DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: Royal Canadian Army During Multi-National Military Exercise RIMPAC In Hawaii

DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: Royal Canadian Army During Multi-National Military Exercise RIMPAC In Hawaii 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 23, 2012: Private Dvon Bradley (L) and Private Josh Nelson of the 1st Platoon A Company of the Royal Canadian Army advance towards the objective during live fire training for the multi-national military exercise RIMPAC at Pohakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaii July 22, 2012.

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DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: Royal Canadian Army During Multi-National Military Exercise RIMPAC In Hawaii

DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: Royal Canadian Army During Multi-National Military Exercise RIMPAC In Hawaii 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 23, 2012: Soldiers of the 1st Platoon A Company of the Royal Canadian Army advance on the objective with an observer from the United States Marine Corps (L) during live fire training for the multi-national military exercise RIMPAC at Pohakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaii July 22, 2012.

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DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: RIMPAC’s Impact On Military Ties, Biofuel

DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: RIMPAC’s Impact On Military Ties, Biofuel

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 23, 2012: The largest-ever Rim of the Pacific exercise will conclude Aug. 7 after bringing together 21 countries, 25,000 troops, 40 ships, six submarines and 200 aircraft for a 42-day training evolution.

While a lot of publicity has surrounded the Navy’s “Great Green Fleet” of biofuel-filled ships, there are other reasons to keep close watch of what’s going on in the waters around Hawaii.

This year’s larger military turnout could be credited to China’s growing economic influence and expanding blue-water navy. China’s pushiness into regional issues is unsettling some governments.

“This leads to greater demand for U.S. involvement and leadership to offset possible Chinese domination,” said Denny Roy, senior fellow with the East-West Center in Honolulu. “Almost everyone in the region wants an insurance policy against the possibility of overbearing Chinese behavior.”

But China wasn’t invited. It cut military ties with the U.S. in 2010 because of America’s arms sales to Taiwan, and the relationship got even cooler because of China’s dealings with Iran. In the buildup to RIMPAC, China’s state-run media grumbled that India got invited and they didn’t.

Chinese and U.S. forces have plans to partner down the road, however. In late June, Adm. Samuel Locklear, head of U.S. Pacific Command, met his Chinese counterpart and addressed a top military academy in China with hopes of rebuilding military-to-military ties. China and the U.S. in May agreed to jointly perform humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and counterpiracy exercises, according to the Congressional Research Service.

(Read complete story on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

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DTN News - CAMBODIAN NEWS: Cambodian Troops Withdraw From Disputed Temple In Preah Vihear Province With Thailand

DTN News - CAMBODIAN NEWS: Cambodian Troops Withdraw From Disputed Temple In Preah Vihear Province With Thailand

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 18, 2012: Cambodian troops take part in a military withdrawal ceremony near the Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province July 18, 2012. Thai and Cambodian soldiers withdrew from the disputed area surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple along the border on Wednesday in compliance with a United Nations court ruling. 

The U.N.'s highest court ruled last July that both sides needed to withdraw troops in the 4.6 square kilometres (2.9 square miles) area claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia. REUTERS PICTURES 

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DTN News - THAILAND NEWS: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra On State Visit To Germany

DTN News - THAILAND NEWS: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra On State Visit To Germany

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 18, 2012: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (2nd R) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a military ceremony upon Yingluck's arrival at the German federal chancellory on July 18, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. Yingluck, Thailand's first female prime minister, is on her first state visit outside of Asia since she took office in August of last year. (Photo - Getty)

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DTN News - MEKONG-JAPAN SUMMIT 2012: Leaders From Myanmar Thein Sein, Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra And Japan Yoshihiko Noda Take Part In Electric Car Demonstration On Sidelines Of Summit In Tokyo

DTN News - MEKONG-JAPAN SUMMIT 2012: Leaders From Myanmar Thein Sein, Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra And Japan Yoshihiko Noda Take Part In Electric Car Demonstration On Sidelines Of  Summit In Tokyo

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 21, 2012: Myanmar President Thein Sein, left front, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, second left in front, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, center, take part in an electric car demonstration on the sidelines of the Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo, Saturday, April 21, 2012.                                 (Photo – AP)

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DTN News - MEKONG-JAPAN SUMMIT 2012: Leaders From Japan Yoshihiko Noda, Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra And Vietnam Nguen Tan Dung Feed Carp After Their Dinner At The Akasaka Palace In Tokyo

DTN News - MEKONG-JAPAN SUMMIT 2012: Leaders From Japan Yoshihiko Noda, Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra And Vietnam Nguen Tan Dung Feed Carp After Their Dinner At The Akasaka Palace In Tokyo

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 21, 2012: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (L) and Mekong nations leaders (L-R) Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguen Tan Dung feed carp after their dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on April 20, 2012.     

 Japan will host a summit with five Mekong nations on Saturday aimed at fostering development and friendship in a resource-rich region that is also being courted by China.

(Photo – Getty)

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DTN News - CHINA NEWS: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra With Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Review A Honor Guard And Is On Official Visit To China

DTN News - CHINA NEWS: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra With Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Review A Honor Guard And Is On Official Visit To China

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 17, 2012: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (R) review the Chinese military honor guard during an official welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 17, 2012.

 Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is on a four-day official visit to China. (Photo - Getty)

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Aung San Suu Kyi - matching words with action

From Amnesty International;

Leaders worldwide condemned Myanmar's decision last week to extend Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's imprisonment by 18 months after finding her guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest.

It's time for global leaders to match words with actions.

While Amnesty applauds the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' condemnation of the verdict in Aung San Suu Kyi's trial, the 10-nation ASEAN bloc must ratchet up pressure for the release of Suu Kyi and thousands of other political prisoners in Myanmar.

The head of the Myanmar's ruling military junta, Than Shwe, has brushed off criticisms before, and there's little reason to believe he'll clean-up his act unless ASEAN shows that this time it means business.

That's why we're calling on ASEAN to convene a meeting of the top brass in foreign affairs from all 10 member nations to come up with concrete measures to finally address the growing human rights crisis in Myanmar.


General Than Shwe

We're turning up the heat ourselves by calling on supporters to send 10,000 postcards – instead of emails – to the Thai government, which currently chairs ASEAN. (Don't worry – we'll send the postcard for you, so you don't have to buy postage, lick stamps or find a mailbox.)

Send a postcard today demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and thousands of other political prisoners in Myanmar. Time is running out. Vietnam will replace Thailand as chair of ASEAN at the end of next month. Critics have raised concerns that ASEAN's new human rights body will be toothless under Vietnam's leadership.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/98b8a476-7548-11de-9ed5-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

We must ramp up our calls on Thailand to show leadership on human rights in Myanmar in order for it to make a difference in the remaining weeks of its chairmanship.

Act now. Help us send 10,000 postcards to the Thai government by September 1st to urge them to call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and thousands of other political prisoners in Myanmar.

Paste this link into your browser to send a postcard.

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.jhKPIXPCIoE/b.5380275/k.7928/Free_Aung_San_Suu_Kyi/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=5380275&ICID=I0908A02&tr=y&auid=5207238