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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 14 March 2017

Duterte asks military to tell China vast sea area ‘is ours’

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — ships crisscrossing the Ben-
President Rodrigo Duterte ham Rise waters suspicious-
said Monday he has told ly from July to December
the military to assert Philip- last year, Defense Secre-
pine ownership of a large tary Delfin Lorenzana said
ocean region off the coun- last week. He said the gov-
try’s northeastern coast ernment is considering an
where Chinese survey ships increase in patrols and the
were spotted last year, in building of territorial mark-
a discovery that alarmed ers in the offshore region.
Philippine defense officials. The Chinese ships’ pres-
Duterte said he ordered ence in the area was to
the military to assert own- be discussed late Monday
ership of Benham Rise in at a meeting of National
a friendly way, repeating Security Council executive
that his country has no op- members and Duterte.
tion but to be diplomatic The Department of Foreign
because “I cannot match Affairs said it asked Chi-
the might of China.” na through its embassy
“My order to my military, Friday to clarify what the
you go there and tell them survey ships were doing in
straight that this is ours, but I Benham Rise.
say it in friendship,” Duterte In 2012, the U.N. Commis-
said in a news conference sion on the Limits of the
when asked about the is- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he answers questions from reporters during a press Continental Shelf declared
conference at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Monday, March 13,
sue in the waters facing the 2017. The Philippine president has ordered the military to assert his country’s ownership of a vast Benham Rise to be part of
Pacific Ocean. offshore region off its northeastern coast where Chinese survey ships have been sighted last year the Philippine continental
Beijing and Manila have a and alarmed defense officials. shelf, where the country
separate long-running terri- (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) has exclusive rights to fish
torial feud in the South Chi- and exploit resources, in-
na Sea west of the Philip- Duterte took office in June the dispute on the back- aid. cluding undersea deposits
pines, but tensions have and began reaching out burner while seeking Chi- The Philippine military spot- of oil and gas, Philippine
eased considerably since to China. He has placed nese trade and economic ted the Chinese survey officials said.q

North Korea blames US and South Korea for Malaysia attack

EDITH M. LEDERER and bringing down its so- the initials of the North’s “It is a final aim sought by The North Korean envoy
Associated Press cial system. official name, the Demo- the United States to store held a press conference at
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Malaysian authorities say cratic People’s Republic up the international repug- U.N. headquarters in New
North Korea on Monday Kim Jong Nam died after of Korea. nancy towards the DPRK,” York after the DPRK boy-
tried to shift the blame for two women smeared his He asked why the per- he said of the attack, with cotted a meeting of the
the deadly attack in Ma- face with the banned VX son who applied the VX the intention of provoking a U.N. Human Rights Council
laysia on the estranged nerve agent at Kuala Lum- agent, which is fatal if a “nuclear war against DPRK in Geneva, which was ad-
half- brother of its leader pur’s airport on Feb. 13, tiny amount is inhaled, is still at any cost.” dressed by its special in-
Kim Jong Un to the United but North Korea — which is alive while the man it was “So the U.S. and South Ko- vestigator on human rights
States and South Korea. widely suspected to be be- applied to died. rea were starting the po- in the reclusive northeast
North Korea’s deputy U.N. hind the attack — rejects The ambassador asserted litical chicanery to bring Asian nation.
ambassador, Kim In Ryong, the findings. Ambassador that the U.S. is one of the down the social system in Tomas Ojea Quintana
told a news conference Kim said the cause of Kim few countries that can DPRK,” the ambassador told the council that ten-
that “from A to Z, this case Jong Nam’s death “has manufacture VX and that said. He said the DPRK will sions caused by North Ko-
is the product of reckless not yet been clearly identi- it has stockpiled chemical respond by continuing to rea’s ballistic missile and
moves of the United States fied, but the United States weapons in South Korea, bolster its defenses “and nuclear tests are jeopardiz-
and South Korean authori- and the South Korean au- which could have provided the capability for the pre- ing efforts to improve hu-
ties,” who he said are trying thorities are groundlessly the chemical agent for the emptive strike with a nucle- man rights in the secretive
to tarnish the North’s image blaming the DPRK,” using attack on Kim Jong Nam. ar force.” country.q