Philippines, Australia, Canada hold joint sail in South China Sea
MANILA: The navies of the Philippines, Australia and Canada were conducting a joint sail in the South China Sea on Tuesday (Aug 19), an area of flaring tensions following a collision between two Chinese vessels last week.
The Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal, Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane and Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec were participating in the operation, which a Philippine military official said was not directed at any country.
"Our activity is based on the premise that the exercise is anchored on the free and open Indo-Pacific with peace and prosperity in the region," colonel Dennis Fernandez told a media briefing, adding that the joint sail was taking place within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
The activity, which began on Sunday off the western province of Oriental Mindoro and will end in Palawan, is part of the ongoing military drills between the Philippines and Australia.
Called ALON, a Filipino word for 'wave', the 15-day joint exercises, which began on August 15, include amphibious and land operations as well as live fire exercises designed to enhance the abilities of the two militaries to cooperate better.
This year's iteration is the largest joint activity to date, with 3,600 troops from both sides joined by a Canadian Navy contingent as well as US Marines.
ALON started in 2023, the same year Australia and the Philippines elevated their ties to a strategic partnership in order to address the rising security challenges in the region, including in the South China Sea, where US$3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce takes place.
Since late 2023, the Philippines has conducted "maritime cooperative activities" with allies, including joint passages with treaty ally the United States.
Early this month, the Philippines and India also sailed together for the first time in the South China Sea. - Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai's lawyer defends basic rights in trial's final stretch
The trial is widely seen as a test for judicial independence in the financial hub. - Photo: Reuters HONG KONG: The lawyer for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai argued on Wednesday (Aug 20) that supporting individual rights is not a crime in the final stretch of a closely watched and years-long national security trial. Lai, 77, who founded the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He faces a maximum life sentence. The trial is widely seen as a test for judicial independence in the financial hub under national security laws that were imposed by China in 2020 in response to mass pro-democracy demonstrations. Lai, a longstanding critic of the Chinese Communist Party, is one of the most high-profile figures to face prosecution under the law. His trial has been condemned by some countries like the United States as politically motivated. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities say Lai is being given a fair trial. Lai's lawyer Robert Pang, who began his final legal submission on Aug 20, said Lai had been defending and exercising basic rights. 'It is not wrong to support freedom of expression. It is not wrong to support human rights,' Pang told the three-judge panel that is expected to deliver a verdict later this year once this current round of final legal submissions is concluded after around one week. 'Not wrong not to love the government' 'It is not wrong to try to persuade the government to change its policy. Nor is it wrong not to love a particular administration or even the country, because... you can't force someone to think in one way or another,' Pang added. One of the judges, Esther Toh, said that this was not what the prosecution argued. "It's not wrong not to love the government, but if you do that by certain nefarious means, then it's wrong," she said. Pang also disputed the prosecution's citing of 161 articles published by the Apple Daily between April 1, 2019 and June 4, 2021 as seditious, saying they were 'insufficient to draw any inference' of a conspiracy. The prosecution alleges that Lai colluded with overseas officials including those in the first Trump administration to impose sanctions or conduct hostile activities against Chinese and Hong Kong authorities, including trade embargoes. Earlier on Aug 20, the prosecution wrapped up its final submission, saying there was 'overwhelming evidence' to show Lai was the 'mastermind' of the alleged conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. It added that Lai had done nothing to stop illegal activities engaged in by other co-conspirators and through advocacy groups critical of China, such as 'Stand With Hong Kong' and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). Lai, whose health is fragile according to his family, was provided with a heart monitor and medication after the court was told that he had suffered heart 'palpitations'. Over 320 people have been arrested under the national security laws so far, including prominent activist Joshua Wong who is serving a 4-year, 8-month prison term for subversion, and now faces a fresh security charge. - Reuters
Focus Malaysia
6 hours ago
- Focus Malaysia
End of the road for MCA in Sabah?
DATUK Seri Ahmad Maslan's casual admission that 'urban seats belong to Pakatan Harapan (PH) while Barisan Nasional (BN) will focus on the rural areas' is more than just a campaign strategy. It is a blunt signal that for UMNO's survival, MCA has been reduced to a tradable chip—expendable, sacrificial, and no longer essential. The writing is not just on the wall; it is now shouted aloud: MCA is irrelevant, relegated to a mere passenger clinging to UMNO's wing. One more nail into MCA's coffin? How much louder must the alarm sound? Yet, MCA leaders appear trapped in paralysis. Instead of seizing direction, they wait for central delegates to decide—but only after the annual general meeting (AGM) at year's end. Who is actually leading the party—the central leadership elected to act, or delegates who seem to hold the steering wheel by default? When the ship is going through turbulence, does the captain navigate or wait to consult the sailors first? It has become a chicken-and-egg circus, a party with no head and no tail. This moment delivers a body blow to MCA's very reason for existence. Its traditional battlefield—the urban constituencies once its lifeline—has been written off and handed wholesale to DAP and PKR. The rural front, meanwhile, is firmly dominated by UMNO and its Bumiputera allies. MCA is left without a battlefield, a bridge without a river, a passenger abandoned at a bus stop long after the bus has departed. Nowhere is this humiliation clearer than in Sabah. BN claims the kampungs, PH secures the towns, and MCA is left with nothing—no roots in the villages, no traction in the cities. The 'end of the road for MCA in Sabah' could well be the first domino of its nationwide obituary. Or in harsher terms: Beginning in Sabah … one down for MCA. For decades, MCA justified its existence in BN as the bridge to urban and Chinese voters. That bridge has now collapsed. Unless MCA reinvents itself, it risks being reduced to what many already see it as—a party of posts and satisfied with crumbs, living off appointments instead of seeking mandates. Ahmad may not have intended it, but he has quietly issued MCA a death certificate. His words may one day be remembered as MCA's quiet political obituary—the final proof that the party has run out of road, and perhaps, out of time. Even UMNO leaders appear to mock MCA's diminished role. One Supreme Council member highlighted MCA's supposed 'contributions' and is still being included citing the appointment of Nicole Wong as a special officer to the DPM, and another appointed Adun in Pahang. From a party that once claimed to be the voice of millions, MCA is now reduced to pointing at token appointments as evidence of relevance. So, where does MCA go from here? The options are brutal: Remain in BN, even as UMNO openly declares winnable seats like Tanjung Piai are no longer theirs; Attempt to reinvent MCA or by seeking new friends outside BN, an uphill battle for the party; or Or accept its fate as a party of crumbs—senatorships, special officer posts, and political charity doled out by UMNO. BN may now be morphing into UMDAP, but MCA's dilemma is simpler: Does it walk away with dignity, or fade away? ‒ Aug 20, 2025 Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker is a former MCA vice-president and a former deputy youth and sports minister. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image: Bernama
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
US seeks extradition of Phillipine televangelist Apollo Quiboloy: Ambassador Romualdez
Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. - Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau. MANILA: The United States government is seeking the extradition of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy. In a text message to the Inquirer, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel 'Babe' Romualdez confirmed that the US government sent documents pertaining to Quiboloy's extradition to the Department of Justice. 'I'm confirming documents sent to [the] DOJ,' Romualdez said. 'Documents pertaining to the extradition request [were] sent to the DOJ,' he added. According to Romualdez, the US government has been seeking Quiboloy's extradition since June. The Department of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, declined to comment on the matter, referring media queries to the DOJ instead. Quiboloy, founder of the Philippines-based church Kingdom of Jesus Christ, is wanted for his alleged involvement in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States via fraudulently obtained visas. Members were allegedly forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity. The funds were reportedly used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation said members who successfully solicited donations were allegedly compelled to enter sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue fundraising in the US year-round. Female members of Quiboloy's church were also reportedly recruited to work as personal assistants, or 'pastorals,' for Quiboloy. Victims were tasked with preparing his meals, cleaning his residences, giving him massages, and, allegedly, performing sexual acts with Quiboloy during what the pastorals called 'night duty.' Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, on charges including conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling. A federal arrest warrant was issued for him on November 10, 2021. He is currently detained at the Pasig City Jail, having been arrested at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Davao City after months of hiding. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
