US pledges $300mn for security cooperation in Indo-Pacific
Singapore, Aug 4 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday announced a new $300 million fund for security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region where Washington and Beijing are competing for influence.
"As part of our commitment to advancing regional security in the Indo-Pacific, the US is excited to announce $300 million of new funding to reinforce security cooperation throughout the entire region," Pompeo told a press briefing on the sidelines of a meeting of Foreign Ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Singapore.
The new security assistance is designed for maritime security, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping capabilities, and countering transnational threats, Efe news reported.
"This new security assistance will advance our priorities, especially strengthening maritime security, developing humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping capabilities," Pompeo said.
Earlier this week, the US said it will invest $113 million in technology, energy and infrastructure initiatives.
The top US official said that he discussed Chinese militarisation of the South China Sea and the importance of a rules-based order in the region with the Asean nations. He also highlighted US President Donald Trump's commitment to the Indo-Pacific strategy as a major engine for economic growth.
Regarding North Korea, Pompeo said pressure on Pyongyang should be maintained as concerns mount about the Kim Jong-un regime's willingness to denuclearise.
He said he discussed with Chinese officials the US decision to maintain sanctions on North Korea. "We also talked about the importance of enforcing UN Security Council resolutions and they made clear their commitment to do that."
However, Pompeo said the US was confident North Korean denuclearisation would be implemented according to the accepted timeline.
The Asean meeting coincided with a bitter trade dispute between Washington and Beijing. Talking about the ongoing row, Pompeo said: "President Trump inherited an unfair trade regime where American workers in American companies are not treated reciprocally or fairly by the Chinese. Efforts of the Trump administration are to right that, to correct that, to adjust that."
Trump threatened to double tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, while China said it would impose tariffs ranging from 5 to 25 per cent on $60 billion worth of American products.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
