Page 10 - aruba-today-20170408

A10

WORLD NEWSSaturday 8 April 2017

Philippines to occupy and fortify Spratly islands it holds

This aerial photo shows Pag-asa Island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands, in the South build bunkers there or hous- against him that cites,
China Sea located off the coast of western Philippines. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said es and provisions for habi- among other things, his al-
Thursday, April 6, 2017, that structures should be built on all of the nine to 10 islands, reefs and tation.” leged failure to protest Chi-
shoals held by the Philippines in the Spratly Islands. It was unclear how na’s territorial expansion in
Duterte’s order can be ex- the South China Sea.
(AP Photo/Rolex Dela Pena, Pool) ecuted. Some of the tiny Rival claimants, includ-
reefs and outcrops would ing the Philippines and
TERESA CEROJANO claims amid what he says is province. need expensive and lo- Vietnam, have expressed
Associated Press a race to control territory in Duterte said he has or- gistically difficult reclama- alarm over Beijing’s build-
MANILA, Philippines (AP) the area. dered the armed forces tion work before structures ing of artificial islands in the
— Philippine President Ro- “We tried to be friends with to occupy and place Phil- could be built on them. disputed region.
drigo Duterte said this week everybody but we have ippine flags on all islands, “The president wants facili- “It looks like there’s a race
he has ordered the military to maintain our jurisdiction reefs and shoals controlled ties built such as barracks to grab islands,” Duterte
to occupy and fortify all now, at least the areas un- by the Philippines. for the men, water (desali- said. “What is ours now,
Philippine-held islands in der our control,” he said “There are about nine or nation) and sewage dis- we should get and make a
the disputed South China during a visit to a military 10 islands there, we have posal systems, power gen- strong point that it is ours.”
Sea to assert the country’s camp in western Palawan to fortify,” he said. “I must erators (conventional and He said he will rename
renewable), lighthouses, Benham Rise — a poten-
and shelters for fishermen,” tially resource-rich under-
Defense Secretary Delfin sea region off the country’s
Lorenzana said. northeast coast — the Phil-
Duterte said he may visit ippine Ridge.
one of the islands, Pag-asa, Benham Rise is on the op-
to raise the Philippine flag posite side of the Philip-
on Independence Day. pines from the area at
He said money has been dispute in the South China
budgeted to repair the run- Sea. The U.N. Commission
way on Pag-asa, home to on the Limits of the Conti-
a small fishing community nental Shelf confirmed in
and Filipino troops. 2012 that Benham Rise is
Since taking office in June, part of the extended con-
Duterte has worked to tinental shelf of the Philip-
mend ties with China that pines.
were strained under his Defense Secretary Delfin
predecessor over the terri- Lorenzana has said that
torial disputes. Chinese survey ships were
An impeachment com- seen crisscrossing the Ben-
plaint has been filed ham Rise area last year.q

Gambia president’s party takes majority in parliament

A. JOHN move ahead with promised Parliament, and had high The former ruling Alliance Assembly elections.
M. JALLOW reforms. Barrow will appoint hopes that pollution and for Patriotic Reorientation Gambia’s more than 1.8
Associated Press another five seats, includ- bad sewage systems would and Construction party million people were ruled
BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — ing speaker and deputy now be addressed. was reduced to five seats, for 22 years by Jammeh,
The party of Gambia’s new speaker. “As we voted for our can- according to results read whose refusal to leave pow-
president won a comfort- “We have been in the dark didates and they’re the out by IEC chair Alieu Mo- er brought regional coun-
able majority of seats in for 22 years and our roads majority our suffering has marr Njai. He called the tries to the brink of a military
parliament after two de- were very bad and elec- come to an end,” she said. vote free and fair. intervention. His flight into
cades of domination by tricity too was so poor, but Barrow, who beat Jammeh Various parties that to- exile in January was a dra-
the party of former leader now that victory is ours, in December elections, gether backed Barrow in matic moment for many
Yahya Jammeh, the Inde- they won’t let us down,” has promised economic the December election but in Africa, where a number
pendent Electoral Commis- said Adama Mendy, a improvements, greater ran separately on Thursday of leaders have clung to
sion announced Friday. 34-year-old vegetable ven- freedoms and a path to- won remaining seats. power for decades. “UDP
President Adama Barrow’s dor who voted for the UDP ward reconciliation in this While more than 880,000 emerges victorious in the
United Democratic Party candidate who won in her tiny West African country. voters were registered to parliamentary elections,
won 31 seats in the 53-seat district of Serrekunda. Jammeh’s government vote, turnout was low. A and now they can lead to-
National Assembly. The Mendy said she wasn’t was long accused of rights total of 10 political parties ward the change Gambi-
results mean Barrow can surprised by the sweep in abuses. took part in the National ans voted for. q