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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian authorities said Sunday that another two Indonesian fishermen have been abducted by armed men off eastern Sabah state on Borneo island, the second such case this month and the latest in a spate of sea attacks. Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid, who heads Sabah’s security center, said five masked men armed with long rifles raided a fishing trawler late Saturday. He told local media Sunday that the men destroyed the boat’s communications system and stole hand phones and money before kidnapping the skipper and his assistant. He said the attackers then fled in a speed boat heading toward international waters. Another 11 crew members were rescued by passing boats, he added without giving further details. Wan Abdul Bari and Sabah police couldn’t be immediately reached for comments. Earlier this month, two Indonesian boat skippers were also abducted off Sabah. Despite efforts by the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia to jointly shore up security along their busy sea border, Indonesians and Malaysians have been kidnapped from tugboats and fishing boats in recent months Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines, which is near Sabah, and its allied gunmen are responsible for many attacks at sea. The Abu Sayyaf group, which is blacklisted in the U.S. and the Philippines as a terrorist organization, holds more than a dozen foreign and local hostages. The kidnappings have continued despite one of the largest military offensives against Abu Sayyaf, mainly in Sulu and the nearby island province of Basilan, involving more Read More …

President Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO LIMA, Peru — President Duterte skipped the gala dinner for leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) here on Saturday evening (Sunday morning in Manila) as he was not feeling well, Philippine officials said. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told reporters Mr. Duterte was ill and opted to have Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay attend on his behalf the dinner hosted by Peru President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. READ: Duterte talks to Putin about distrust with US, hypocrisy of the West Practically all the world leaders, with the exception of those who had sent representatives due to troubles at home, like South Korea and Thailand, were in attendance at the dinner, including Presidents Barack Obama of the United States, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Xi Jinping of China. Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau of Canada and Shinzo Abe of Japan were also present. The Apec leaders toasted each other with champagne and watched cultural presentations. The traditional dinner is typically seen as an opportunity for Apec leaders to hold informal talks with each other in the absence of time for formal bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the main Apec summit. Andanar said Kuczynski had been told beforehand that Mr. Duterte would not be able to make it to the dinner. The two leaders had a prolonged conversation earlier in the day during the official welcome ceremony for the arriving heads of state just before the formal opening of the annual trade gathering of Pacific Rim economies. In the Read More …

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) LIMA, Peru — Goodbye, Asia. Hello, Europe? President Rodrigo Duterte, in a bizarre turn of phrase, told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that the Philippines had been “longing to be part of Europe.” In the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders, Mr. Duterte, who had long expressed disdain for the European Union, inexplicably remarked that he wished for his country to be part of Europe. “I have been looking for this moment to meet you, Mr. President, not only because you represent a great country but [because of your leadership] too,” he began. “And we’ve been longing to be part also of — despite the distance — we have been longing to be part of Europe, especially in commerce and trade around the world,” Mr. Duterte told the Russian leader. The Philippine president proceeded to talk, in his typical rambling style, about the “hypocrisy” of the West in intervening in the affairs of other countries while advancing their own interests. “They want to seem to start a war but are afraid to go to war. That is what’s wrong with America and the others. They are waging war in so many places: in Vietnam, Afghanistan and in Iraq,” he said. “And for one single reason that there was a weapon of mass Read More …

Foreign Affairs Perfecto Yasay Jr. AFP FILE PHOTO LIMA, Peru—Senior ministers of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member economies declared on Friday their commitment to denying safe haven for corrupt officials fleeing prosecution and to strengthen mechanisms for their extradition. In a joint statement after the Apec Ministers Meeting from Nov. 17-18 here, the members pledged to help each other combat corruption and to encourage businesses to establish their own anticorruption campaigns against illicit trade. The discussions were held ahead of the two-day Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting starting Saturday which would be attended by the heads of state or representatives of 21 Pacific Rim countries. President Duterte landed in the Peruvian capital before midnight Thursday (Friday in Manila). The Philippines was represented by Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez at the Ministers Meeting chaired by Peru’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Luna and Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Eduardo Ferreyros. —DJ YAP TAGS: APEC, Apec Ministers Meeting, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, illicit trade For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.