Alameda-Based Cutter Heading To Southeast Asia
An Alameda-based U.S. Coast Guard cutter will leave for Southeast Asia Monday morning to participate in a series of international training exercises with the goal of fostering cooperation between the navies and Coast Guard forces of each participating nation.
Hosted by Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training focuses on improving combat-oriented operational interoperability among the participating forces, according to the Coast Guard.
The separately established South East Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism program concentrates on improving maritime security skills and was initiated in 2002 in an effort to combat the global maritime terrorist threat and to introduce a multilateral training program to the region, the Coast Guard reported.
The 378-foot high endurance cutter Sherman and its 175-person crew were scheduled to leave Alameda at 8:30 a.m. Monday to participate in and lead many of this years exercises.
More: nbc11.com
Related Travel Information
We will help Southeast Asia fight terror: Rice
The U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, today vowed to help fight terrorism in Southeast Asia, warning that Islamic militants would turn the region into "a ring of fire" if not actively confronted.
Rice -- wrapping up a two-day trip to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation -- said al-Qaida-linked terror groups blamed for a series of bloody attacks in recent years were trying to destroy the multiethnic region's tradition of tolerance.
"We are working alongside countries like Malaysia and Singapore and to build the capacity of others like the Philippines,
Manila police raise alert for Southeast Asia games
MANILA, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The Philippines will put Manila's 17,000 police on full alert for Sunday's opening of the Southeast Asian Games, fearing a possible attack by Muslim or communist rebels, the capital's police chief said on Wednesday.
About 7,000 athletes and officials from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Timor are taking part in the biennial games, first held in 1959.
Vidal Querol, director of Manila's police force, said the heightened state of alert would begin at 6 a.m. on Thursday (2200 GMT on Wednesday).
More:
South-Southeast Asia trade pact likely by July
Dhaka _ A free trade pact between seven South and Southeast Asia nations is likely to be in place by July 2006, according to Bangladesh's foreign minister.
Ministers and senior officials from India, Nepal, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Bangladesh have been meeting since Sunday in the Bangladeshi capital to review areas of co-operation within the group, known as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation, also known as Bimstec.
``We had a very successful and substantive meeting. You can term it as a turning point for Bimstec,'' Foreign Minister M.
Rice To Discuss Common Security Challenges at Southeast Asia Forum
Strengthening relationships between the United States and Southeast Asian countries and discussing common security challenges in the region will be the focus of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rices visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the 13th meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
During a roundtable discussion with Asian print journalists July 21, Rice said the ARF meeting July 28 will give her an opportunity to continue [the] process of deepening the ties with the member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Southeast Asia's 1st 4D theater opened in Singapore
Southeast Asia's first four-dimensional (4D) theater, 4D Magix, made its debut in Singapore's island resort Sentosa, according to Channel NewsAsia report on Thursday.
This edge-cutting splash worth 3.5 million Singapore dollars (about 2.1 million U.S. dollars) is furnished with special seats, which come equipped with in-built speakers, seat vibration, leg ticklers and water features to guarantee the audience a live and vivid experience.
With special glasses on, visitors may be drawn to follow every twist and turn in the plot of a 15-minute fully-automated show, which