq, at the former U.S. Sather Air Base near Baghdad December 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen

"Iraq will be tested in the days ahead, by terrorism, by those who would seek to divide, by economic and social issues," Panetta told the rows of assembled U.S. soldiers and embassy officials at the ceremony. "Challenges remain, but the United State s will be there to stand by the Iraqi people."

In Falluja, the former heartland of an al Qaeda insurgency and scene of some of the worst fighting in the war, several thousand Iraqis celebrated the withdrawal on Wednesday 9December 14, 2011), some burning U.S. flags and waving pictures of dead relatives.

Around 2,500 mainly Shi'ite muslim residents of the northern territory of Diyala protested on Thursday in front of the provincial council building for a second day against a move to declare autonomy from the mainly Sunni Salahuddin province.

Police used batons and water cannon to disperse demonstrators who tried to storm the council headquarters, witnesses said. Some protesters climbed to the roof of the building and raised green and black Shi'ite flags.

Some parts of Diyala are disputed territories between the minority Kurds in the north and Arab Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad. The long-standing dispute over land, oil and power is considered a potential flashpoint for future conflict in Iraq after American troops depart.

Iraq's neighbors will watch how Baghdad tackles its sectarian and ethnic division without the U.S. military. Events there could be influenced by conflict in neighboring Syria that has taken on a sectarian hue in recent weeks.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who made an election promise to bring troops home, told Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that Washington will remain a loyal partner after the last troops roll across the Kuwaiti border.

"I AM HAPPY BUT WE NEED TO BE SAFE"

Iraq's Shi'ite leadership presents the withdrawal as a new start for the country's sovereignty, but many Iraqis question which direction the nation will take without U.S. troops.

"I am happy they are leaving. This is my country and they should leave," said Samer Saad, a soccer coach. "But I am worried because we need to be safe. We are worried because all the militias will start to come back."

Some like Saad fear more sectarian strife or an al Qaeda return to the cities. A squabble between Kurds in their northern semi-autonomous enclave and the Iraqi Arab central government over disputed territories and oil is another flashpoint.

Violence has ebbed since the bloodier days of sectarian slaughter when suicide bombers and hit squads claimed hundreds of victims a day at times as the country descended into tit-for-tat killings between the Sunni and Shi'ite communities.

In 2006 alone, 17,800 Iraqi military and civilians were killed in violence.

Iraqi security forces are generally seen as capable of containing the remaining Sunni Islamist insurgency and the rival Shi'ite militias that U.S. officials say are backed by Iran.

But attacks now target local government offices and security forces in an attempt show the authorities are not in control.

Saddam's fall opened the way for the Shi'ite majority community to take positions of power after decades of oppression under his Sunni-run Baath party.

Even the power-sharing in Maliki's Shi'ite-led government is hamstrung, with coalition parties split along sectarian lines, squabbling over laws and government posts.

Sunnis fear they will be marginalized or even face creeping Shi'ite-led authoritarian rule under Maliki. A recent crackdown on former members of the Baath party has fueled those fears.

Iraq's Shi'ite leadership frets the crisis in neighboring Syria could eventually bring a hardline Sunni leadership to power in Damascus, worsening Iraq's own sectarian tensions.

"WAS IT WORTH IT?"

U.S. troops were supposed to stay on as part of a deal to train the Iraqi armed forces but talks over immunity from prosecution for American soldiers fell apart.

Memories of U.S. abuses, arrests and killings still haunt many Iraqis and the question of legal protection from prosecution looked too sensitive to push through parliament.

At the height of the war, 170,000 American soldiers occupied more than 500 bases across the country.

Only around 150 U.S. soldiers will remain after December 31 attached to the huge U.S. Embassy near the Tigris River. Civilian contractors will take on the task of training Iraqi forces on U.S. military hardware.

Every day trucks with troops trundle in convoys across the Kuwaiti border.

"Was it worth it? I am sure it was. When we first came in here, the Iraqi people seemed like they were happy to see us," said Sgt 1st Class Lon Bennish, packing up recently at a U.S base and finishing the last of three deployments in Iraq.

"I hope we are leaving behind a country that says 'Hey, we are better off now than we were before.'"

BACK TO ASIA PACIFC

In Australia, US President Barack Obama  agreed to expand the US military presence in Australia; and vowed military support for the Philippines, indicating US concerns over an increasingly aggressive China.

The US-Australia agreement, announced during a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, will position more US equipment and increase military personnel in Australia.

"With my visit to the region I am making it clear that the United States is stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-Pacific region," Obama said during his visit.

Deployment of an initial company of 200-250 Marines would begin in 2012 and expand to up to 2,500 eventually, Gillard said.

The move may be seen by Beijing as further evidence of Washington's attempt to encircle China, with US bases in Japan and Korea and now in Australia.

Obama also plans to raise maritime security in the South China Sea at the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Bali and will give 24 F-16 Fighter to Indonesia.

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Indonesia supports Philippines stand on Spratlys - Buy 24 F-16 Fighters

Indonesia is keeping its support for the Philippine proposal to delineate and segregate the disputed parts of the South China Sea from the undisputed areas in drafting the Code of Conduct that will bind countries with territorial claims in the Spratlys group of islands.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the guidance from the ASEAN Summits is how to link the Philippine proposal for a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Cooperation to the drafting of the Code of Conduct in 2012.

"We don't move out of the script from what has already been (agreed upon)," Natalegawa said at the conclusion on Wednesday of the 5th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines.

He said the Code and the Zone are in the interest of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) which has four members — Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei — with South China Sea claims.

Leaving things unresolved will continue to cause conflict and disrupt peace and stability in the region," said Natalegawa. "Asean as a whole has a very strong interest to settle the dispute peacefully in accordance with maritime laws."

Indonesia's top diplomat said ASEAN leaders would like to see the Code in place by 2012, in time for the 10th anniversary of Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea).

During the talks, the Philippines and Indonesia approved a 2013-2015 action plan to advance trade, security, defense, border, and cultural cooperation.

The Philippines said it is open to hosting the 6th Meeting of the Joint Working Group of Senior Officials next year to implement the existing Agreement on Trade, Investments, Handicraft and Shipping, as well as review and update the Border Trade Agreement.

Indonesia to buy 24 refurbished US F-16 fighters

Will boost ability to protect "outermost" border regions

Second militarily significant announcement of Obama trip

May stir questions about Taiwan's request for F-16C/Ds

USA plans to supply 24 refurbished F-16C/D fighter aircraft to Indonesia, the presidents of the two countries announced in Bali on Friday on the fringes of an Asia-Pacific summit.

It was the second militarily significant announcement of President Barack Obama's ongoing nine-day Asia-Pacific trip.

The upgraded Lockheed Martin Corp F-16s will give Indonesia a "much-needed" capability to protect its sovereign airspace, the White House said in a "fact sheet" that emphasized the relatively low price tag, put at $750 million by the Pentagon.

Under a separate tightening of ties with Australia, U.S. Marines will start rotating through northern Australia next year, eventually growing to a 2,500-strong task force, the two governments said during a visit by Obama before he flew to neighboring Indonesia for the summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Jakarta was seeking more capable F-16s able to carry out operations "in the outermost border regions of Indonesia."

The air force's existing fleet of 10 F-16 A/Bs cannot do this, the agency said in a mandatory notice of the tentative deal to the U.S. Congress. It put the estimated cost at $750 million. The aircraft are from excess U.S. inventory.

"The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner that has been, and continues to be, an important force for economic progress in Southeast Asia," the notice to lawmakers said.

The White House said the plan was to start deliveries by July 2014, as requested by Jakarta. The deal would help boost Indonesia air defenses significantly "without compromising the defense budget and other national priorities," it said.

The transfer of F-16C/D models to Indonesia may raise new questions about Obama's refusal to meet Taiwan's standing request for 66 new F-16C/Ds of its own to help deter China, which regards the island as a rogue province.

The Obama administration in September notified Congress of a proposed $5.85 billion weapons package for Taiwan, including upgrades of 145 F-16 A/B fighters but none of the C/D models that Taiwan has sought.

Obama said on Thursday in Canberra the U.S. military would expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific despite budget austerity, declaring the United States was "here to stay" as a Pacific power that would help shape the region's future.

The F-16 deal involves the overhaul of 28 United Technologies Corp Pratt & Whitney engines including spares. The aircraft will have the most advanced "Modular Mission Computer" produced by Raytheon Co, along with improved radar, avionics and the capability to carry and field more advanced weaponry and sensors, the White House said.

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