Text Fwd: Indonesia, Malaysia Advised to Fight Piracy

* Image source/ caption: Same as below
'Kim Suk-kyoon, Superindendent
General of Korea Coast Guard'

* Korea Times
Indonesia, Malaysia Advised to Fight Piracy
By Park Si-soo, Staff Reporter
Nov. 11, 2009

Forty percent of the world's pirate attacks take place in Asia, particularly in the Straits of Malacca, one of the world's busiest sea lanes, and the reluctance by two countries close to it — Malaysia and Indonesia — to open their territorial waters to international anti-piracy forces is a big headache, said a Korean expert on the subject.

"Most countries surrounding the area are Islamic, and they commonly dislike opening their territorial waters to armed vessels from other countries," said Kim Suk-kyoon, superintendent general of the Korea Coast Guard, in an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday.

"Their bitter experience of being colonized by Western powers is partially to blame, but, nonetheless, their inaction makes it harder to crack down on piracy in Asia."

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a total of 3,521 piracy cases were reported around the world between 1998 and 2008. Of them, nearly 41 percent, or 1,435, took place in Asian regions, particularly the Straits of Malacca.

Over the same period, thirty percent of piracy cases against Korean vessels took place in Asian waters.

Kim was one of a handful of key advisors in Korea's role in joining an international armada to combat pirates operating in waters off Somalia. Since March, a Korean Navy destroyer with 300 crewmembers has teamed up with multinational forces to combat piracy there. It marked the first-ever overseas combat deployment by the Korean Navy.

"Piracy is a universal crime. To Korea, as the world's 13th largest economy, joining in the anti-piracy operations is sort of a duty," Kim said. "More than 90 percent of products are either imported or exported through maritime logistics. As one of the major beneficiaries of maritime trade, Korea's participation was not only for us but also global prosperity."

Last month, Seychelles President James Michel spoke of his appreciation for Korea's anti-piracy efforts in a summit with President Lee Myung-bak.

Kim is one of a few piracy experts in Korea with a doctorate degree. He earned the degree in 2004 from Hanyang University in Seoul with an English-language dissertation titled, "Building a Multilateral Framework to Combat Piracy in Asia."

In the paper, the 44-year-old urged Asian countries to raise funds to launch a joint maritime police force responsible for cracking down on Asian piracy and escorting commercial vessels passing through piracy-prone waters, particularly the Straits of Malacca - a narrow 805-kilometer stretch of water between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

He raised concerns over the fact that piracy, mainly committed by people from impoverished countries to make a living, is becoming more organized and being used as a source of funds to finance terrorism organizations.

"Piracy in the past was committed by simply armed pirates to steal products carried by vessels, while today, it is much more brutal, violent and systematic," Kim said. "Today's pirates are armed with portable radar and an international information network. With the help of high-end technology and the network they gather information on the most lucrative target vessel and, once selected, brutally attack, killing passengers, and in some cases taking over the vessel to resell it at higher price."

He recently completed a paper discussing the correlation between maritime disputes and North Korea and South Korea relations. It's expected to be published in the journal "Ocean Development & International Law" sometime in the next few months.

"I am sure maritime affairs will stand at the center of key global issues in the near future. In this sense, the Korean government should pay more attention to maritime affairs for consistent and peaceful growth," he said.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: STAR WARS

STAR WARS
By J.Narayana Rao
Sent on Nov. 11, 2009

Unprecedented scientific and technological developments in Space Science have take place during the last few decades. The fascinating fantasy of space, manifested when Yuri Gagarin of USSR encircled the Globe in Space and Niel Armstrong set his foot on the Moon, the entire mankind celebrated the success of the scientists and technocrats. Space is sheltering in it’s bossom the Satellites to make the life of human beings more and more comfortable and adventurous. We are trying to make the Space a launching pad to step on to other planets.

At present Space has become part of human development. Space is being used for communications, entertainment, telecommunications, meteorology, environmental monitoring, disaster prevention, education, surveilence etc. There are 240 Civil & Military Communiction Satellites and 800 other Satellites including remote sensing and reconniance satellites in Space. India also has a proud place in the Space and Satellite technology.

To ensure peaceful use of Space and prevent any deployment of weapons in Space, the United Nations has adopted a treaty on “Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and other Cellestial Bodies” popularly known as the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. Some of the salient features of this treaty are:-

1.Exploration and use of Outer Space should be only for peaceful purposes.
2.Exploration and use of outer Space including the moon and other celestial bodies should be carried on for the benefit of all peoples irrespective of the difference of economic or scientific development in accordance with the International Law.
3.The establishment of military bases, installations fortification, the testing of any type of weapons and conduct of military maneuvers on celestial bodies is forbidden.

In the year 1974 United Nations brought another agreement governing the activities of States on the Moon and other Cellestial bodies to prevent any military activities on the Moon. The salient fetures of this agreement are:-

1.The moon shall be used only for peaceful purposes
2.No objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction can be put in orbit around the moon or on the moon.
3.No military bases, installations can be established on the moon.
In a nutshell it can be said that either on the moon or in Space no weapons and military activities can be done.

At present there are 47 Countries which have deployed their Satellites in Space. Out of these only 10 Countries including India have the technical capability to launch satellites into Space. There are scentitific space crafts carrying sophisticated payload of telescopes. There is an orbiting international Space Station. There are hundereds of Space Contgrol Centres. Space transportation is very expensive. At present the cost of pay load of per Kg into orbit is 20,000 US Dollars.

With the end of of the Cold War every one thought that the danger of Nuclear war is now averted and there will be peace in the world. Unfortunately it has become premature to conjucture like that. There is another danger cropping up. The danger of STAR WARS.

On March 23, 1986 US President Ronald Regan announced that US will develop weaponisation of Space. He named it as “Strategic Defense Initiative” which has become popularly known as Star Wars programe. His successor George H.W. Bush renamed it as “National Missile Defence” What ever may be the nominclature the object is the same i.e weaponising space.

The US plans for space domination is outlined in the document “VISION FOR 2020” prepared by the US Space Command.It has outlined that space will be used for warfare just like land,sea and air.To ensure US dominance on future battle fields it is essential to control space medium and deny other countries to use Space. The US Space Command announced that “dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect US interests and investments, integrating space forces into war fighting capabilities across the full Spectrum of Conflict”.

This venture of US is in violation of the Outer Space Treaty. All countries have opposed this. Russia, China and Canada are moving resolutions in the G.N Genral Assembly against weaponisation of space by US. Even India made it clear that Space should remain for peaceful purposes and not for deployment of any weapons. Abdul Kalam former President of India while inaugurating an International Conference on Space Security on November 13, 2007 made it clear that “when enormous societal and economic commitments have been made by nations with space infrastructure, the main security concern is that outer space should be free of weapons. We must recognize the necessity for the world space community to avoid terrestrial geo-political conflicts to be drawn into outer space thus threatening the space assets belonging to humanity”.

Russia warned that if any country deploys weapons in space it will be retaliated. Russia declared that it does’t like any space war and would’t permit any other country to do so
Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom(WILPF) declared that “We see outer space as an integral part of the common heritage of humankind. All scientific exploration and any other use of outer space should be for civilian research only with a view to furthering the wellbeing of humanity and not for the destruction of life and the environment. The Global Network Aginst Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space is spearheading an international movment against weponisation of space.
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Text Fwd: South Korea deviated from previous rules of engagement in West Sea clash

* Image source/ caption: Hankyoreh
'Chamsuri’ is similar to a vessel that had been involved in a naval battle between North Korea and South Korea around the Northern Limit Line (NLL).'

Hankyoreh
South Korea deviated from previous rules of engagement in West Sea clash:
Observers say South Korea navy is showing little restraint in preventing naval battles from taking place in disputed West Sea territory
Posted on : Nov.11,2009 12:47 KST

The South Korean navy enacted different rules of engagement during the exchange of fire between the North Korean and South Korea naval ships on Nov. 10 in comparison with the two previous inter-Korean naval battles that occurred in the West Sea in 1999 and 2002 (also known as the Yeongpyeong Naval Battle of June 1999 that lasted 9 minutes and Second Yeongpyeong Naval Battle that lasted 24 minutes).

In the previous two battles, the South Korean navy had implemented rules of engagement with five procedural steps of “announcing a warning, moving, firing a warning shot, firing a threatening shot, and firing a precision shot.” The previous rules of engagement were designed to avoid battles between the North Korean and South Korea navies.

In contrast on Tuesday, the South Korean patrol boat issued a warning shot immediately after moving and communicated a warning message. In response, the North Korean vessel took a precision shot and in turn, South Korea took a precision shot. Since 2004, when the rules of engagement were set, three to six warning shots have been exchanged per year, and these shots are the first that have taken place this year. Observers suggest the new rules of engagement curtail steps that could prevent clashes from escalating.

The two Koreas have been arguing over the West Sea waters ever since the United Nations forces established the Northern Limit Line (NLL) above the five West Sea islands in 1953 after the Korean War. North Korea presented a maritime demarcation line in 1999 that announced that the NLL was invalid.

Observers are saying this incident was made possible in an atmosphere in which the South Korean navy feels no resolve to avoid battles with the North Korean navy. In response to the South Korean government’s announcement made earlier in the year about its decision to fully participate in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), North Korea had said it could no longer guarantee the safe passage of U.S. and South Korean naval ships or civilian shipping vessels in neighboring waters. In response, Chung Ok-geun, then-Chief of naval operations ordered naval soldiers not to avoid battle and said, “If the enemy hurts one of our fingers, we should respond by cutting its wrist.”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

* Related articles

Hankyoreh
North Korea and South Korea’s first naval clash in 7 years:
S. Korean observers say the 2 minute exchange occurred after the North Korean patrol boat crossed the NLL while investigating illegal fishing activity
Posted on : Nov.11,2009 12:39 KST

Hankyoreh
West Sea naval clash expected to affect North Korea-U.S. bilateral dialogue
While conservatives want to use it to hinder N. Korea-U.S. dialogue, analysts say Lee administration could appropriately minimize its effects
Posted on : Nov.11,2009 12:43 KST

Korea Times:
11-11-2009 18:43
Seoul to Offer Aid to NK Despite Clash
By Lee Tae-hoon, Staff Reporter


* Related blog
http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/11/text-fwd-two-koreas-exchange-fire-in.html
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Text Fwd: Two Koreas Exchange Fire in West Sea