TROUBLES IN THE FAR EAST MULTIPLY
The Far East is heating up this week. North Korea seems hell bent on mischief and the Dragon appears to be as voracious as ever. The week is just getting started as we continue our coverage of the count down to a Dragon miscalculation. Check out these news accounts of the early week activities of the Dragon and her deranged pup North Korea. |
| `Photo By Peter Griffin http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=6631&picture=facing-dragons |
N.Korean Commandos 'Train to Occupy S.Korean Islands'
SOURCE: THE CHOSUN IIBO
" North Korean commandos are training to occupy South Korea's five northernmost islands in the West Sea in an emergency, Radio Free Asia reported Thursday. Quoting a Chinese source familiar with North Korea, the broadcaster said sharpshooters under the North's Navy Command and the General Bureau of Reconnaissance have been conducting the drills in waters off Nampo since mid-December.
The source claimed they were ordered by leader Kim Jong-il and his son and heir Jong-un.
They belong to an elite unit that invariably ranks first or second in the People's Armed Forces' combat evaluation. Troops are said to practice swimming in full combat gear for 40 minutes even in midwinter.
The source said the aim is to dampen the South Korean military's determination to firmly respond to any North Korean provocations or attacks after the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November".
LINK TO FULL STORY: http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/12/31/2010123100639.html
And this from Reuters:
North Korea Orders Artillery To Be Combat Ready, Targeting U.S. Bases
North Korea said on Tuesday its strategic rocket and long-range artillery units have been ordered to be combat ready, targeting U.S. military bases on Guam, Hawaii and mainland America after U.S. bombers flew sorties threatening the North.
The order, issued in a statement from the North's military "supreme command", marks the latest fiery rhetoric from Pyongyang since the start of joint military drills by U.S. and South Korean forces early this month."
Link To Full Story: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/26/us-korea-north-combat-idUSBRE92P06520130326
Vietnam Says China Fired Flare On Fishing Boat In Disputed South China Sea, Damaging Vessel-Washington Post
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has accused a Chinese vessel of firing a flare on a Vietnamese fishing boat that set its cabin alight in the disputed South China Sea, where rival claims to gas-rich waters have strained relations between the countries.
The Vietnamese government did not say if anyone was injured in the incident last Wednesday but called it “very serious.” It lodged a formal complaint with the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi.
Link To Full story:
China, Russia Ink Major Arms Deal: Report
China has agreed to buy 24 fighter jets and four submarines from Russia, the country's first large-scale weapons purchase deal from Moscow in a decade, reports China Central Television.
The agreement to buy 24 Su-35 fighters and four Lada-class submarines was signed just before Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia from Friday to Sunday, the first stop of his overseas tour since becoming head of state earlier this month.
Two of the submarines will be built in Russia, with the other two to be built in China.
Lada-class submarine is Russia's "fourth generation" diesel-electric submarine. It features much quieter and new combat systems, and possibly air-independent propulsion.
"The Su-35 fighters can effectively reduce pressure on China's air defence before Chinese-made stealth fighters are commissioned," the report said.
The agreement to buy 24 Su-35 fighters and four Lada-class submarines was signed just before Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia from Friday to Sunday, the first stop of his overseas tour since becoming head of state earlier this month.
Two of the submarines will be built in Russia, with the other two to be built in China.
Lada-class submarine is Russia's "fourth generation" diesel-electric submarine. It features much quieter and new combat systems, and possibly air-independent propulsion.
"The Su-35 fighters can effectively reduce pressure on China's air defence before Chinese-made stealth fighters are commissioned," the report said.
Link To Full story: http://english.cri.cn/11354/2013/03/26/191s755735.htm
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