India reiterates call for peace, stability in Indian Ocean region
Hanoi, Aug 28 : Pointing out that the seas around India have nurtured its links of commerce and culture with its extended neighbourhood over millenia, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said that nurturing a climate of peace and stability in this region is an important priority for New Delhi's foreign policy.
"This region is host to the world's busiest waterways and three quarters of that traffic is headed for destinations beyond our region," Sushma Swaraj said while addressing the Third Indian Ocean Conference here.
"As an important trade and energy waterway, carrying half the world's container shipment, one third of its bulk cargo traffic and two third of oil shipments, the Indian Ocean clearly assumes importance well beyond its immediate shores and its littorals," she said.
"Nurturing a climate of peace and stability in this region is therefore an important priority for our foreign policy." Stating that that though there is diversity within the region, Sushma Swaraj said challenges within it are "quite similar".
"Our vision for the region is one of cooperation and collective action," she said.
India, along with the US, Japan and Australia, are part of a quad revived last year that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Sushma Swaraj's remarks assume significance given China's belligerent attitude in the South China Sea region and Beijing's attempts to increase its footprint across the Indian Ocean.
"Hanoi is therefore a particularly appropriate setting for us to discuss developments in the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region," she said.
She said that India sees the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)regional bloc as central to the regional maritime architecture, reflecting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June.
Sushma Swaraj stressed on three priorities that New Delhi accords to the Indian Ocean region and referred to the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiative of New Delhi.
"In its implementation, this approach includes: projects to promote hinterland linkages and strengthen regional connectivity; linking South Asia to Southeast Asia (under India's Act East Policy); and playing an active and constructive role in strengthening regional maritime security."
Sushma Swaraj said that the first part is India's focus on developing hinterland linkages and regional connectivity.
She said that India is devoting more resources and assigning greater priority to building connectivity, contacts and cooperation in its immediate neighbourhood.
"The second element is the expanded interpretation of what constitutes our neighbourhood," she said. "This is reflected in the renewed emphasis in our Act East Policy and the new Think West policy towards West Asia and the Gulf region."
Sushma Swaraj said that the Act East Policy is at the heart of New Delhi's eastward orientation and ties in with its broader approach to the Indo-Pacific.
She said that India accords high priority to key infrastructure projects such as the Kaladan multi-modal transport linking the Sittwe Port in Myanmar with Mizoram in India's northeast, and the Trilateral Highway linking India, Myanmar and Thailand.
"Our recent agreement with Indonesia to develop port infrastructure in Sabong is yet another step in this direction," she said.
"Coming to the third element, contributing to regional maritime security: we are working to ensure the safety and security of maritime traffic through the ocean by strengthening skills and logistics of our Indian Ocean neighbours," Sushma Swaraj said.
The Indian Minister arrived here on Sunday on the first leg of her two-nation tour to Southeast Asia that will also see her visiting Cambodia.
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South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol removed from office over declaration of martial law
Seoul (AP): South Korea's Constitutional Court removed impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol from office on Friday, ending his tumultuous presidency and setting up an election to find a new leader, four months after he threw South Korean politics into turmoil with an ill-fated declaration of martial law.
The unanimous verdict capped a dramatic fall for Yoon, a former star prosecutor who went from political novice to president in 2022, just a year after he entered politics.
In a nationally televised verdict, the court's acting chief Moon Hyung-bae said the eight-member bench upheld Yoon's impeachment because his martial law decree seriously violated the constitution and other laws.
“The defendant not only declared martial law, but also violated the constitution and laws by mobilizing military and police forces to obstruct the exercise of legislative authority,” Moon said, “Ultimately, the declaration of martial law in this case violated the substantive requirements for emergency martial law.”
“Given the grave negative impact on constitutional order and the significant ripple effects of the defendant's violations, we find that the benefits of upholding the constitution by removing the defendant from office far outweigh the national losses from the removal of a president,” the justice concluded.
Protesters erupt in jubilation and sorrow
At an anti-Yoon rally near the old royal palace that dominates downtown Seoul, people erupted into tears and danced when the verdict was announced. Two women wept as they hugged and an old man near them leapt to his feet and screamed with joy.
The crowd later began marching through Seoul streets. Some people were dressed in cute blue bear costumes, a protest mascot that uses the opposition's colours.
Outside Yoon's official residence, thousands of supporters cried and screamed when they saw the news of the verdict on a giant TV screen. They waved South Korean and U.S. flags and chanted slogans.
“We will absolutely not be shaken!” a protest leader shouted on stage. “Anyone who accepts this ruling and prepares for an early presidential election is our enemy.”
No major violence was immediately reported.
Korea faces an election with deep divisions
An election will be held within two months to repalce Yoon, but a festering national divide over Yoon's impeachment will likely continue and could complicate South Korea's efforts to deal with President Donald Trump's “America First” policies and North Korea's expanding ties with Russia, observers say.
One of Yoon's lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun, called the ruling “completely incomprehensible” and a “pure political decision,” but the former president did not immediately issue a statement. Yoon's ruling People Power Party said it would accept the decision.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country's acting leader, in a televised speech vowed to ensure “there are no gaps in national security and diplomacy” and maintain public safety and order. Han was appointed prime minister, the country's No.2 official, by Yoon.
“Respecting the will of our sovereign people, I will do my utmost to manage the next presidential election in accordance with the constitution and the law, ensuring a smooth transition to the next administration,” Han said.
Surveys show Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favorite to win the by-election to choose Yoon's successor. Lee is facing trials for corruption and other charges.
Lee welcomed the ruling and credited the South Korean people for “protecting our democratic republic.”
“The courage of the people who stood in the face of guns, swords and tanks, along with the bravery of troops who refused to obey unjust orders, has led to this great revolution of light,” Lee said.
Crisis started with a night of chaos four months ago
Martial law lasted only six hours, but left behind a political crisis, rattling financial markets and unsettling the country's diplomatic partners. In January, Yoon was separately arrested and indicted by prosecutors on alleged rebellion in connection with his decree, a charge that carries the death penalty or a life sentence if convicted.
Under Yoon's decree, the first of its kind in more than 40 years, hundreds of soldiers were dispatched to the assembly, election offices and other sites. Special operations soldiers smashed windows at the National Assembly and scuffled with citizens gathered to protest, shocking South Koreans and evoking traumatic memories of military rule.
Enough lawmakers, including some from the ruling party, managed to enter the assembly to vote down his decree unanimously.
No major violence occurred during the brief period of martial law, but some senior military and police officers sent to the assembly have testified that Yoon ordered them to drag out lawmakers to block a vote on his decree or to detain his political rivals. Yoon says the troops were deployed to the assembly simply to maintain order.
Yoon, 64, a conservative, was impeached by the liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly on Dec. 14. The assembly accused him of violating the constitution and other laws by suppressing assembly activities, attempting to detain politicians, and undermining peace across the country.
In his final testimony at the Constitutional Court hearing, Yoon said his decree was a desperate attempt to draw public support of his fight against the “wickedness” of the Democratic Party, which had obstructed his agenda, impeached top officials and slashed the government's budget bill. He earlier called the National Assembly “a den of criminals” and “anti-state forces.”
Yoon still faces criminal charges
Some experts say Yoon may have imposed military rule to head off a possible independent investigation into scandals involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
Without presidential immunity, Yoon could face other criminal charges, such as abuse of power. He's the first South Korean president to be arrested or indicted while in office.
Yoon served as prosecutor-general under his predecessor, liberal President Moon Jae-in, before joining the now-ruling party in 2021 following disputes with Moon allies. A public image as strong-minded and uncompromising helped him defeat Lee in the close-fought 2022 presidential election. But after becoming president, Yoon has faced criticism that he refused to replace officials implicated in scandals and vetoed many bills passed by the assembly.
On foreign policy, Yoon pushed hard to bolster South Korea's military alliance with the United States and overcome long-running disputes with Japan over historical traumas. He said that a greater Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security partnership is essential to coping with North Korea's growing nuclear threats. Critics of Yoon accused him of unnecessarily provoking North Korea and neglecting relations with China, South Korea's biggest trading partner.
