Asia’s New Battlefield: The Philippines’ South China Sea Moment of Truth

[Indx TechStyle]

If you can't see the differences between them then you are either blind or just plain ignorant

Didn't mean that literally.
East Asians to each other and SE Asians to each other, though all of them with Mongoloid looks because of same genes.

Though, there's a huge gap in income levels and development when we compare South East Asia with North East Asia.
Cosmetic surgery is gaining popularity in Korea & Japan and that's why they look more beautiful than SE Asian girls.
Cosmetic/plastic surgery which Indian girls can't afford at least for present time.

 

[jadoogar]

Didn't mean that literally.
East Asians to each other and SE Asians to each other, though all of them with Mongoloid looks because of same genes.

Though, there's a huge gap in income levels and development when we compare South East Asia with North East Asia.
Cosmetic surgery is gaining popularity in Korea & Japan and that's why they look more beautiful than SE Asian girls.
Cosmetic/plastic surgery which Indian girls can't afford at least for present time.

Index: Indian (& Pakistani) girls have the most beautiful features as do men. All ugliness is due to a bad diet. True diets are available to the followers of Dharma. I cannot say any more, after all even Lord Vishnu would not give Amrit to the Rakhshas and one does not know where Rakshas lurk

 

[I am otm shank]

Didn't mean that literally.
East Asians to each other and SE Asians to each other, though all of them with Mongoloid looks because of same genes.

Though, there's a huge gap in income levels and development when we compare South East Asia with North East Asia.
Cosmetic surgery is gaining popularity in Korea & Japan and that's why they look more beautiful than SE Asian girls.
Cosmetic/plastic surgery which Indian girls can't afford at least for present time.

Brother ..I'm not trying to start shit but what you say is very ignorant and insulting. You really need to get out in the world instead of making judgements from the Internet. If you think beautiful women result from cosmetic surgery in any country or ethnicity then I guess there were no beautiful women before the 1970s

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Brother ..I'm not trying to start shit but what you say is very ignorant and insulting. You really need to get out in the world instead of making judgements from the Internet. If you think beautiful women result from cosmetic surgery in any country or ethnicity then I guess there were no beautiful women before the 1970s

Dude, when I said there were no beautiful woman before 70s?
All I'm asserting that beautifuls look beautiful because of good lifestyle. Cosmetic surgery is best example of treatment.
And yeah, to re enforce my point, I'm saying again, if South East Asians and North East Asians had same income levels, it would have become very difficult to find difference betwen.

 

[Kshatriya87]

US carrier group patrols in tense South China Sea

A United States aircraft carrier strike group has begun patrols in the South China Sea amid growing tension with China+ over control of the disputed waterway and concerns it could become a flashpoint under the new US administration.

China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday warned Washington against challenging its sovereignty in the South China Sea.

The US navy said the force, including Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, began routine operations in the South China Sea+ on Saturday. The announcement was posted on the Vinson's Facebook page.

The strike group's commander, Rear Admiral James Kilby, said that weeks of training in the Pacific had improved the group's effectiveness and readiness.

"We are looking forward to demonstrating those capabilities while building upon existing strong relationships with our allies, partners and friends in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region," he was quoted as saying by the Navy News Service.

Friction between the United States and China over trade and territory under US President Donald Trump have increased concerns that the South China Sea could become a flashpoint.

China wrapped up its own naval exercises in the South China Sea on Friday. War games involving its own aircraft carrier have unnerved neighbours with which it has long-running territorial disputes.
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China lays claim to almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion worth of trade passes each year.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim parts of the waters that command strategic sea lanes and have rich fishing grounds, along with oil and gas deposits.

The United States has criticised Beijing's construction of man-made islands and build-up of military facilities in the sea, and expressed concern they could be used to restrict free movement.

 

[Kshatriya87]

How the US can take control in the South China Sea

http://gulfnews.com/opinion/thinkers/how-the-us-can-take-control-in-the-south-china-sea-1.1980395

Rex Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil chief who just became the new US secretary of state, might not be causing the same level of global disruption as his boss, President Donald Trump. But in his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 11, he sent shock waves through the China-watching community, vowing: “We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.”

These remarks instantly gave rise to a global consensus that spanned hawks in China to doves in the West. An editorial in the Global Times, a prominent mouthpiece for Chinese nationalists, warned: “Unless Washington plans to wage a large-scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish.”

Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating also reacted angrily, saying: “When the US secretary of state-designate threatens to involve Australia in war with China, the Australian people need to take note. That is the only way Rex Tillerson’s testimony that a ‘signal’ should be sent to China that ‘access to these islands is not going to be allowed’ and that US allies in the region should be there ‘to show backup’ can be read.” From Beijing to Sydney, a consensus formed — Tillerson’s position has no basis in international law, is tantamount to an act of war, and does not make strategic sense. In short, opponents argue, the posture the new US secretary of state proposed is legally baseless, politically dangerous, and practically ineffectual.

This consensus rests on the belief that China is both willing and able to go to war over serious provocation. But this misreads Tillerson’s proposal and misunderstands the complex realities of the South China Sea. A naval blockade is not the only way to achieve Tillerson’s objectives, and China has a large stake in avoiding war with the United States in the region.

To see this, we need to use a “whole of capabilities” lens that is less US-centric. From this perspective, Tillerson’s suggestion would not boil down to a military blockade as most commentators assume. Instead, the United States and its partners potentially have at their disposal a full spectrum of actions including diplomatic negotiations and economic sanctions and kinetic constraints that, directly or indirectly, can prevent further island building and Chinese militarisation of those islands.

One such action is targeted sanctions against individuals and companies that support, facilitate, or participate in Beijing’s illegitimate operations in the South China Sea. The bill introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio last December exemplifies this approach. It would impose asset freezes and travel bans on people and entities who “contribute to construction or development projects” in the contested areas and those who “threaten the peace, security or stability” of the South China Sea or East China Sea. It would also prohibit actions that may imply American recognition of Chinese sovereignty over the contested areas in these seas and restrict foreign assistance to countries that recognise China’s sovereignty there. These primary sanctions could be augmented by secondary sanctions against those who do business with the offenders. The Rubio bill may or may not be adopted, but targeted sanctions remain an important tool to indirectly cause changes in China’s behaviour.

A more direct option would be for the United States and its partners to borrow a page from China’s own playbook and emulate its “cabbage” tactic in denying Beijing’s access to the South China Sea islands. The cabbage tactic consists of wrapping contested islands in multiple layers of Chinese military and paramilitary power. Like the Chinese cabbage, the anti-China cabbage would also have three layers, surrounding the targeted islands with private civilian boats in the inner circle, followed by law enforcement vessels in the outer circle, all protected by warships over the horizon.

The anti-China coalition couldn’t match China’s use of paramilitary maritime militias in such operations. But it could invite civilian volunteers to man the first line of defence. Rather than shooting down Chinese aircraft and mining Chinese ports, the coalition can use drones — both unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles — launched from civilian and coast guard ships to seal off the entry to China’s airstrips and harbours on the fake islands.

Contrary to common belief, these actions can be fully consistent with international law. If China does not recognise your rights to freedom of the seas, you have the right to restrict China’s freedom in return. The Permanent Court of Arbitration award from last July, which is now an integral part of international law despite Chinese rejection, has ruled as illegitimate China’s “nine-dash line” claims in the South China Sea, its occupation of Mischief Reef, its denial of access to Scarborough Shoal, its island building in the Spratlys, and its harassment of others in the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

But the court does not possess the tools to enforce its rulings, so it’s up to the members of the international community to act on behalf of the common interest and to induce China to comply with its obligations. Fortunately, international law allows countries to conduct countermeasures against wrongful acts. As James Kraska, a professor of international law at the US. Naval War College, has argued, challenging China’s rights to access its artificial islands is consistent with international law. After all, it’s fair game to do to China what China has done to others.

Many are concerned that regardless of its legality, blocking China’s access to its occupied islands would amount to an act of war and risk armed conflict as a response. This fear is overblown, however. When China blocked others’ access to the disputed Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal, nobody called it an act of war and no armed conflict ensued. Taking a leaf from China’s own book, the cabbage tactic of access denial would mute the casus belli and discourage Beijing from going to war.

Still, there is concern that, driven by the pressure of nationalist public opinion and in an effort to maintain national image and domestic legitimacy, Chinese leaders may escalate the conflict and engage in war with the United States. But as Jessica Weiss, a leading expert of Chinese nationalism, found in her study of China’s nationalist protests, nationalist public opinion is more of a tool in the government’s hands to signal resolve than a driving force of Beijing’s assertive foreign policy. A more recent analysis by Alastair Iain Johnston, a professor of Chinese foreign policy at Harvard University, also comes to a similar conclusion, showing a decline of nationalism among ordinary citizens since 2009.

As the weaker party and the party that depends far more on traffic in the South China Sea, China actually has a larger stake in avoiding war in this region than the United States does. Indeed, avoiding large-scale conflict is one of the imperatives of China’s long-term strategy in the South China Sea. China has become more aggressive in recent years because of a US deterrence deficit in the grey areas between war and peace. Beijing’s preference for grey-zone activities is also a testament to the working of nuclear and conventional deterrence. The trick of avoiding war while getting China to comply with international law lies in a two-pronged approach that skilfully combines the strengths of sticks with those of carrots while neutralising their weaknesses.

In considering conflict over the islands, we don’t have to imagine China and the US military as the only parties involved; a full range of actions and players exists, including sanctions, negotiations, regional countries, and international civil society. It might be tricky in the current diplomatic climate, but in the best possible world, the combined effect of actions on this full spectrum has a good chance of persuading China to comply with international law, especially if it involves a concerted effort of the United States, major powers such as Japan and India, and regional states such as the Philippines and Vietnam.

Commenting on Tillerson’s remarks, Philippines Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said: “If [the United States] wants to do that, they have the force to do so, let them do it.” A cabbage approach to deny China’s access to Scarborough Shoal or Mischief Reef would be more legitimate and effective if it involved the Philippines Coast Guard and civilian volunteers from the Philippines and other countries. Southeast Asian states often hedge between America and China with a tilt toward the one that is more powerful and more committed to them. If the Trump administration increases US presence in the South China Sea, is committed to defending the Philippines as much as Japan and South Korea, and refrains from criticising Manila’s domestic agenda, it could sway the pragmatic President Rodrigo Duterte to back the United States.

Targeted sanctions against Chinese persons and companies involved in projects in the South China Sea would also be much more effective if they were supported not only by the United States but also by other major economies and regional states. With its large state sector, China is particularly vulnerable to targeted sanctions. Its construction and development projects in the South China Sea have involved several large state-owned companies that are eager to make profit abroad. If designed cleverly, sanctions could hit hard big companies such as China National Offshore Oil Corporation, which moved a giant oil rig to drill in the Vietnamese EEZ in 2014; China Southern and Hainan airlines, which fly planes to the artificial islands; China Mobile, China Telecom, and China United Telecom, which operate communication networks on the disputed islands; and China Communications Construction Company, which dredged sand to build artificial islands in the Spratlys — thereby creating an incentive inside China to drop its illegitimate claims in the South China Sea.

Signalling a readiness to prevent Chinese island building and restrict China’s access to the fake islands is the logical response if the United States really wants to restore deterrence in the South China Sea. Part of the failure to put a limit on China’s expansion lies in the myth of an ever-looming war with China, which makes the use of logical deterrents unthinkable. This creates a self-restraint that is not only unnecessary but also strategically disastrous.

— Washington Post

Alexander L. Vuving is a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies.

 

[Mikesingh]

The Chinese bluff has been called. Trump means business. Let's wait and watch what the poodle faking Chinese will do once the U,S. Carrier Strike Force starts operating in the SCS. Exciting time ahead.
I would love to see egg on Chinese faces!

 

[Kshatriya87]

The Chinese bluff has been called. Trump means business. Let's wait and watch what the poodle faking Chinese will do once the U,S. Carrier Strike Force starts operating in the SCS. Exciting time ahead.
I would love to see egg on Chinese faces!

I'm not sure. Trump ran away like a pussy cat on one china policy. Since then I'm doubtful that he can stick to his words.

 

[Mikesingh]

I'm not sure. Trump ran away like a pussy cat on one china policy. Since then I'm doubtful that he can stick to his words.

But a US aircraft carrier strike group 1 has already begun routine operations in the SCS based on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson from Saturday.

The USN Strike Group 1 consists of Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (which includes eight air wing squadrons of F/A-18 Super Hornets and one detachment in support of carrier air warfare), Destroyer Squadron 1 and the guided missile cruiser Bunker Hill.

As of 2015, the following units were assigned to Destroyer Squadron 1:

• Arleigh Burke-class destroyers
  • USS Stockdale (DDG-106)
  • USS Sterett (DDG-104)
  • USS Gridley (DDG-101)
  • USS Higgins (DDG-76)
  • USS Benfold (DDG-65)
  • USS Russell (DDG-59)
• Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates
  • USS Gary (FFG-51)
  • USS Rentz (FFG-46)
  • USS McClusky (FFG-41)

Now that should make the Chinese shit in their pants!

 

[AmoghaVarsha]

I'm not sure. Trump ran away like a pussy cat on one china policy. Since then I'm doubtful that he can stick to his words.

Trump gave a taste of what he can do.A poke in the eye and then withdrawing.Letting China know what can be done.

I would love to see sanctions on Chinese companies.Shift manufacturing from China to other nations.This is inevitable in face of China poking its noses in all US affairs

 

[Kshatriya87]

Four Indonesian soldiers killed in S China Sea training

Four Indonesian soldiers have been killed and eight others injured by artillery fire in an accident during training on a South China Sea island, the army said today.

It took place yesterday when an artillery cannon malfunctioned during the exercise involving an army reserve battalion on Tanjung Datuk Natuna, on the northwestern fringe of the vast Indonesian archipelago.

 

[Kshatriya87]

China installs rocket launchers on disputed South China Sea island: Report
Reuters | Updated: May 17, 2017, 05.23 PM IST

HIGHLIGHTS

• Rocket launchers have been installed on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands.
• China has conducted extensive land reclamation work at Fiery Cross Reef.
• Over $5 trillion of world trade is shipped through the South China Sea every year.

BEIJING: China has installed rocket launchers on a disputed reef in the South China Sea+ to ward off Vietnamese military combat divers, according to a state-run newspaper, offering new details on China's ongoing military build-up.

China has said military construction on the islands it controls in the South China Sea will be limited to necessary defensive requirements, and that it can do what it likes on its own territory+ .

The United States has criticized+ what it has called China's militarization of its maritime outposts and stressed the need for freedom of navigation by conducting periodic air and naval patrols near them that have angered Beijing.

The state-run Defense Times newspaper, in a Tuesday report on its WeChat account, said Norinco CS/AR-1 55mm anti-frogman rocket launcher defense systems with the capability to discover, identify and attack enemy combat divers had been installed on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands.

Fiery Cross Reef is administered by China but also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

The report did not say when the defense system was installed, but said it was part of a response that began in May 2014, when Vietnamese divers installed large numbers of fishing nets in the Paracel Islands.

China has conducted extensive land reclamation work at Fiery Cross Reef, including building an airport, one of several Chinese-controlled features in the South China Sea where China has carried out such work.

More than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped through the South China Sea every year. Besides China's territorial claims in the area, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.

 

[J20!]

China installs rocket launchers on disputed South China Sea island: Report
Reuters | Updated: May 17, 2017, 05.23 PM IST

HIGHLIGHTS

• Rocket launchers have been installed on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands.
• China has conducted extensive land reclamation work at Fiery Cross Reef.
• Over $5 trillion of world trade is shipped through the South China Sea every year.

BEIJING: China has installed rocket launchers on a disputed reef in the South China Sea+ to ward off Vietnamese military combat divers, according to a state-run newspaper, offering new details on China's ongoing military build-up.

China has said military construction on the islands it controls in the South China Sea will be limited to necessary defensive requirements, and that it can do what it likes on its own territory+ .

The United States has criticized+ what it has called China's militarization of its maritime outposts and stressed the need for freedom of navigation by conducting periodic air and naval patrols near them that have angered Beijing.

The state-run Defense Times newspaper, in a Tuesday report on its WeChat account, said Norinco CS/AR-1 55mm anti-frogman rocket launcher defense systems with the capability to discover, identify and attack enemy combat divers had been installed on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands.

Fiery Cross Reef is administered by China but also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

The report did not say when the defense system was installed, but said it was part of a response that began in May 2014, when Vietnamese divers installed large numbers of fishing nets in the Paracel Islands.

China has conducted extensive land reclamation work at Fiery Cross Reef, including building an airport, one of several Chinese-controlled features in the South China Sea where China has carried out such work.

More than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped through the South China Sea every year. Besides China's territorial claims in the area, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.

Typical sensationalist smears from Reuters.

The term "rocket launchers" on the headline gives the impression that the island has been armed with offensive missiles or MLR'swhen in fact its a defensive measure targeting saboteurs. Such anti-diver systems have been installed on SCS outposts and CN warships for years, why is this news worthy? and why the misleading headline? Do they propose that these islands not be defended?

It's also worth noting that every western news piece on the SCS has the standard "More than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped through the South China Sea every year". What they never mention is that most of that trade is going to or from Chinese ports.

 

[captscooby81]

Does the chinese PLA has cheer girl groups to entertain their boys ??? Who are these dancing beauties and is this the best photo one can find to counter the rocket missile argument ..Common man look at the beauties in the foreground ...

Typical sensationalist smears from Reuters.

The term "rocket launchers" on the headline gives the impression that the island has been armed with offensive missiles or MLR'swhen in fact its a defensive measure targeting saboteurs. Such anti-diver systems have been installed on SCS outposts and CN warships for years, why is this news worthy? and why the misleading headline? Do they propose that these islands not be defended?

It's also worth noting that every western news piece on the SCS has the standard "More than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped through the South China Sea every year". What they never mention is that most of that trade is going to or from Chinese ports.

 

[Kshatriya87]

Do they propose that these islands not be defended?

There's no question of defending, these islands should not have been made and occupied in the first place.

 

[amoy]

South China Sea could be the next Persian Gulf.

China may turn into an net exporter of energy from importer one day.

====== ===== ===== =====

China succeeds in mining combustible ice in South China Sea
Updated:2017-05-18 20:42:31

(Photo/Chinanews.com)

GUANGZHOU, May 18 (Xinhua) -- China has succeeded in collecting samples of combustible ice in the South China Sea, a major breakthrough that may lead to a global energy revolution, Minister of Land and Resources Jiang Daming said Thursday.

This is China's first success in mining flammable ice at sea, after nearly two decades of research and exploration, the minister said at a trial mining site in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea Thursday.

Combustible ice usually exists in seabed or tundra areas, which have the strong pressure and low temperature necessary for its stability. It can be ignited like solid ethanol, which is why it is called "combustible ice."

One cubic meter of "combustible ice", a kind of natural gas hydrate, is equal to 164 cubic meters of regular natural gas.

(Photo/Chinanews.com)

China found flammable ice in the South China Sea in 2007.

International scientific circles have predicted that the natural gas hydrate is the best replacement for oil and natural gas.

According to Zhong Ziran, head of the China Geological Survey Bureau, combustible ice is more environmentally friendly and large reserves exist.

Mining of combustible ice started in the 1960s, but China began research in 1998.

Trial mining of combustible ice in the Shenhu sea, about 320 kilometers southeast of Zhuhai City in Guangdong, started on March 28. Experts first tapped the natural gas hydrate at a depth of 1,266 meters underwater last Wednesday.

An average of 16,000 cubic meters of gas with high purity was extracted each day.

Experts believe that the success shows China has mastered combustible ice mining technology.

Natural gas hydrate is an efficient, abundant and clean energy and is also strategically important for future global energy development, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council said in a congratulatory letter.

The success marks a historic breakthrough after nearly two decades of continuous efforts and independent innovations by China in theory, technology, engineering and equipment for natural gas hydrate exploration and exploitation, according to the letter.

It is a great technological breakthrough in accessing the deep sea, deep-sea exploration and exploitation, said the letter.

It is another landmark achievement by Chinese people to bravely scale new heights of science and technology, and will have a profound impact on driving the revolution in energy production and consumption.

However, this is merely a critical step in a very long journey, with a daunting task ahead, said the letter, encouraging the staff to promote the industrialization of natural gas hydrate exploration and exploitation.

"Many countries along the Maritime Silk Road have a demand for combustible ice mining," said Qiu Haijun, director of the trial mining commanding headquarters.

"With the advanced technology we could help resolve the energy resource problem and boost economic development and exchanges between countries," Qiu said.

http://en.people.cn/mobile/new/content.html?cI=1002&nI=9217345&aT=m

 

[amoy]

Dela Rosa: China to gift the Philippines with 23k assault rifles
ABS-CBN News Posted at May 17 2017 08:49 PM

PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

MANILA – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has bared that China would give the Philippines as a gift brand-new assault rifles.

This even while the Philippines has yet to sign any weapons deal with the Chinese, with whom the Duterte administration is pursuing warmer ties even as it remained the country's biggest rival to the resource-rich South China Sea.

“Hindi na tayo bibili…Baka bibigyan tayo ng 23,000 na M4. Bigay, so walang bayad,” he said on Wednesday.

Dela Rosa's news came shortly after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana revealed government's plan to procure defense equipment from China.

Dela Rosa said the country required additional rifles as militants such as the New People’s Army (NPA) would sometimes overpower police in far-flung areas as they lacked weapons.

There is no date set for the arrival of the rifles as the two governments are still taking care of the paperwork for the deal, the PNP chief said.

However, he clarified that the country’s purchase of weapons from the US might still push through.

“Kung tuloy iyon, OK pa rin. We need more. We are 175,000 (police), tapos ibibigay 23,000 so malaki pa rin ang kakulangan,” he said.

Earlier this month, United States Senators Ben Cardin and Marco Rubio filed a bill seeking to restrict arms exports to the Philippine police, amid concerns over President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody drug war.

Last year, Cardin opposed America’s planned sale of about 26,000 assault rifles to the PNP.

The US State Department remained mum on the cancellation of the deal, and cited Federal regulations preventing them from commenting on the status of export license approvals of commercial defense sales.

CQ-A 5.56mm

 

[amoy]

Meantime in the Philippines, the ISIS's outlet Maute Group & Abussayaf has taken over Marawi City in the south.

Duterte declares martial law in Mindanao
President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao Tuesday night, May 23, after a clash erupted between government forces and members of Maute terror group in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.

Troops, Maute group clash in Marawi City; 3 dead, 12 injured
Hapilon is reportedly the representative of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis) terror group in the Philippines. Lorenzana also confirmed that Maute bandits began occupying some establishments in the city like Amai Pakpak Medical Center, the City Hall, and the city jail. He also verified that the church, city jail, Ninoy Aquino School and Dansalan College have been set on fire by the group.

 

[amoy]

Another moment of truth in SCS - how dreaful things could be without a strong Asia Pacific leadership =======

Jakarta shocked by deadly bombings days before Ramadhan
Jakarta | Thu, May 25, 2017 | 01:59 am

Police officers place tape near covered up human remains at the Kampung Melayu bus terminal in East Jakarta after a bomb blast on Wednesday. A suspected suicide bombing rocked the busy bus terminal, killing three policemen in the latest terror attack to hit Jakarta. (AFP/Bayu Ismoyo)

Only hours before Jakartans looked forward to enjoying the Ascension of Jesus Christ public holiday, a twin bomb attack struck the Kampung Melayu Transjakarta bus terminal on Wednesday night.

Two suspected suicide bombers died instantly, the police said.

At least five policemen who were escorting a traditional parade to welcome the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan also fell victim, three of whom are reported to have died. At least five civilians were also injured.

(Read also: Chaos erupts after suspected bomb blasts strike Kampung Melayu bus terminal)

The terrorist attack took place while the world was still mourning the victims of the suicide bombing of the concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester, UK, only a day before.

The busy Transjakarta bus rapid transit hub in East Jakarta and the surrounding area descended into chaos after the explosions. The terminal is located in a densely populated area.

Footage and pictures of the scene have gone viral on social media. Some of the footage shows people panicking, screaming and running away from the terminal. Other images depict scattered body parts.

Traffic around the scene was blocked off and rerouted.

A police officer guards the bomb site at the Kampung Melayu bus station in East Jakarta. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said one explosion occurred at a motorcycle parking lot.

“The glass at the corridor seven [bus stop], where passengers alight, was smashed to pieces,” Transjakarta president director Budi Kaliwono said, adding that the Transjakarta service would continue, but would not stop at Kampung Melayu.

He added that no Transjakarta staff or passengers were among the casualties and urged members of the public to immediately report any suspicious activities.

The injured victims were treated at the Premier Hospital and Hermina Hospitalin East Jakarta.

As of midnight, no claim of responsibility for the attack had been received.

Setyo said he was optimistic the police would be able to identify the perpetrators and any possible terrorist ring soon.

“The body parts [of the attackers] remain at the scene. The parts from the neck above are still intact so the face can be identified,” he said.

Mobile Brigade personnel from the Jakarta Police are deployed to the area nearby the Kampung Melayu bus terminal in East Jakarta following bomb blasts on Wednesday evening.(Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)

The attack is believed to have been targeted at the police, making it the latest terror attack to have targeted the police in recent years.

On Jan. 14, 2016, Jakarta was rocked by multiple explosions, including one at a police post, and gunfire around the Sarinah shopping mall in Central Jakarta. At least eight people, including four attackers and four civilians, were killed. A total of 20 people were injured, including five police officers.

Setyo said the police had detected possible attacks in Jakarta. “We were not able yet to identify when or where [they might happen],” he said.

Setyo said the police suspected the perpetrators of the attack were related to terror groups behind other attacks in other countries, including the Manchester bombing.

#PrayForJakarta and #KamiTidakTakut (We are not afraid) emerged on theworldwide internet trending topic list immediately after the incident.

“Everyone, please stay safe! #PrayforJakarta,” Singer-songwriter Raisa posted on her twitter handle @Raisa6690, which has been retweeted by more than 1,000 users as of 1 a.m. on Thursday.

Everyone, please stay safe! #PrayforJakarta

— Raisa Andriana (@raisa6690) May 24, 2017
“Deep condolences over bombing act in Kampung Melayu, Jakarta. Please don’t share any unverified information,” official Twitter Indonesia account @TwitterID posted.

Turut berduka atas aksi pengeboman di Kampung Melayu, Jakarta. Mohon tidak membagikan info yg belum terverifikasi. #PrayForJakarta

— Twitter Indonesia (@TwitterID) May 24, 2017
Terrorists have no religion... Pray for Kampung Melayu #PrayForJakartapic.twitter.com/aqTyNjyZSK

— Ardiles Klimarsen (@artdiles) May 24, 2017

 

[amoy]

The latest unrest in southern Philippines' Mindanao explained

Government troops drive past a marker of Marawi city, southern Philippines on May 26. PHOTO: REUTERS
(NYTIMES) - Philippine troops using tanks and helicopters stormed the southern city of Marawi on Thursday (May 25) in an effort to defeat militants linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) who have besieged the city for days, setting fire to buildings and taking hostages.

Here is a look at what is happening and who is involved.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?
On Tuesday, security forces in Marawi tried and failed to capture Isnilon Hapilon, an Islamist militant on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists. They were confronted by at least 100 militants, some of whom carried sophisticated weapons.

Many of those militants, members of a gang known as the Maute, then joined forces with Hapilon's followers in a rampage through the city of 200,000. Both the Maute and Hapilon's organisation, Abu Sayyaf, have pledged allegiance to ISIS, and fighters have raised that group's black banner over several buildings in Marawi, including the city's main hospital.

They have also taken a priest and his parishioners hostage and set fire to buildings. Thousands of civilians have fled the fighting, and at least 30 people have been killed.

On Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law on the southern island of Mindanao, which includes Marawi. Mindanao, home to 20 million people, is the heart of the country's long-simmering Muslim insurgency.

WHO ARE THE KEY PLAYERS?
Abu Sayyaf and Isnilon Hapilon: Abu Sayyaf is an extremist group that has terrorised the southern Philippines for decades, engaging in piracy, kidnapping, extortion and bombings. The group beheaded a German hostage this year and killed two Canadians in 2016.

The group says it wants to establish an Islamic caliphate in the southern Philippines. Last year, Hapilon, a Muslim preacher and an experienced guerrilla, pledged his allegiance to ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a video posted online.

The United States has offered a US$5 million reward for Hapilon's capture. In January, the Philippine military tried to kill him in an airstrike, but he was only wounded.

Hapilon has been trying to unite several smaller Islamist groups in the region, including the Maute, who are mostly in Marawi.

Screengrab of Isnilon Hapilon. PHOTO: YOUTUBE
Maute: The Maute are another of the four Islamist groups in the region affiliated with ISIS. The group, founded by the brothers Abdullah and Omar Maute, started as a small band of petty criminals. Last year, members of the Maute were arrested in connection with a bombing at a night market in Davao City, Duterte's hometown.

The authorities also said they foiled a plot in November in which the group tried to bomb the US Embassy in Manila.

President Rodrigo Duterte: Duterte cut short a trip to Russia this week to oversee the military operation and declared martial law in Mindanao.

The populist president has taken an extreme hard line on crime and disorder, most notably with his contentious war on drugs, which has left thousands across the country dead and has drawn condemnation from rights groups and many Western governments. On Wednesday, Duterte warned that he might impose military rule over the rest of the country, citing the possibility that terrorists could begin operations in the northern Philippines.

HOW DOES MARTIAL LAW WORK?
Tuesday's declaration of martial law effectively replaced the civilian government in Mindanao with the armed forces. Under the declaration, soldiers have increased latitude to carry out arrests.

For two months, civil liberties will be curtailed. Civilians can be held in detention merely on suspicion of committing a crime and can be subjected to trial by military tribunal.

Duterte's threat to expand martial law nationwide is unnerving for many in the Philippines who lived through the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and used it to maintain his grip on power for years.