VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Australia will toughen laws stopping former defence staff from training "certain foreign militaries", introducing a penalty of 20 years prison and widening the ban to stop any Australians offering military training to countries seen as a national security risk.

A series of cases where former military pilots living in Australia had worked for a South African flight school training Chinese pilots, which the United States alleges are Chinese military pilots, has prompted the crackdown.

Australia's "Five Eyes" intelligence partners of Britain, United States, New Zealand and Canada will be exempt from the new law, officials said.

Exemptions will also be provided if the defence minister authorises the training, or it relates to humanitarian relief or United Nations duties.

Penalties of up to 20 years prison will apply for providing military training or tactics to a foreign military or government body, including hybrid civilian and military organisations, or state-owned companies, without authorisation from the defence minister.

Defence Minister Richard Marles introduced the amendment to Australia's parliament on Thursday, saying the bill was partly modelled on U.S. laws, and will strengthen criminal laws in Australia that already ban the provision of military training to a foreign government by former Australian defence staff.

The new law goes further, stopping any Australian citizen or permanent resident from providing such training without the minister's authorisation.

The intention was to "prevent individuals with knowledge of sensitive defence information from training or working for certain foreign militaries or governments where that activity would put Australia's national security at risk", he said.

A former U.S. Marines Corp pilot who had recenty returned from working in China was arrested in Australia last year and faces extradition to the United States on charges of training Chinese military pilots at a South African flying school. The pilot, Daniel Duggan, an Australian citizen, remains in custody and denies any wrongdoing.

The Test Flying Academy of South Africa was placed on a U.S. trade blacklist on national security grounds in June for "providing training to Chinese military pilots using Western and NATO sources".

The flight training division of AVIC, a Chinese state-owned aviation and defence company that was in partnership with TFASA, is also on the blacklist.

The Australian home of TFASA chief operating officer Keith Hartley was raided by Australian Federal Police in November. A court was told Hartley, a former British military pilot, was suspected of organising the training of Chinese military pilots delivered by the flight school. Hartley has not been charged, and denies any wrongdoing.

Under the new law, working for companies where a foreign government holds 50% of shares or the directors are expected to act in accordance with the wishes of the foreign government is also banned. (Reuters)

The U.S. military could be granted access to more bases in the Philippines under a joint defence agreement between the two countries, the chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific command said on Thursday after meeting the head of the Philippines armed forces.

China is likely to react negatively, having earlier this year accused Washington of "stoking the fire" when the Philippines increased the number of bases the U.S. military could use to nine.

The four additional sites approved were located close to potential flashpoints for China, as three faced north towards Taiwan and one was near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing recently sparred over a disputed atoll.

U.S. Admiral John Aquilino said he and the Philippines' military chief, Lieutenant General Romeo Brawner, discussed further expanding the number of bases U.S. forces could access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and had made "recommendations to our senior leaders".

The closer U.S. defence ties with the Philippines after a period of decline has caused concern in China.

The United States says it intends to bolster an already strong alliance and improve the defence capability of the Philippines.

Brawner said the purpose of EDCA was training exercises and humanitarian and disaster response, key planks of a decades-old alliance between the two countries, and was unrelated to regional security threats.

Aquilino, who was in Manila for an annual meeting on bilateral defence cooperation, also said the allies were seeking to complete an agreement to boost intelligence sharing.

The meeting comes as the Philippines' western command flagged concerns on Thursday over a "resurgence" of Chinese fishing vessels "swarming" in waters around the Spratly islands, inside the Philippines exclusive economic zone.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said China has "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratlys, which it calls Nansha Islands. (Reuters)

South Korea's National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday North Korea and Russia would "pay a price" if they violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The council also said it was taking seriously the two countries' discussions on military cooperation, including the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

While urging Pyongyang and Moscow not to trade weapons, South Korea will work with the United States, Japan and the international community to deal with the situation, the council said in a statement.

"The government said that with any actions that threaten our security by North Korea and Russia violating (U.N.) Security Council resolutions, there will be a price to pay," it said.

The message comes after the NSC held a meeting to discuss the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The South Korean meeting was attended by senior officials including the foreign minister as well as the unification minister, who is in charge of relations with North Korea.

Earlier, Unification Minister Kim Young-ho also expressed concern over military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - Ambassador of Poland to Indonesia Beata Stoczynska, on Thursday, echoed her country's keenness to forge cooperation in the Likupang Tourism Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Minahasa District, North Sulawesi.

The main reason for the Polish delegation to come to North Sulawesi is to explore cooperation opportunities in the Lipkupang Special Economic Zone, she told the media at a press conference in Manado City, North Sulawesi.

Stoczynska expressed hope that her side would be able to establish economic cooperation not only in the Likupang SEZ but also in various places in the province, such as the SEZ in Bitung City.

The Bitung SEZ, to mention one, has a beautiful port. We would like to present not only Likupang but also other places in North Sulawesi, she remarked.

At the press conference, Ambassador Stoczynska also admitted to being impressed on witnessing the development in North Sulawesi, adding that she is planning to once again visit the province later this month to discuss workable cooperation schemes.

The ambassador also commended the infrastructure development in Manado, as the province's capital city, and the city's modern Sam Ratulangi International Airport.

She said she would meet Governor of North Sulawesi Olly Dondokambey. He is very welcoming and has invited Polish business players to strengthen trade and investment ties between Indonesia and Poland in the future.

Stoczynska then explained that in North Sulawesi, both parties can cooperate in various sectors, such as eco-friendly technology, sustainable development, information technology, and tourism.

During her visit to the province, the ambassador was accompanied by her adviser Stanislaw Stoczynski, the embassy's political and economic counselor Karolina Ionescu, and Director of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) of Jakarta Office Jacek Kolomyjec, among others. (Antaranews)