Page 18 - Hello Philippines November 2015 'B' issue

18 www.hello-philippines.com INTERNATIONAL / GLOBAL NEWS November 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 22 • UK & Europe Edition

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BANGKOK – A group of smuggled container holding an orangutan carried Orangutans are native to the
orangutans arrived in Indonesia from out and displayed to waiting journalists rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra Some locals view the apes as pests and there has been an increase in human-animal conflict in the area.
Thailand on Thursday, following years before the animals were transported to a but they are often illegally smuggled
of diplomatic wrangling over who will safari park outside the capital. throughout Southeast Asia, either for “It was a male orangutan who is quite haze occurs to varying degrees each
care for them after the majority were private zoos or as pets. fierce,” he added. “They are six times year during the dry season, although in
discovered abandoned on a roadside. The ape inside banged loudly on stronger than human beings.” recent days persistent rains have doused
the crate after enduring the hours-long ‘Quite fierce’. The 14 apes, who many blazes and cleared the air across
Previous Thai governments sought journey, and only calmed down when he travelled to Indonesia with their Thai Of the 14 orangutans, 11 were found vast stretches of Southeast Asia.
compensation from Indonesia for the was fed peanuts through a grate. keeper, will undergo checks at the safari abandoned in Phuket in 2010. One was
cost of housing and treating the 14 apes park before being reintroduced to the rescued elsewhere while two were born Earlier this week, an animal rights
but the junta government in Bangkok At ceremony to welcome them at wild, said Bakar. in captivity to the rescued parents. group said it had released back into the
recently waived those demands and the airport, Indonesian Environment wild an orangutan and her baby who
pushed ahead with the repatriation. Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar thanked Thirteen of them are Borneo In recent months, many apes in were attacked by angry villagers in West
all those involved in the operation “for orangutans while one is Sumatran, with Indonesia have fled their forest homes Kalimantan province after straying out
Indonesia sent a C130 aircraft to the return of our lost children, these 14 nine male and five female, she said. after illegal fires set to cheaply clear land of their forest home to escape the fires. n
collect the animals, who were loaded orangutans that meant so much to us”. for plantations.
in metal crates onto the plane before Despite their reputation as gentle AFP / November 12, 2015
taking off from a military airport on the Illegal trafficking of rare species is animals, orangutans are not suitable The fires and resulting region-wide
northern outskirts of Bangkok earlier rampant in Indonesia, which is home pets. One Thai man lost a finger when
Thursday. to many endangered animals, and one of the rescued apes bit it off.
Bakar acknowledged that “we have a
They arrived in Jakarta at around big problem when it comes to poaching, “It happened (a) long time ago,
4:00 pm (0900 GMT), with one looting and trading of rare wildlife”. not during the preparation of this
repatriation,” a wildlife official told AFP.

China avoids congratulating Myanmar’s Suu Kyi on election win

CHINA on Thursday avoided party’s landslide election victory which Beijing has for decades been Asked if Beijing had extended to Suu Kyi since it became clear that the
congratulating Myanmar democracy has the potential to strain ties with close to neighbouring Myanmar’s congratulations to Suu Kyi, Hong did not party she leads would likely take power.
champion Aung San Suu Kyi for her Beijing. authoritarian military leaders, who voters answer directly.
overwhelmingly rejected in historic polls. The ruling Communist Party invited
“We sincerely wish that Myanmar her for a China visit in June, where she
Suu Kyi’s party secured a landslide can have political stability and that it can met President Xi Jinping at the Great
election victory Friday, propelling the achieve national development,” he added Hall of the People, the traditional
country’s pro-democracy movement to at a regular briefing. greeting place for foreign leaders.
power after a 25-year struggle.
China was a key backer of the country’s China frequently congratulates
US President Barack Obama was quick brutal military junta—which kept Suu Kyi other countries on their successful
to offer congratulations to Suu Kyi, but a under house arrest for more than 15 years elections, even ones whose democratic
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman was —while it was under Western sanctions. credentials are questioned in the West.
circumspect.
Myanmar is already seen as drifting Right on China’s doorstep and a key
“China will continue to extend its away from its former dependence on source of natural resources, Myanmar
assistance and continue with its friendship Beijing and towards the US since launching is a sensitive case for the one-party
and all-around mutually beneficial moves towards civilian rule in 2011 which state, which itself has long resisted calls
cooperation” with Myanmar, Hong Lei saw sanctions lifted. to embrace democratic elections. n AFP /
said following the victory.
China has taken a pragmatic approach November 13, 2015

Japan spots Chinese spy ship near disputed isles
JAPAN said Friday it was In Beijing, the Chinese government

monitoring waters near islands defended the ship’s operations as

disputed with China in the East China standard.

Sea after it spotted a naval intelligence “The Chinese naval vessel is

ship from the country operating in a conducting normal activities,”

new area for the first time. spokesman Hong Lei told a regular

Japan’s Defence Ministry said briefing.

late Thursday a P-3C patrol aircraft “It is in line with international law,”

observed the Dongdiao-class he added. “There is nothing disputable

intelligence vessel near territorial about that.”

waters of the Senkaku Islands, which Japan and China have routinely

Japan administers but China claims as butted heads over ownership of the

the Diaoyus. uninhabited islets, as Chinese state

The ship repeatedly moved back ships—mostly coast guard—and

and forth in the area until Thursday aircraft have approached them on and

evening before departing, never off to back up Beijing’s claims and test

breaching Japan’s 12-nautical-mile Japan’s response.

territorial waters, the ministry Relations between Japan and China The two sides basically and the populated southern Japanese 14.5 millimetre cannons, the ministry

statement said. hit multi-year lows after the Japanese acknowledged they had different views island of Miyako, a defence ministry said, citing IHS consultancy group’s

Japanese defence minister Gen government in September 2012 on tensions emanating from the issue spokeswoman earlier told AFP. Jane’s Fighting Ships site.

Nakatani called the ship’s moves moved to increase its formal control by but agreed on the need for keeping Nakatani himself declined to The mass circulation Yomiuri

“unusual” at a regular press conference nationalising some of the islands. them under control. Diaoyus comment on the ship’s aims but Shimbun daily reported that Japan will

Friday, saying it made “repeated But China and Japan—Asia’s two Distrust, however, remains high as stressed that the Chinese military “is strengthen border security as a result

eastward and westward moves in one biggest economies, respectively—have China is wary of moves by Abe to raise rapidly boosting their activities at sea of the spotting.

day”. taken steps to improve ties. Japan’s military profile while Tokyo and in the air”. Anonymous sources from the

The defence ministry will keep up They issued carefully worded frets about Beijing’s increasing regional Japan assumes that China “will ministry told the Asahi Shimbun

monitoring of the Chinese navy and statements on the dispute ahead of a and global assertiveness. try to expand the area of its activities newspaper the Chinese ship may have

“make utmost efforts in patrolling summit last year in Beijing between The latest move marked the first further in the future”, Nakatani added. been there on an intelligence mission

the sea and air surrounding Japan”, Chinese President Xi Jinping and time a Chinese naval ship operated in The 6,000-tonne vessel is armed ahead of a planned drill this month by

Nakatani said. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. the area between the disputed islands with one 37 millimetre and two dual Japan’s naval forces. n AFP / November 13, 2015