Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 9 May 2017
Philippines, US begin smaller-scale joint military exercises

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — ed by President Rodrigo South China Sea and has tan Manila. tion and interoperability of
Philippine and U.S. troops Duterte, who has had an ordered some of the joint Officials said 5,400 person- their forces.
kicked off on Monday an- antagonistic stance to- drills scrapped. nel — 2,600 Americans and Small contingents from Ja-
nual joint exercises that ward U.S. security policies Opening rites for the 12- 2,800 Filipinos — will be in- pan and Australia are also
are smaller in scale than in while expanding security day “Balikatan,” or “Shoul- volved, or about half the participating as observers
years past, focusing on di- ties with China and Russia. der-to-Shoulder,” exercises 11,000 troops who took part this year.
saster response and coun- Since taking office last were led by Defense Secre- last year. The two countries This year’s exercises will be
terterrorism while excluding June, he has taken a soft- tary Delfin Lorenzana and are long-time treaty allies based on a scenario of
territorial defense opera- er stance than his prede- U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim and are conducting the troops responding to a su-
tions and maritime security. cessor toward territorial at the Philippine military’s yearly training for the 33rd per typhoon hitting the Phil-
The changes were direct- disputes with China in the headquarters in metropoli- time to ensure coordina- ippines. q

South Koreans vote for new president to succeed ousted Park

His victory would end a near ity near Seoul and awaits
decade of conservative a criminal trial set to start
rule by Park and her pre- later this month. She has
decessor, Lee Myung-bak. been indicted on bribery,
When the liberals were last extortion and other corrup-
in charge in Seoul, Moon tion allegations that could
served as chief of staff for theoretically send her to jail
then President Roh Moo- for life. The allegations in-
hyun. They sought closer censed many in South Ko-
ties with North Korea by rea, with millions taking to
setting up large-scale aid the streets and calling for
shipments to the North and her ouster. Park sympathiz-
by working on now-stalled ers later staged their own
joint economic projects. rallies. Dozens of high-pro-
Voting stations opened at file figures, including Park’s
6 a.m. and are to close at longtime confidante, Choi
8 p.m. South Korean TV sta- Soon-sil, and Samsung’s
tions plan to release the de facto leader, Lee Jae-
results of their joint exit polls yong, have been indicted
soon after the vote ends along with Park.
and are expected to pre- The drama gave Moon,
dict a winner before mid- who lost the 2012 election

South Korean presidential candidate Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party gives his supporters night. to Park by a million votes,
a thums-up sign during an election campaign in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 8, 2017. Two The winning candidate a boost in his push to re-
months after booting their sitting president over corruption allegations, South Koreans will select a will be officially sworn in as establish liberal rule.
new leader Tuesday after weeks of heated debate. South Korea’s new presi- Frequently appearing at
(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) dent after the National anti-Park rallies, Moon
By HYUNG-JIN KIM might benefit North Korea my best so far. I’ve made Election Commission ends called for her ouster and
Associated Press and put South Korea at enormous preparations. the vote count and con- reform measures to clean
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — odds with its most impor- I’m confident. I’ll strain ev- firms the winner on Wednes- up social inequalities, ex-
South Koreans voted Tues- tant ally, the United States. ery nerve to the last minute day. This forgoes the usual cessive presidential power
day for a new president, But Moon has been the to be a president for all the two-month transition be- and corrupt ties between
with victory widely predict- clear favorite as the coun- people,” Moon, 64, said on cause Tuesday’s vote is a politicians and business
ed for a liberal candidate try’s powerful conservative the eve of the election. by-election to choose a leaders. Many of these leg-
who has pledged to im- forces struggle to regroup The final opinion surveys re- successor to Park. Her term acies dated back to when
prove ties with North Korea, after a huge corruption leased last week showed was originally to end in Feb- South Korea was ruled by
re-examine a contentious scandal that led to Presi- Moon, the Democratic Par- ruary 2018. The new leader Park’s dictator father, Park
U.S. missile defense shield dent Park Geun-hye’s re- ty candidate, had about a will still serve out a full, sin- Chung-hee, a deeply divi-
and push sweeping eco- moval from office and ar- 20 percentage point lead gle five-year term. sive figure whose 18-year
nomic changes. rest in March. over his two main rivals — Park, South Korea’s first fe- rule was marked by both
Conservatives worry that “This is the last challenge a centrist and a conserva- male president, is currently rapid economic rise and
a victory by Moon Jae-in of my life. I’ve really done tive. jailed at a detention facil- severe civil rights abuse.q
Chinese lawyer Xie Yang pleads guilty in subversion trial

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese hu- used by anti-China Western who fled to the U.S. with the 2015 government crack- deeply concerned about
man rights lawyer Xie Yang forces,” he said in a pre- couple’s two daughters down on the country’s le- Xie’s well-being and urged
pleaded guilty Monday pared statement read to earlier this year. “Chang- gal professionals. the release of him and oth-
to charges of incitement the court. sha Intermediate People’s But in January, Xie gave his ers lawyers detained in Chi-
to subversion and disturb- The trial in the central city Court: history will remem- lawyer an account saying na. It said Xie’s confession
ing legal proceedings and of Changsha was wrapped ber your great trial. All the he had been beaten, de- “appeared to be given
asked the court to grant up by midday without any people who participated in prived of sleep and held in under duress.” The depart-
him a lenient sentence witnesses called. Xie Yang’s trial: history will stress positions. The state- ment said that the lawyer
based on his repentance. In a statement, Xie’s wife, remember all of you!” ment said any future con- hired by Xie’s family, Chen
“Everyone should take me Chen Guiqiu, called the Earlier, Xie told the court fession by Xie would be Jiangang, disappeared
as a lesson: You must be- entire trial a sham. that he wasn’t tortured or due to prolonged torture. last week and was report-
have within the boundar- “Your play was performed forced into confessing af- The U.S. State Department edly taken into custody by
ies of the law, avoid being beautifully,” said Chen, ter being detained in a July said Monday it remains Chinese authorities. q