Page 11 - AHATA

A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 16 November 2024

Chinese and Philippine forces again avoid a clash in a fiercely

disputed shoal under a rare deal

By JIM GOMEZ inspection, two Philippine
Associated Press officials told The Associated
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Press in July. They spoke on
The Philippine navy trans- condition of anonymity for
ported food and other lack of authority to discuss
supplies to a territorial ship the negotiations publicly.
outpost in a shoal in the It’s the first known agree-
South China Sea without ment by China with any
any confrontation with Chi- one rival claimant country
nese forces guarding the over a specific shoal in the
disputed area, officials said South China Sea, which
Friday. Beijing claims almost in its
The Philippine delivery of entirety.
supplies and military per- Before the deal was
sonnel on Thursday to the reached, Chinese coast
Second Thomas Shoal was guard and navy forces
the third such trip that did had used powerful water
not lead to any confronta- cannons and dangerous
tion since July, when both blocking maneuvers to pre-
sides signed a rare deal to vent Philippine supply ves-
stop an alarming spike in sels from reaching Manila’s
violent confrontations. fragile outpost at the shoal
“The Armed Forces of the the long-grounded and
Philippines continues to A dilapidated but still active Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre sits at the Second Thomas rusting warship, the BRP Si-
uphold its mandate of Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, at the disputed South China Sea on Aug. 22, 2023. erra Madre.
safeguarding Philippine Associated Press In the worst confrontation,
sovereignty and ensuring shallows in 1999, prompting ing last year that alarmed Neither side conceded its Chinese forces on speed-
the welfare of its stationed China, which also claims it, other governments, led by territorial claims under the boats repeatedly rammed
personnel in the West Philip- to surround the atoll with the United States. deal, which only applies to and then boarded two
pine Sea,” military spokes- its coast guard and naval The deal, which has not the Second Thomas Shoal, Philippine navy boats on
person Col. Xerxes Trinidad forces in what has been a been made public, outlines according to Philippine of- June 17 to prevent Filipino
said, using the Philippine continuing territorial stand- a temporary arrangement ficials. personnel from transferring
name for the South China off. Called Ayungin by the that lets the Philippines The agreement was food and other supplies in-
Sea. Philippines and Ren’ai Jiao transport supplies and fresh reached after China cluding firearms to the BRP
“There were no untoward by China, the shoal had batches of Filipino forces to agreed to drop a demand Sierra Madre, the Philippine
incidents during the mis- been the most danger- Manila’s ship outpost with- for the Philippines to notify military said. The Chinese
sion,” Trinidad said. ous flashpoint in the South out clashing with China’s China in advance of any forces seized the Philippine
The Philippines occupied China Sea and became coast guard, navy and sus- trip to the shoal and for navy boats and damaged
the shoal by permanently the scene of increasingly pected militia ships guard- Chinese forces to board them with machetes and
beaching a navy ship in its violent confrontations start- ing the shoal. Philippine supply vessels for improvised spears. q

North Korea tests exploding drones as

Kim calls for mass production

By KIM TONG-HYUNG talking with officials near at as early as possible and go
Associated Press least two different types of into full-scale mass produc-
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) unmanned aerial vehicles. tion,” noting how drones
— North Korea tested ex- They included those with are becoming crucial in
ploding drones designed X-shaped tails and wings modern warfare.
to crash into targets and that look similar to the ones KCNA paraphrased Kim as
leader Kim Jong Un called the country disclosed in Au- saying drones were easy
for accelerating mass pro- gust, when Kim inspected to make at low cost for a
duction of the weapons, another demonstration of range of military activities.
state media said Friday. drones that explode on im- The report didn’t say if Kim
The country’s latest military pact. spoke directly about rival
demonstration came as The drones flew various South Korea, which the In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its
the United States, South Ko- routes and accurately North Korean drones are leader Kim Jong Un, left, inspects tests of drones designed to
rea and Japan engaged in struck targets, KCNA said. apparently designed to crash into targets, at an undisclosed location in North Korea,
combined military exercises Its images showed what target. Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
involving advanced fighter appeared to be a BMW se- North Korea last month ac- Associated Press
jets and a U.S. aircraft car- dan being destroyed and cused South Korea of send- Korea’s military has refused missile program, which in-
rier in nearby international old models of tanks being ing its own drones to drop to confirm whether or not cludes various nuclear-ca-
waters, in a display of their blown up. anti-North Korean propa- the North’s claims were pable weapons targeting
defense posture against Kim expressed satisfaction ganda leaflets over the true. South Korea and intercon-
North Korea. with the weapons’ de- North’s capital of Pyong- Tensions in the region have tinental ballistic missiles that
North Korea’s official Ko- velopment process and yang, and threatened to escalated as Kim flaunts can potentially reach the
rean Central News Agency stressed the need to “build respond with force if such his advancing nuclear and U.S. mainland.q
published photos of Kim a serial production system flights occur again. South