The U.S., China, and Japan are already promoting divergent overlapping frameworks for an Asian-Pacific Community. What is clear is that many Southeast Asian nations wish for a stronger U.S. presence in the region to balance China, something that Japan cannot do alone.
Michael Turton has an interesting post concerning objections to free trade agreements with China, most of it is concerning Taiwan, but he also outlines some grassroots issues in various Southeast Asian states, as well as the outcome of the “Early Harvest” program in Thailand. Warning: Turton is quite anti-China, to put it lightly.
Philippines: More than 70 people have been arrested since the national ban on firearms went into effect. To enforce the ban, there have been 3500 checkpoints set up around the country. The measure will not only apply to civilians but also off-duty military personnel, police officers, and private security. There are an estimated one million unlicensed firearms in the nation. The ban will last for five months, as part of an effort to stem the culture of organized political violence, which recently culminated in the November’s Election Massacre.