Author: Yusara Askari

South-east Asian nations warn of ‘alarming’ South China Sea incidents amid COVID-19 pandemic
26Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

South-east Asian nations warn of ‘alarming’ South China Sea incidents amid COVID-19 pandemic

At an ASEAN meeting on Friday, Vietnam and the Philippines warned of growing insecurity in Southeast Asia amid concerns that China was stepping up its activity in the disputed South China Sea during the coronavirus pandemic.Both Hanoi and Manila lodged protests with China in April after Beijing unilaterally declared the creation of new administrative districts on islands in the troubled waterways to which Vietnam and the Philippines also have competing claims."Even as our region struggles to contain Covid-19, alarming incidents in the South China Sea occurred," Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told an online meeting of Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) leaders."We call on parties to refrain from escalating tensions and abide by responsibilities under international law," h...
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Four ISIS militants killed near Philippine capital
26Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Four ISIS militants killed near Philippine capital

In a midnight raid on Friday, Philippine security officials killed four suspected Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-linked militants in a city just south of Manila.They were killed during a raid on a house where they were staying inside a gated community in Don Bosco district in Paranaque city, just an hour's drive from the capital.Police reports identified those killed as Bensaudi Sali, 37, Ramin Hussin, Jamal Kalimming, and a woman in her 40s, Merhama Abdul Sawari.One of the men fired at the policemen and tried to lob a grenade that went off prematurely.An officer was injured when his legs were hit by shrapnel."The unwanted presence of (terrorists) in Metro Manila... proves that terrorist groups know no pandemic," said General Felimon Santos Jr, the military chief."Not even Covid-19...
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Malaysia can’t take any more Rohingya refugees: PM Muhyiddin
26Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Malaysia can’t take any more Rohingya refugees: PM Muhyiddin

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday said that his country can no longer take in Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, saying that Malaysia is already struggling on an economical front due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.For persecuted Rohingya seeking a better life after fleeing a military-led crackdown in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh, Muslim-majority Malaysia is a favored destination.But Malaysia, which does not recognize refugee status, has recently turned away boats and detained hundreds of Rohingya, amid rising anger towards foreigners accused of spreading the coronavirus and taking up scarce state funds."We can no longer take more as our resources and capacity are already stretched, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic," Muhyiddin said in teleconference wi...
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26Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Satellite images show new Chinese structures near site of border clash with India

Fresh satellite pictures have revealed that China have added new structures near the site of a deadly border clash with India in the western Himalayas, heightening concerns about further flare-ups between the nuclear-armed neighbours.Indian and Chinese military commanders agreed on June 22 to step back from a weeks-old standoff at several locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) following the June 15 clash in the Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.However, the satellite images showing new construction activity in the week following the brutal hand-to-hand combat underline the risk the accord could still fall apart because of overlapping claims in the arid territory.The pictures shot on June 22 by US-based space technology firm Maxar Technologies show what appear ...
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Delhi hotel association bans Chinese guests after border clash
26Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Delhi hotel association bans Chinese guests after border clash

In a bizarre move, One of Indian capital’s main hotel associations on Thursday said that its members are barring Chinese guests, as calls for a boycott of Chinese goods gather pace following a border clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers.The battle between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 was the first time troops have died in combat along the Asian giants' Himalayan border in 45 years, and has been followed by a build-up of forces even as talks continue.Sandeep Khandelwal, president of the Delhi Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association, said the decision covering 75,000 hotel rooms in the Indian capital was to "support our government in this war-like situation with China"."Why should we allow them to earn money from India?" Khandelwal said.The association, which represents mostly thre
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26Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Stranded Rohingya pulled to shore by sympathetic Indonesians

Nearly 100 Rohingya asylum seekers stranded off the coast of Indonesia were pulled to shore on Thursday by locals angered at the refusal of authorities to give them shelter over coronavirus fears.Around 94 people from the persecuted Myanmar minority - including 30 children - were reportedly plucked from a wooden boat by fishermen this week before being intercepted by maritime officials from Sumatra island who pulled them closer to shore.But due to the fear of coronavirus, officials in Lhokseumawe city on Sumatra's northern coast refused to allow the group to land.Angry locals took matters into their own hands by jumping into boats which they used to pull the asylum seekers to shore."It's purely for humanitarian reasons," said fisherman Aples Kuari. "We were sad seeing kids and pregnant wom...
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Xi plays tough, but can China afford to make an enemy of India?
24Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Xi plays tough, but can China afford to make an enemy of India?

In the high-altitude Himalayan no man’s land claimed by India and China, both countries’ forces have agreed not to carry guns, to diminish the chance of the long-running territorial dispute flaring into open war.So the People’s Liberation Army had dammed up mountain streams, which they unblocked as the Indian troops approached. The rush of water knocked many off their feet, and then the Chinese soldiers swept down, brandishing sticks encrusted with nails.The units fought hand to hand for hours; several Indians tumbled down the mountain to their death. And when the battle was over, at least 20 Indian soldiers were dead, dozens more injured and several taken captive. China had losses too, although it has not revealed figures.Before last week’s battle, no soldier from either side had died in
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Fragilities in the People’s Liberation Army
24Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Fragilities in the People’s Liberation Army

The Chinese leadership under the Communist Party of China (CPC) have mastered the art of deception. Under the supervision of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the display of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) marching columns, an array of armored vehicles followed by missile units, overhead waves of helicopters and planes above Tiananmen Square in Beijing have created the illusion of a creeping emergence of an invincible military force that is capable of dominating and decimating any battle.But the overriding focus on weaponry hides a major fragility of the PLA- a new generation of troops, protected at home on account of the country's disastrous one-child policy- who have never been at war.In 1979, the PLA, which had once taken over the forces of legendary American General, Douglas McCarther, ...
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23Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Sino-Indian flare-up at Galwan dilutes bilateral ties: Report

The clash between Chinese and Indian Army personnel at the Galwan area along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on June 15 have impacted the future trajectory of India-China relationship and diluted the arduously worked out rules of engagement along the border, a European think tank has said."The Chinese attack has led to China's most serious security situation with India in recent years, and flared emotions have meant that the potential for rapid escalation is rife," European Foundation for South Asian Studies said in a report published on Friday.The think tank said that the Chinese attack marks the "21st century turning point for India and China", and that the two countries face a future characterized by deepened distrust and potential fresh conflict."The attack on Indian troops comes on t...
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After Ladakh face-off, satellite images reveal China diverting river course
23Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

After Ladakh face-off, satellite images reveal China diverting river course

Days after a violent face-off between India and China in the Galwan valley leading to the death of 20 Indian soldiers, satellite images have surfaced showing China diverting the course of the Galwan river.The satellite pictures, which show alterations in the landscape of the valley - widening tracks, moved earth and river crossings - were taken by the Earth-imaging company Planet Labs.“Looking at it in Planet, it looks like China is constructing roads in the valley and possibly damming the river,” Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Non-proliferation Programme at California's Middlebury Institute of International Studies, was quoted as saying.He said, “There are a tonne of vehicles on both sides - although there appear to be vastly more on the Chinese side. I counted 30-40 Indian vehi
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