Georgetown Security Law Brief

US and Japan mull sending 4,700 Marines to Guam

02/07/12: The Miami Herald reports that the US and Japan, hoping to break a stalemate over the US military presence on Okinawa, are discussing a plan to transfer nearly 5,000 troops to Guam despite their failure to replace a major Marine base on the southern Japan island. The transfer, a key to US troop restructuring in the Pacific, has been in limbo for years because it was linked to the closure and replacement of the strategically important base, which has been fiercely opposed by local residents. "We are not at a point where we can discuss the details, but we are looking into ways to reduce the burden on Okinawa as soon as possible," Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told Parliament on Tuesday.

Critics say South Korea security law is used to silence dissent

02/05/12: The Los Angeles Times reports that by his own admission, Park Jung-geun has long been an Internet wiseguy, a young photographer and blogger with a cyber chip on his shoulder whose favorite target for satire is the North Korean government. But the South Korean government wasn't laughing. Investigators recently searched Park's photo studio, copying computer hard disks and confiscating books and photographs. After five interrogation sessions, Park was arrested last month on suspicion of "praising and supporting an enemy of the state" in violation of South Korea's strict National Security Law.

North Korea demands preconditions for talks with South Korea

02/02/12: ABC News reports that  North Korea on Thursday demanded several tough preconditions for resuming talks with rival South Korea. South Korea quickly called the demands made in a statement by the Policy Department of the North's powerful National Defense Commission "unreasonable." But the timing of the statement, which follows comments Wednesday by a senior US diplomat that Washington is open to diplomacy if Pyongyang improves ties with Seoul, and the change in tone after weeks of refusal to talk with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak could signal a willingness to ease tensions.

Human Rights Watch urges India to prosecute border soldiers for torture

02/01/12: Jurist reports that Human Rights Watch is urging the Indian government to prosecute Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers that it has long implicated in torture and extrajudicial killings near the Bangladesh border. HRW's plea comes in response to the release of a YouTube video capturing BSF soldiers stripping, tying up and beating a Bangladeshi national caught smuggling cattle from Bangladesh into India. Although Indian law requires the BSF to hand over such lawbreakers to the police, HRW contends that the soldiers "illegally detained and tortured" the man, then left him to return to Bangladesh.

China sends thousands of police to restive Uighur region

01/31/12: The Voice of America reports that China says it will boost the police presence in northwestern Xinjiang province, in a push to manage the area's huge migrant population and crack down on what Beijing calls illegal religious activities. The official Xinnhua news agency says an additional 8,000 police officers will begin patrolling villages in the northwestern region. It quotes a regional Communist party official as saying the move is aimed at consolidating "the lasting peace and [social] stability in the region."

Papua New Guinea's mutiny leader arrested

01/29/12: Reuters reports that an army officer who led a military revolt aimed at reinstating Papua New Guinea's ousted prime minister appeared in court on Sunday on mutiny charges, police said. Retired Colonel Yaura Sasa, who led last week's attempt to restore Sir Michael Somare to power, appeared in a court charged under the criminal code with incitement to mutiny following his arrest overnight. Police spotted Sasa by chance at a lodge away from the Taurama barracks, where his supporters have been holed up with weapons since last week's failed mutiny, police media spokesman Superintendant Dominic Kakas said.

Commentary: North Korea succession offers US opportunity

01/28/12: The San Francisco Chronicle features an opinion piece by Joel Brinkley concerning the succession of Kim Jong Un. Brinkley contends that North Korea’s elite has its own goals in mind when it presents him as a militant god-like leader. Brinkley argues that even in his first few days in office, Kim has offered indications that he may not preside over business as usual. North Korea did not go through with a predicted unprovoked attack on South Korea, and announced it would release prisoners, the first general amnesty in seven years. And then, for the first time, it agreed to allow a Western news agency, the Associated Press, to open an office in Pyongyang.

The Philippines negotiates broader military ties with the US

01/26/12: The New York Times reports that Philippine foreign affairs and defense officials are visiting Washington to negotiate an expansion of the American military presence in the country, a senior defense official in Manila said Thursday. “They are thrashing out the details,” the official, Peter Galvez, acting chief of staff to the secretary of national defense, said by telephone. The discussions will be followed by higher-level discussions in March, Mr. Galvez said.

Khmer Rouge tribunal halts salaries for Cambodians

01/26/12: The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that about 300 Cambodians working at the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal will not be paid this month — and some have worked without pay since October — because funds from donor countries have dried up. International staff are paid by the United Nations and will continue to receive salaries. The salaries of local staff, however, are funded by contributions from donor countries, said Huy Vannak, a tribunal spokesman.

Two suspects in July terrorist attack on Mumbai arrested in India

01/24/12: The New York Times reports that authorities in Mumbai announced the arrest of two suspects in connection with a terrorist attack last July that killed 27 people in bombings across the city. Police investigators also blamed a domestic terrorist, Yasin Bhatkal, who remains at large and has been linked to a radical Islamic group known as the Indian Mujahedeen. Rakesh Maria, a top counterterrorism official in Mumbai, said the police had arrested two men from Bihar State, accused of being Mr. Bhatkal’s accomplices.

US Senators signal conditional support for lifting Burma sanctions

01/22/12: The Voice of America reports that the United States is ready to lift economic sanctions against Burma if the country’s civilian government presses ahead on political reforms including free and fair elections this April. The call was made by a visiting delegation of senior US senators, led by Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman, who made a stop in Bangkok on their way to Burma.  Before the United States makes a final decision, the senators said they will also look to democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

Five members of Islamist outfit arrested for Bangladesh coup attempt

01/21/12: The Times of India reports that Bangladesh's elite counter-terrorist force has arrested five members of the banned Islamist outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir in connection with a botched coup attempt by some serving and retired army officers. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five members of Hizb ut-Tahrir from the city yesterday, a day after the army said it had foiled a coup allegedly plotted by Maj Syed Mohammad Ziaul Huq, said to have links with the banned Islamist outfit.

Swede blames Mossad for Bangkok arrest

01/20/12: The Modesto Bee reports that a Lebanese-Swedish man detained in a terror probe in Thailand has told a Swedish newspaper that he's innocent and blamed Israel's Mossad spy agency for his arrest. The tabloid Aftonbladet on Friday said it spoke to 47-year-old Atris Hussein in a Bangkok prison where he's being held on allegations of illegally possessing explosive materials. Hussein was quoted as saying he is "100 percent innocent" and that "much of the material the police found in my warehouse had been placed there, probably by the Israeli security service Mossad." Police have said Hussein was storing 8,800 pounds of explosive materials in Bangkok before shipping them to another destination.

Taiwanese president’s re-election may sour US arms sales

01/18/12: The Washington Times reports that US officials have praised the re-election of Taiwan's president, even though it sets the island nation and longtime US ally on course for closer ties with mainland China. The reaction is prompting a stir among some Western observers concerned that Saturday’s victory by President Ma Ying-jeou and his Koumingtang Party presents an obstacle for US strategic interests in the region. The bottom line is that “it’s going to be harder for the United States to sell arms to Taiwan," says Patrick M. Cronin, who directs the Asia Program at the Center for New American Security.

UN adds 2 Haqqani Network leaders to terrorist list

01/15/12: The Long War Journal reports that the UN Security Council has added two senior Haqqani Network leaders to its list of individuals who are associated with the Taliban. One of the Haqqani Network leaders was appointed by al Qaeda to lead operations in a southeastern province in Afghanistan. Ahmed Jan Wazir and Fazl Rabi were added to the UN list on January 6 for holding senior leadership positions in the Haqqani Network. The UN designation, under UNSC resolution 1988, freezes the assets of those on the list and and imposes a travel ban on them.

China warns US not to meddle in its affairs

01/11/12: The Boston Globe reports that China warned the United States on Wednesday against using religious incidents as a pretext to interfere in its domestic affairs, after the US expressed concern over a series of self-immolations by Tibetans. At least 15 Buddhist monks, nuns and former monks are believed to have set themselves on fire in the past year, mostly in traditionally Tibetan areas of southwestern Sichuan province. Most have chanted for Tibetan freedom and the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

North Korea announces prisoner amnesty

01/10/12: BBC News reports that North Korea says it will grant an amnesty for prisoners to mark the birthdays of two late leaders. State news agency KCNA said that the amnesty would begin on February 1, 2012, in honour of Kim Jong-il, who died last month, and his father Kim Il-sung. No information was given as to how many prisoners would be released or who. Amnesty International estimates as many as 200,000 people are being held in political prison camps around the country.

Fiji regime says it will ease emergency controls and move towards democracy

01/02/12: The Sun Herald reports that Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said in a New Year's message that Fiji's military government will move to lift a state of emergency it imposed in 2009, as the country prepares to open consultation on a new constitution. The Public Emergency Regulations gave police and the military extended powers, imposed tough censorship on the South Pacific nation's media and tightly controlled public assembly. In his statement late Sunday, Bainimarama stressed that public order would be maintained and that he would soon announce nationwide consultation for a new constitution, beginning next month, to establish a democratically elected government.

China reveals its space plans up to 2016

12/29/11: The Denver Post reports that China plans to launch space labs and manned ships and prepare to build space stations over the next five years, according to a plan released Thursday that shows the country's space program is gathering momentum. China has already said its eventual goals are to have a space station and put an astronaut on the moon. It has made methodical progress with its ambitious lunar and human spaceflight programs, but its latest five-year plan beginning next year signals an acceleration.

China launches own GPS system

12/27/11: The Wall Street Journal reports that China has begun operating a homegrown satellite navigation service that is designed to provide an alternative to the US Global Positioning System and, according to defense experts, could help the Chinese military to identify, track and strike US ships in the region in the event of armed conflict. The Beidou Navigation Satellite System started providing initial positioning, navigation and timing services to China and its "surrounding areas" on Tuesday, Ran Chengqi, a spokesman for the system, told a news conference.

Germany says impounded Patriot missiles were legitimate

12/22/11: The Miami Herald reports that a shipment of 69 surface-to-air missiles impounded by Finnish authorities was a legitimate delivery from Germany to South Korea, a German official said Thursday. The announcement came after Finnish authorities seized the Patriot missiles and 160 tons of explosives on a British-registered cargo ship and detained two Ukrainian crew members on suspicion of violating weapons export laws. Police said the missiles didn't have the right transit documents and the explosive picric acid wasn't properly stored on the M/S Thor Liberty, which docked in Kotka, southern Finland, on December 15.

Ex-Soviet states aid US transit as Pakistan relations deteriorate

12/22/11: The Washington Times reports that the United States is increasingly relying on three transit routes snaking through Central Asia, Russia and the Caucuses to ship nonmilitary supplies and fuel into Afghanistan as the deteriorating relationship between Washington and Pakistan closes off border crossings, according to a Senate report obtained by the Associated Press. Use of the Northern Distribution Network to supply US and coalition forces has been crucial in the war against terrorism, and its role underscores the political and strategic importance of the Central Asian nations on the front lines of the conflict.

Korean firm accused of illegal US military exports

12/21/11: The Miami Herald reports that a South Korean company has been indicted in Cleveland on allegations it illegally exported infrared technology used by the US military. Federal authorities said Tuesday that EO System Co. Ltd. and three South Korean citizens are accused of exporting five telescopes from the US to their country in 2005 without required US government approval. EO System's attorney Don Randolph says he has been in communication with the government about the matter for several years. The Santa Monica, California, lawyer says EO System intends to plead not guilty and press on with its defense.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/20/2555419/korean-firm-accused-of-illegal.html#storylink=cpy

China-based hacking of 760 companies shows global cyber war

12/16/11: Bloomberg reports that Google and Intel were logical targets for China-based hackers, given the solid-gold intellectual property data stored in their computers. An attack by cyber spies on iBahn, a provider of Internet services to hotels, takes some explaining. Hackers might have used iBahn’s system as a launching pad into corporate networks that are connected to it, using traveling employees to create a backdoor to company secrets. The networks of at least 760 companies, research universities, Internet service providers and government agencies were hit over the last decade by the same elite group of China-based cyber spies.

3 men sentenced to 13 years for plotting terrorist attack against Australian army base

12/16/11: The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that three men who plotted a suicide attack against an Australian army base because they believed Islam was under threat from Western nations were sentenced Friday to more than 13 years in prison. The men — Australian citizens originally from Somalia or Lebanon — were convicted last year of conspiring to plot a terrorist attack against Holsworthy Barracks, an army base on the outskirts of Sydney. Officials said the group planned to send a team of men with automatic rifles into the base in a bid to kill as many soldiers as possible.

Opinion: China’s spies are catching up

12/11/11: The New York Times features an opinion piece by David Wise, concerning China’s development of a world-class espionage service, one he claims rivals that CIA. During the cold war, only a handful of FBI agents specialized in Chinese spy cases, and their work was not regarded as career-enhancing. Wise argues that Washington’s ongoing failure to make Chinese espionage a priority has allowed China to score a number of successes in its espionage efforts against the United States. China’s foreign intelligence service and its military intelligence agency actively spy on the American defense industry, our nuclear weapons labs, Silicon Valley, our intelligence agencies and other sensitive targets.

Official says US needs time to assess aid to North Korea

12/01/11: The New York Times reports that the United States needs more time to decide on possible aid for North Korea because it is not sure humanitarian assistance would reach the people in need, the top American aid official said on Thursday. Rajiv Shah, the head of the United States Agency for International Development, made the comment amid growing appeals from American and United Nations relief agencies, which have recently called for urgent aid for the most vulnerable of the North Korean population, especially its children.

Police say AT&T hackers have terrorism ties

11/30/11: Information Week reports that the FBI aided in arrests in the Philippines of four men who allegedly hacked into AT&T customers' PBXs to generate revenue for Saudi-based militant group. Four people were arrested in the Philippines last week on charges that they hacked into the trunk lines of multiple US telecommunication companies, including AT&T. According to the Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the hackers' activities led to losses of almost $2 million for AT&T alone. 

North Korea shows leader and son watching live-fire drills

11/29/11: The Miami Herald reports that North Korean television has aired footage of leader Kim Jong Il and his son watching massive live-fire drills. The footage aired on state television Tuesday showed Kim and his heir-apparent Kim Jong Un watching tanks, aircraft, warships and rocket launchers firing at targets on mountains. Dozens of troops were seen parachuting from a plane. The two Kims were seen speaking to each other as they watched the drills from an enclosed viewing stand with senior military officers. The drill involving army, navy and air force power came tensions between North and South Korea remain high.

Bangladesh war crimes trial begins in Dhaka

11/21/11: The BBC reports that a leader of a Bangladesh Islamist party has gone on trial accused of crimes against humanity during the country's independence struggle against Pakistan. Delawar Hossain Sayedee is the first of seven suspects set to face a tribunal on charges relating to the 1971 war. Charges listed against him include genocide, rape and religious persecution - all of which he denies.

Sri Lankan president receives report on war abuses

11/20/11: The Miami Herald reports that a Sri Lankan commission that investigated alleged abuses during the country's civil war delivered its final report to President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday, amid rising international pressure for an independent probe on war crimes allegations. The government appointed the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission last year under intense international pressure to probe possible war crimes in the final stages of the war with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

China appears open to constructive resolution of dispute over South China Sea

11/19/11: CBS News reports that China signaled a gradual evolution toward resolving quarrels with its Asian neighbors over disputed waters of the South China Sea. A senior US administration official described the development as an encouraging step forward in easing tensions over the busiest trade route in the world. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao offered a measured response after 16 of the 18 leaders attending a major Asian summit raised the issue of maritime security, primarily on the South China Sea.

Obama gets little pushback on Asia trip

11/19/11: The Albany Democrat Herald reports that an assertive President Barack Obama got much of what he wanted during his Asia-Pacific trip because the results didn't depend on negotiating with the world. He mostly just announced them. Obama expanded the US military presence in southeast Asia, sent tough signals to China in its backyard, ordered his top diplomat on a breakthrough mission to Myanmar and presided over the jobs-creating sale of Boeing planes to an Indonesian airline company.

For the first time in more than 50 years, a US Secretary of State is set to visit Burma

11/18/11: Time reports that this year, the leaders of Burma, once one of the most hermetic countries on earth, have unleashed a charm campaign on the world. The efforts, ranging from diplomatic globe-trotting to a raft of economic and political reforms designed to impress foreign governments, are now bearing fruit. On November 18, US President Barack Obama announced that Hillary Clinton would visit the impoverished nation on December 1. The visit will be the first by a US Secretary of State to Burma in more than five decades. Not even North Korea has been so diplomatically isolated.

Pakistan and China stage war games

11/14/11: The Boston Globe reports that Pakistan and China are staging joint military exercises, showcasing their relationship as Islamabad's ties with Washington suffer. The war games that began Monday follow remarks by Pakistani officials suggesting that China could step into the economic, military and diplomatic void if Pakistan's relationship with the United States collapsed.

Global security trumps economics at APEC conference

11/14/11: The Washington Post reports that try as he might to focus Asian and Pacific leaders on forging new economic partnerships during a regional summit here, President Obama has spent as much time in private meetings with his counterparts discussing another pressing concern: national security. Among the key issues Obama raised in formal bilateral discussions were containing nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea, establishing clear maritime rights in the South China Sea and working out the future of US military forces in Japan, senior White House officials said.

Tajik Muslims bristle over anti-fundamentalism efforts

11/12/11: The Washington Times reports that Tajikistan's government is aiming to combat Islamic fundamentalism in an effort that many Tajiks say is counterproductive and interferes with their religious lives. The government’s effort includes banning children from praying in mosques, establishing a strict dress code for Muslim pilgrims and building a giant mosque in the capital, Dushanbe. “Tajiks who want to attend mosque with their children and live according their beliefs in an open manner will be pushed toward extremist groups,” said Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda, a Tajik cleric and former deputy prime minister.

US Navy commander calls for greater dialogue

11/09/11: The Wall Street Journal reports that a top US Navy commander in the Pacific warned about the dangers of minor disputes in the South China Sea blossoming into bigger crises, emphasizing the need for diplomatic and military dialogue in the region. “I’m concerned about any tactical trigger with strategic implications,” said Vice Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet. China, Vietnam and the Philippines have laid overlapping territorial, fishing and mining claims, leading to open-water confrontations and heated rhetoric that many worry could spiral into a wider conflict.

Senators to take on counterfeit electronic parts in DOD

11/08/11: ABC News reports that Tuesday the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on counterfeit electronic parts in the Defense Department’s supply chain, which, they say, affects  the military’s ability to defend the nation. “What we’ve learned so far will shock you and will shock the American people,” said Senator Carl Levin, D-Michigan, chairman of the  Senate Armed Services Committee. The committee hearing will take aim at China, which has been singled out as a source of the counterfeit goods, providing US troops with “unreliable” weapons by using “fake parts” that have been salvaged from trash heaps.

South Korea to review sending aid to North Korea

11/07/11: CNN reports that Seoul has vowed to actively review sending humanitarian aid to North Korea through third channels, signaling South Korea may be attempting to cool tensions with its neighbor. In a meeting with the UN Secretary General in New York, South Korea's unification minister said he would consider the move amid growing concern over widespread malnutrition in North Korea. "I will actively look into sending medical supplies to begin with and provide food aid for the young and vulnerable upon my return," said South Korea's Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik Friday.

Report says Russia and China are top thieves of US technology

11/03/11: CNN reports that for the first time, the United States is publicly accusing China and Russia of being the top offenders in the theft of US economic and technology information, according to an intelligence report released Thursday. The two countries are "trying to build their economies" on American research and development, said a senior US intelligence official, who briefed journalists about the report on the condition of anonymity. An unclassified version of the report to Congress on Foreign Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage was released Thursday and focused primarily on the exploitation of cyberspace from 2009 to 2011.

China urges IAEA to enhance nuclear safeguards

11/02/11: The Miami Herald reports that China has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to do more to strengthen nuclear safety and to use lessons taken from Japan's crisis to improve the handling of emergencies. Wang Min, a Chinese delegate to the United Nations, said Tuesday at a UN session on the IAEA's annual report that the body should work to restore confidence in atomic energy shaken by the meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant caused by the March earthquake and tsunami.

New President says US base in Kyrgyzstan will be closed

11/01/11: The New York Times reports that in one of his first statements as Kyrgyzstan’s new president, Almazbek Atambayev said Tuesday that he would seek to close an important American military base when its lease runs out in 2014, reviving a threat dropped by past leaders after the United States agreed to increased payments. Officially called a “transit center,” the base, which is located at the Manas airport close to the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, has been a crucial supply hub for the war in Afghanistan since 2001 and is the only one of its kind in Central Asia.

Kim Jong-il tells North Koreans in Libya not to bother coming home

10/31/11: The Los Angeles Times reports that strongman Kim Jong-il has issued a decree to North Koreans in Libya – don’t bother coming home. The ban was an effort to prevent word of the often-violent Arab uprisings from reaching the isolated regime, illustrating Kim’s concern about potential social unrest at home inspired by the Arab Spring revolutions, according to stories published in the South Korean press. The move has left an estimated 200 North Koreans stranded as country-less orphans. 

China’s legislature passes law defining terrorism

10/29/11: CBS News reports that China's legislature is authorizing new guidelines to define and combat terrorism, taking a step toward bringing its practices in line with international norms as Beijing battles a sporadically violent rebellion in the far west. The legislative resolution approved Saturday clearly lays out for the first time China's legal definition of terrorism and the steps for formally declaring groups and individuals terrorists and freezing their assets.

Panetta reaffirms US commitment to South Korea

10/28/11: The Washington Times reports that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday that the Asia-Pacific region will be a key focus of US security efforts in the 21st century, but he was cagey about whether US troops would join their South Korean allies in retaliating against North Korean provocations on the troubled peninsula. “It is no secret that the United States is facing some tough fiscal decisions back home, but we are fully committed to advancing our military presence and capabilities in Asia and on the peninsula,” Panetta said during a press conference with South Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin.

Indonesian court slashes radical cleric's sentence

10/26/11: ABC News reports that a radical Islamic cleric accused of setting up a terror training camp in western Indonesia had his prison sentence slashed from 15 years to nine years, an appeals court said Wednesday. No reason was given for the decision. Abu Bakar Bashir, known as the spiritual leader of al-Qaida-linked militants blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings, was accused of providing key support for the camp that brought together men from almost every known extremist group in the predominantly Muslim country.

Kashmir to lift reviled security law

10/22/11: The New York Times reports that a much-despised law that suspends basic rights and shields security forces from prosecution in the disputed province of Kashmir will be lifted in some areas in the next few days, officials said Friday. Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of the Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir, said in a speech to police officers that the situation in many areas of Kashmir had become peaceful enough to warrant revoking the law, which is known as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

Chinese telecom firm tied to spy ministry

10/12/11: The Washington Times reports that a US intelligence report for the first time links China's largest telecommunications company to Beijing’s KGB-like intelligence service and says the company recently received nearly a quarter-billion dollars from the Chinese government. The disclosures are a setback for Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.'s efforts to break into the US telecommunications market. The company has been blocked from doing so three times by the US government because of concerns about its links to the Chinese government.

US base tests dueling interests in South Korea

10/06/11: The Washington Times reports that a heated dispute about the construction of a naval base has brought into sharp focus South Korea’s conflicted position between No. 1 security partner the United States and No. 1 trade partner China. Construction of a 586,000-square-yard base on Jeju Island, a tourist destination 56 miles off South Korea’s southeast coast, started in 2006. But the project has been halted seven times because of ongoing protests.