Friday, December 5, 2008

India-China joint military training boosts mutual trust

Chinese and Indian armies will begin the "Hand in Hand 2008" joint anti-terrorism training from Dec. 6 to 14 in Belgaum of India's Karnataka state.

"This joint training is aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and trust, and promoting the development of the relations between the two armed forces," Ouyang Wei, professor of the University of National Defense, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua here Friday.

The joint training involves the use of technical equipment, exchanges of theories, squad tactics and a comprehensive training session.

The joint training is of no special background and will not target at any third party.

"Sino-Indian military relations have been growing in recent years, thanks to increasing high-level visits and the improvement of bilateral political relations," Ouyang said.

The two navies have conducted joint search and rescue maneuvers. The border security troops of the two countries have reached consensus on maintaining peace in the border area. Both armed forces have sent delegations to witness the maneuvers of the other side. There have also been exchanges between military academies.

The armies of the two countries conducted their first anti-terrorism joint training in southwest China's Yunnan Province last year.

It is also the second time for China to send military forces to south Asia for joint military maneuvers after the China-Pakistan "Friendship 2006" joint anti-terrorism military maneuvre.

China and India are the world's biggest developing countries. Peace and friendship between them is not only in the interests of both countries, but also important for bringing peace, stability and prosperity to south Asia, said Ouyang.

He said in addition to traditional security threats, the world is also facing increasing non-traditional security menaces, and that the armed forces of China and India are shouldering increasing responsibility in coping with terrorism, natural disasters, pirates and climate change.

"Increasing dialogue and exchanges between the two armed forces will not only promote the two countries' mutual understanding and trust, but also to promote their respective military building," said Ouyang.

He added facts have proved that a trusty and cooperative military relationship needs long-term exchanges and cultivation from the both sides.

Ouyang said with the advancement of defense modernization, China's armed forces are getting opener and more transparent. The People's Liberation Army has held 25 joint military maneuvers and four joint onshore training with the armed forces of 21 countries since 2002, including five joint military maneuvers with Pakistan and four joint training with India.

Tourists flee ‘Incredible India’

f as a tourist you were to travel overseas, would you consider going to a country where nine terror strikes have claimed over 400 lives in just over six months?
Worse, if official travel advisory cautions against the possible threat a visitor would face “anytime” at all tourist sites, hotels, public places, shopping malls, markets and public transport?
If the answer is in negative, then perhaps the number of foreign tourists from westerns countries visiting “Incredible India” is bound to fall drastically as their travel advisories issued post-terror strikes in Mumbai portray the country as a destination where foreign visitors are not safe anymore.
Take the case of advisory issued by the USA, which emerged as top tourism generating market for India last year. It says while terrorist attacks are not new to India, the 26 November Mumbai terrorist attacks in part targeted American citizens and other westerners for the first time and tragically demonstrate that even in five-star luxury hotels, security is not equipped to deter such attacks.
“US citizens should take into account this new reality and exercise caution when visiting India” it says while warning of heightened security concerns in India.
The travel advisory issued by the United Kingdom which is the second largest tourism generating market for the country also warns that: “There is a high threat from terrorism throughout India including attacks targeting places frequented by foreign visitors and expatriates”. The list of number of terror strikes in last one year in various part of the country follows this information in the advisory.
It also warns of insurgency campaign by an ultra nationalists and violent extremist groups active in the rural areas of Bihar, Jharkland, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Orissa.
The Australian advisory advises its citizens to “reconsider” their need to travel to India “at this time” because of the very high risk of terrorist activity by terrorists and militant groups.
“The Mumbai attacks show terrorists in India are deliberately targeting Westerners. Further attacks cannot be ruled out. These attacks could take place at any time, anywhere, including in places frequented by foreigners,” it cautions.
The tourism ministry and the tour operators admit that the advisories issued by the western countries will hit the foreign tourist arrival in the country.

Yuvraj and Ojha recalled

Yuvraj Singh has been given one more chance to resurrect his stop-start Test career, after being selected in India's 15-man squad for the two-Test series against England starting December 11. Yuvraj, who muscled his way back into contention with two successive one-day hundreds against England last month, is expected to take Sourav Ganguly's place at No. 6.

The selectors have also recalled Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, and have retained M Vijay and S Badrinath as reserve batsmen. Ojha, yet to make his Test debut, toured Sri Lanka earlier this year, but lost his place to Amit Mishra, who made a strong debut against Australia in New Delhi. Vijay, an opener, was handed a debut in Nagpur against Australia after Gautam Gambhir was banned for one Test.

Yuvraj, a mainstay in India's one-day line-up, has had an inconsistent run in Tests, with 1050 runs in 23 games since his debut five years ago, However, his recent form against England prompted the chairman of selectors, Kris Srikkanth, to state that he's the frontrunner to take Ganguly's slot in the Test XI. Besides his two match-winning hundreds (138 not out and 118) in the first two ODIs, Yuvraj also picked up four wickets in the second match in Indore.

"I have got the opportunity," Yuvraj told news channel CNN-IBN. "I'm not thinking that I am filling in after someone's retirement. I always felt this is my place, and if I do well, I'll surely be there for a long time."

Badrinath and Vijay, who both play for Tamil Nadu, have had contrasting fortunes in their last Ranji Trophy game, against Andhra: Badrinath scored 121 and M Vijay lasted just eight balls before getting out for a duck. Vijay's splendid form this season, though, had earned him a last-minute call-up to the squad for the Nagpur Test against Australia.

Badrinath, who scored a hundred in Tamil Nadu's previous match against Uttar Pradesh, will be eager for a place in the starting XI for the first Test on his home ground in Chennai. He made his ODI debut during India's tour of Sri Lanka in August and was part of the Test squad against Australia, but was surprisingly dropped for the subsequent one-day series against England.

Left-arm fast bowler RP Singh, who had an indifferent ODI series against England, has been dropped. Ojha takes his place; he is expected to be the back-up spinner in the squad behind Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra - a tactic employed by India for the first three Tests in the previous series against Australia when they had the spin trio of Anil Kumble (now retired), Harbhajan and Mishra to choose from.

India squad: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, M Vijay, S Badrinath, Pragyan Ojha.

ECB monitors India airport alerts

A nervous ECB is to keep tabs on the developing security situation at India's airports as the England squad fly out to Abu Dhabi to prepare for their two Tests in Chennai and Mohali.

Major airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai have been put on high alert after reports they had received threats of attacks by hijacked aircraft, adding to the tense atmosphere surrounding the future of the tour.

"Obviously we're concerned, but what we need to do is find out the information," said Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, at Heathrow airport ahead of the squad's departure for the Middle East. "I've spoken to the security team in Chennai this morning already to find out exactly what the situation is with the alerts. When we get that information it'll be fed back to me, to the board and form part of the security audit that we're undertaking.

"We feel as though going to Abu Dhabi provides us with practice before the first Test match, and it also gives us some more time to implement our security plans on the ground - they are in Chennai at the moment - and that is how we're proceeding."

Kevin Pietersen, the England captain, said he'd seen news of the airport situation this morning but insisted he was concentrating on the Test series. "It'll buy us some more time in Abu Dhabi and I think it's fantastic that we're going to demonstrate in India that we're showing our support to play Test match cricket. I think it's very important we go and rub shoulder to shoulder with the indian people in their time of need, and I'm very confident that we have 15 lads who will be playing Test cricket next week."

Nevertheless, Pietersen conceded that the tour was not yet set in stone, and warned that the team could yet turn on its heel and fly back to England if the all-important security report did not give them the all-clear. Hugh and Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, are flying straight to India to meet up with Reg Dickason, the ECB security advisor, who has been assessing the venues in recent days. They are then due to meet the England squad in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to deliver a final security report, at which point the decision will be made as to whether to proceed to India.

"I think there's a collective at the moment," Pietersen said. "The guys that go out there now are waiting on the reports from Hugh, Sean and Reg to come back to us on Sunday night, and if there are any major catastrophes, or alarm bells ringing, Hugh will be ringing the board to say the collective decision is to come home."

Such a prospect would be anathema to the ECB, who have been eager for this tour to resume ever since the one-day series was hastily postponed, but Hugh Morris - who engineered last week's break - said: "The one thing we don't want to do is twist someone's arm up their back.

"Over the next couple of days we'll be collecting absolutely up-to-date information and presenting that to the players," said Morris. "I would like to think if our security team came back and said it was safe and secure, we would all go over there. If the situation isn't safe and secure, I'll be making a call to the board. The board have made it very clear that the safety and security of the team is of paramount importance."

For the time being, a full England squad has been named despite speculation that a number of players would pull out and Pietersen said time at home helped everyone come to their decision.

"Everyone has become a lot more open-minded, spoken to family members, and realise that it's pretty huge to go back at India's time of need. The boys want to go and play Test cricket. I'm very confident that if everything goes according to plan we'll have a full squad to pick from."