India, Philippines launch first joint South China Sea patrol
Ferdinand Marcos Jnr 's scheduled trip to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
The Philippines has heightened defence cooperation with a range of allies over the past year after a series of clashes in the contested waterway. Beijing claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
India's naval vessels arrived in Manila for a port visit late last week. The patrol 'started yesterday afternoon, then it's ongoing up to this moment … the activity at the moment is replenishment at sea', Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Salgado said.
Indian navy ships INS Delhi (right), a guided-missile destroyer, and INS Kiltan, an anti-submarine warfare corvette, dock at Manila's port on Friday. Photo: AP
'The visit of the Indian naval ships to the Philippines is a powerful testament to the enduring friendship and growing maritime cooperation between the two countries.' Indian ambassador to the Philippines Shri Harsh Kumar Jain said at a reception on Friday on board the INS Shakti fleet tanker, according to Naval News.
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South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Bollywood eyes patriotic films after India-Pakistan conflict ceasefire
Indian filmmakers are securing the rights to movie titles that may benefit from the surge of patriotism sparked by a recent four-day conflict with Pakistan, which resulted in the deaths of more than 70 people. The two nuclear-armed nations engaged in artillery, drone, and air strikes in May after India accused Pakistan of being behind an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. The fighting concluded when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire. Now, some Bollywood filmmakers see an opportunity to capitalise on the events of the conflict, though others say directors should promote peace through the cinema. India tagged its military action against Pakistan 'Operation Sindoor', the Hindi word for vermilion, which married Hindu women wear on their foreheads. The name was seen as a symbol of Delhi's determination to avenge those widowed in the April 22 attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which sparked the hostilities. Film studios have registered a slew of titles evoking the operation, including: Mission Sindoor, Sindoor: The Revenge, The Pahalgam Terror and Sindoor Operation. 'It's a story which needs to be told,' said director Vivek Agnihotri. 'If it was Hollywood, they would have made 10 films on this subject. People want to know what happened behind the scenes.' Agnihotri struck box office success with his 2022 release, The Kashmir Files, based on the mass flight of Hindus from Kashmir in the 1990s. The ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party gave that film a glowing endorsement, despite accusations that it aimed to stir up hatred against India's minority Muslims. Since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, some critics say Bollywood is increasingly promoting his government's ideology. Raja Sen, a film critic and screenwriter, said filmmakers felt emboldened by an amenable government. 'We tried to wage a war and then we quietened down when Mr Trump asked us to. So what is the valour here?' Sen said of the Pakistan clashes. Anil Sharma, known for directing rabble-rousing movies, criticised the apparent rush to make films related to the Pahalgam attack. 'This is herd mentality,' he said. 'I don't wait for an incident to happen and then make a film based on that. A subject should evoke feelings and only then cinema happens.' Sharma's historical action flick Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and its sequel Gadar 2, both featuring actor Sunny Deol in lead roles, were big hits. 'The Kashmir Files' is based on the mass flight of Hindus from Kashmir in the 1990s, though some say it aimed to stir up hatred against India's minority Muslims. Photo: AFP In Bollywood, filmmakers often seek to time releases for national holidays like Independence Day, which are associated with heightened patriotic fervour. Fighter, featuring big stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, was released on the eve of India's Republic Day on January 25, last year. Though not a factual retelling, it drew heavily from India's 2019 air strike on Pakistan's Balakot. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews but raked in US$28 million in India, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of that year. This year, Chhaava, a drama based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, a ruler of the Maratha Empire, became the highest-grossing film so far this year. It also generated significant criticism for fuelling anti-Muslim bias. 'This is at a time when cinema is aggressively painting Muslim kings and leaders in violent light,' said Sen. 'This is where those who are telling the stories need to be responsible about which stories they choose to tell.' Sen said filmmakers were reluctant to choose topics that are 'against the establishment'. 'If the public is flooded with dozens of films that are all trying to serve an agenda, without the other side allowed to make itself heard, then that propaganda and misinformation enters the public psyche,' he said. Acclaimed director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra said true patriotism is promoting peace and harmony through the medium of cinema. Mehra's socio-political drama Rang De Basanti (2006) won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and was chosen as India's official entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. 'How we can arrive at peace and build a better society? How we can learn to love our neighbours?' he asked. 'For me that is patriotism.'
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
India, Philippines launch first joint South China Sea patrol
The two-day sail includes three Indian vessels and started on Sunday, a day ahead of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr 's scheduled trip to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi The Philippines has heightened defence cooperation with a range of allies over the past year after a series of clashes in the contested waterway. Beijing claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. India's naval vessels arrived in Manila for a port visit late last week. The patrol 'started yesterday afternoon, then it's ongoing up to this moment … the activity at the moment is replenishment at sea', Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Salgado said. Indian navy ships INS Delhi (right), a guided-missile destroyer, and INS Kiltan, an anti-submarine warfare corvette, dock at Manila's port on Friday. Photo: AP 'The visit of the Indian naval ships to the Philippines is a powerful testament to the enduring friendship and growing maritime cooperation between the two countries.' Indian ambassador to the Philippines Shri Harsh Kumar Jain said at a reception on Friday on board the INS Shakti fleet tanker, according to Naval News.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
India, Philippines launch first joint South China Sea patrol
The two-day sail includes three Indian vessels and started on Sunday, a day ahead of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr 's scheduled trip to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi The Philippines has heightened defence cooperation with a range of allies over the past year after a series of clashes in the contested waterway. Beijing claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. India's naval vessels arrived in Manila for a port visit late last week. The patrol 'started yesterday afternoon, then it's ongoing up to this moment … the activity at the moment is replenishment at sea', Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Salgado said. Indian navy ships INS Delhi (right), a guided-missile destroyer, and INS Kiltan, an anti-submarine warfare corvette, dock at Manila's port on Friday. Photo: AP 'The visit of the Indian naval ships to the Philippines is a powerful testament to the enduring friendship and growing maritime cooperation between the two countries.' Indian ambassador to the Philippines Shri Harsh Kumar Jain said at a reception on Friday on board the INS Shakti fleet tanker, according to Naval News.
