B. McPherson
Killer storm Bopha has left at least 322 people dead in the Philippines. The victims of the category 5 typhoon were hit with winds of 160 mph. High seas, flash floods and landslides all contributed to the carnage. Another 401 people are reporting injuries and 378 are unaccounted for.

The hardest hit island was Mindinao which bore the brunt of the storm. Many of the shelters were simply blown away. A government relief shelter counted soldiers among the dead when a flash flood wiped out their camp.

On Mindinao, water reservoirs dug to catch rainwater failed in the storm’s fury adding more mud and debris to the swollen rivers.

The island nations of Micronesia were also slammed by Bopha.While damage to property was extensive, no fatalities have been reported from those islands.

The superstorm has now set its sights on Vietnam or Southern China.

 B. McPherson
Tensions in the South China Sea heated up over the last couple of days when Philippine navy vessels attempted to arrest eight Chinese fishing vessels. The Philippine government claims territorial control over waters up to 200 nautical miles offshore. The Chinese government claims all waters of the South China Sea.

When the Philippine vessels attempted to arrest the fishing vessels at Scarborough Shoal which lies  within the 200 mile limit Chinese military vessels moved to prevent arrest. Currently the situation is a standoff with the Chinese ambassador called to Manila to explain the action.

The South China Sea is increasingly heating up politically as competing countries have made overlapping claims to the waters. China claims all of the sea, including beyond the standard 200 miles limit and up to the shores of bordering countries. Five other countries -- Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam claim portions of the water and sea bed.

Competition is increasing globally for fishing resources and the growing economies of South Asia are seeking to control their fisheries. The big prize may be the oil and gas believed to lie under the sea bed.

China is expanding its military might in the area, launching an aircraft carrier in August 2011. So too is the American military with its deployment of 200 marines to Australia with an eventual build up to 2 500 troops. The Washington Post is reporting that Pentagon officials are seeking expansion of US military interests in many countries of the region. The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Cameron is in Indonesia  building diplomatic ties with that nation currently.

Last year when Japan arrested Chinese fishermen and their vessels who were fishing in disputed waters, China retaliated by drastically cutting the supply of rare earth metals crucial in the manufacture of electronics.

Tags: china, oil and gas, philippines, politics, south china sea