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| Southeast Asia |
| Philippines ratifies Australia military pact |
| 2012-07-25 |
| MANILA: The Philippine Senate ratified a sensitive military pact with Australia Tuesday that lays out rules for visiting troops, in a move politicians said would improve regional security. The agreement was first signed in 2007 but remained in legislative limbo amid political sensitivities, as the countryÂ’s constitution explicitly bans the long-term stationing of foreign forces on its territory. Its endorsement by the Senate five years on is seen by some observers as a bid to get AustraliaÂ’s backing in ManilaÂ’s row with China over South China Sea islands. Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile said the body passed a resolution endorsing the treaty 17-1 with no abstentions, putting it into force after a four-year debate in the Philippines. The two countries had earlier signed a preliminary agreement on defense and military cooperation in 1995. The latest pact would, among other things, subject visiting soldiers to the jurisdiction of the host country should they commit acts that are illegal in the host country but not in the sending country. The Philippines signed a similar pact in 1998 with its traditional military ally the United States. Under the pact small numbers of US military advisers have been deployed in the southern Philippines for the past decade to help train Philippine forces fighting Islamic militants. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 See also CHINA DAILY FORUM > [Lee Guan Kim]US INVOLVEMENT [in SCS, Sino-Phil dispute]: HIDDEN TRAPS AND MAKING OF MIDGET PHILIPPINE HEGEMON. IIUC ARTIC = US support for Philippine claims as per Huangyan Island [PHIL = Panatag Reef/Shoal] + doctrine of TERRA NULLUS may apply as to how the US originally acquired strategically important Hawaii. US MUST ADMIT IT NEVER OWNED HAWAII, US SUPPORT FOR PHILIPPINES' CLAIMS MAY FOSTER SECESSIONIST MOVEMENTS AGZ IT, INCLUD BUT NOT LIMITED TO HAWAII, + DITTO OTHER REGIONAL SOVEREIGN COUNTRIES + THEIR TERRITORIES??? and * SAME > [PressTV] US MILITARIZATION IN EAST ASIA, A PROVOCATION AGZ CHINA. * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Vietnamese Foreign Ministry] CHINA'S ESTABLISHMENT OF SO-CALLED "SANSHA CITY" [+ Viet sovereignty claims over Paracels, Spratlys] IS WORTHLESS. * SAME > US SENATOR MCCAIN WARNS CHINA OVER MOVE ON DISPUTED ISLANDS, describing China's actions as "unncessarily provocative". * PACIFICNEWSCENTER [fka Guam K-57 News] SENATOR WEBB: CHINA'S EXPANSION INTO SOUTH CHINA SEA MAY BE VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW. * CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > INDIA DEFYING CHINA TO CONTINUE VIETNAM OIL [Energy] EXPLORATION. * IIRC DEFENCE.K/FORUMS [paraph]> [India] NARESH CHENDRA PANEL [Perts = strategic milpol review] WARNS INDIA TO PREPARE AGZ "ASSERTIVE" CHINA. Future "Post-US", World #1 China wants its "Manifest Destiny" ASAP AMAP ALAP, + mucho overseas Milbases for the PLA, + its not taking "no" for an answer. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-07-25 23:52 |