This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Vietnam accuses China of ramming and sinking its fishing boat
- Japan strengthens military alliances with Philippines and Vietnam
- Egypt extends presidential election for a day because of low turnout
Vietnam accuses China of ramming and sinking its fishing boat
Vietnam says that about 40 Chinese steel-hulled vessels surrounded agroup of smaller, wooden Vietnamese fishing ships on Monday afternoonin the South China Sea. One fishing boat was rammed and sank, and thefishermen were picked up by other Vietnamese boats.
China said that the opposite occurred. According to the state-runnews agency, the fishing boat capsized after harassing and collidingwith a Chinese fishing boat. According to China, Vietnam has sent anumber of ships to obstruct the oil drilling in waters claimed by bothVietnam and China.
China has repeatedly said that they are going to annex regions of theSouth and East China Seas belonging to Japan, Vietnam, Brunei,Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, often for centuries. Chinais enforcing its demands with it’s huge and growing military power and threats of military action against any country that doesn’t obeyits commands.
According to Vietnam, China has been repeatedly attacking Vietnameseships. Chinese warships frequently train their high-pressure waterhoses on exhaust pipes, antennae, radars, and windows of Vietnameseships in order to disable to sink them. AP and Xinhua and CNN and Thanh Nien News
Japan strengthens military alliances with Philippines and Vietnam
With China’s bellicosity becoming more strident almost every week,Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe is strengthening Japan’s militarylinks with Vietnam and the Philippines and said that with regard toChina’s “unilateral drilling activities” in the South China Sea, “Wewill never tolerate a change to the status quo by force or coercion.”
In December 2013, Japan provided 10 patrol vessels to the PhilippinesCoast Guard and is now planning to accelerate similar aidto Vietnam. According to Abe:
Unilateral drilling activities are taking place inareas of the South China Sea where borders are not defined. I amdeeply concerned about the heightening of tensions that hasresulted. Japan’s position is that we will never tolerate thechange of status quo by force or coercion. We are seeking apeaceful resolution based on international law.
Egypt extends presidential election for a day because of low turnout
It was two years ago that Mohamed Morsi was elected president of Egyptin the only democratic election in Egypt’s multi-millennial history.And it was one year ago that the army, led by general Abdel al-Fattahal-Sisi, overthrew Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood government in acoup, jailing him and thousands of supporters and even arranging fordeath sentences for Muslim Brotherhood leaders. It’s particularlyscandalous that several al-Jazeera reporters have been jailed forreporting the news from Egypt, and those reporters have now been injail for eight months.
So now, al-Sisi has resigned from the army and returned to civilianlife so that he can run for president of Egypt. The Egyptian peoplehad two days to cast their votes, Monday and Tuesday. The problem isthat turnout was exceptionally low — why bother to vote when you knowthat al-Sisi is going to win? This is being seen as a humiliation foral-Sisi and a problem for Egypt, since an extremely low turnout cutsal-Sisi’s credibility and ability to govern. It’s also in sharpcontrast to the huge crowds that turned out in 2012 to vote forMohamed Morsi.
So Egypt has announced that the election has been extended to a thirdday, Wednesday, so that more people can vote. Authorities are eventhreatening to fine people who don’t vote. Al Ahram (Cairo) and CBS News
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Vietnam, China, South China Sea,Japan, Philippines, Shinzo Abe,Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood, Abdel al-Fattah al-Sisi
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.