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  • Preparing for War

    Currently in more than one place around the world, the affected countries are actively preparing for war. The tension means war can be triggered to break out at any time.

    One place in great tension is the Korea Penisular. Due to the great difficulty getting information from N Korea, we can only get some detailed information from S Korea.

    S.Korea draws up N.Korea counter-attack plans
    7 June , Korea - South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) have briefed President Lee Myung-Bak on plans for a huge counter-attack on North Korea if it fires missiles at its navy ships, defence officials said Sunday.

    The contingency plan, drafted amid growing cross-border tensions, was reported to Lee Saturday when the president visited an air base in Osan, south of Seoul, JCS officials said.

    "North Korea's firing of ground-to-ship missiles at our navy ships would prompt counter-attacks simultaneously from surface, air and sea," JCS chairman Kim Tae-Young had told Lee, according to a JCS spokesman.

    Defence officials in Seoul said the South had prepared K-9 self-propelled cannons, naval destroyers and F-15K aircraft armed with cruise missiles and precision bombs near the tense sea border with the North in the Yellow Sea. ...

    The South's navy said Tuesday it had sent a high-speed patrol boat armed with guided missiles to the two country's disputed western border, after reports that the North's military was conducting landing exercises there.

    Pyongyang wants the adjoining sea border to be drawn further south and the area has been the site of deadly naval clashes in 1999 and 2002.

    More than 600,000 South Korean soldiers, backed by 28,500 US troops, have been deployed on the Korean peninsula, confronting a potential threat from the North's 1.1 million-strong military.
    Last edited by Merlin; 08 Jun 09,, 07:03.

  • #2
    The other place under high tension is the Middle East, between Israel and Iran. Here I link what the US Secretary of State Clinton says to Iran.

    Clinton Says Strike to Follow If Iran Attacks Israel
    June 7 (Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said a nuclear attack by Iran on Israel would be followed by retaliation against the Islamic Republic.

    “I don’t think there is any doubt in anyone’s mind that were Israel to suffer a nuclear attack by Iran, there would be retaliation,” she said in a taped interview airing today on ABC’s “This Week” program.

    Clinton was asked whether her statement as a presidential candidate that Iran would “incur massive retaliation” for attacking Israel is now official U.S. policy. “I think it is U.S. policy to the extent that we have alliances and understandings with a number of nations,” Clinton said. “I think there would be retaliation.”

    Clinton said the U.S. needs to make clear to Iran that pursuing nuclear weapons will undermine peace and security for Iran and the entire region. With Arab states and Israel anxious about Iran’s intentions, there’s danger of “a Middle East arms race which leads to nuclear weapons being in the possession of other countries,” she said. ....

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    • #3
      Actually, it is more likely that Israel launches a pre-emptive attack on Iran.

      I find this warning by Clinton to Iran unusual. It seems to give a warning to Iran to get their retaliative capabilities ready.

      Don’t discount Israel pre-emptive strike, Hillary Clinton warns Iran
      8 June [Times] Hillary Clinton refused yesterday to rule out a pre-emptive Israeli military strike on Iran. It was the first time that a senior member of the Obama Administration had openly discussed such a possibility. ...

      As President Obama extends “an open hand”, seeking direct talks with Tehran in his attempt to halt its nuclear programme, Mrs Clinton appeared ready to unnerve the Iranian leadership with talk of a pre-emptive strike “the way that we did attack Iraq”. ...
      Last edited by Merlin; 08 Jun 09,, 07:28.

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      • #4
        Merlin,

        A week or so ago the online news had a number of articles re animus between Malaysia and Indonesia.

        Both sides were threatening armed conflict over a territorial issue and each had moved their Naval assets into position.

        Can you tell us more and is it more than just sabre rattling.

        Cheers.

        Comment


        • #5
          Captain, I have to look up this dispute online, as the local newspaper and TV do not mention anything.

          This is the official Indonesia position.

          Indonesia not afraid of Malaysia: Minister
          8 June [JakartaPost] Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said Saturday Indonesia was not afraid of a series of maneuverings by Malaysia in the disputed maritime territory of Ambalat in the Sulawesi Sea.

          “We are undeterred. Let Malaysia send military force and launch propaganda in Ambalat and its surrounding areas. For certain Ambalat belongs to the Unitary State of Republic of Indonesia,” Juwono said as quoted by Antara news agency.

          He said despite their poor economic and social status, Indonesian citizens living near the border were mature and smart enough to resist all forms of Malaysia’s maneuvering and propaganda.

          Juwono said Indonesia had awarded concessions to Italian company ENI and US energy giant Chevron to operate in Ambalat since 1966, but Malaysia only began to raise the issue to fore after it released its maritime map in 1979. Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and China are challenging the legitimacy of the map.

          "Revenues from the contracts have gone to the state's coffer. Our position is stronger whatsoever...all is in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," he said.
          This report explains more details of the problem.

          Incidentally, Indonesia is going to have a Presidential Election soon. For local consumption, President Yudhoyono has to talk and act tough. He is the favorite in this election. Finally both countries are not going to fight over this.

          Malaysia calls for calm over border dispute with Indonesia
          3 days ago KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysia's deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin called for calm Thursday amid reports that Malaysian warships had entered oil-rich waters off northeastern Borneo also claimed by Indonesia.

          Indonesia says Malaysian warships entered the disputed Ambalat area in the Sulawesi sea last week and that an Indonesian navy ship came within moments of firing at a Malaysian vessel.

          "We want to avoid any form of provocation that can cause unpleasantness. We must handle the matter with caution," Muhyiddin was quoted as saying by Bernama, the Malaysian news agency.

          Muhyiddin was also quoted as saying that Malaysia had good relations with Indonesia and that it did not want to cause any problem that could hurt ties.

          In Jakarta, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia would never back down from a fight but that dialogue was the best way to resolve the dispute.

          "The government has never been lenient on the border violations committed by Malaysian warships in Ambalat waters," Yudhoyono said during a talk show on Anteve TV station.

          "Although we have to drive intruders away, we don't need to open fire on them unless absolutely necessary," he added.

          International borders in the area off Borneo island have yet to be determined, with each country claiming the area as its own.

          Malaysia claims the area based on a 1979 maritime chart, while Indonesia bases its claims on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which states the area belongs to Indonesia. ...

          Meanwhile, Malaysia's military chief Abdul Aziz Zainal denied that Malaysian warships had entered the waters around Ambalat, adding that he would visit Jakarta Tuesday to discuss the issue.
          Last edited by Merlin; 08 Jun 09,, 11:06.

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          • #6
            Ambalat is the sea off Borneo in between, and under dispute by Indonesia and Malaysia.

            I think finally they'll have to bring this to the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

            In the meantime, it is good naval vessels of both countries stay away. But the problem is that pirates will make use of this power vacuum.

            Armed Forces to meet over Ambalat
            9 June [Star] KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Armed Forces Chief will meet with his Indonesian counterpart today to discuss the issue of Ambalat waters.

            Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi however said Malaysia would not bring the issue of Ambalat to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

            Both Malaysia and Indonesia have territorial claim over the Ambalat waters off the coast of Sabah, which is rich in minerals and oil.

            Ahmad Zahid had said he would propose that Malaysian and Indonesian navy vessels stay out of the disputed Ambalat waters until the issue on the claim had been resolved ...

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