Taiwan retires 20 fast attack missile boats

Taiwan on Sunday decommissioned the last 20 of a fleet of ageing missile boats as part of ongoing efforts to modernise its military forces against former rival China, officials said.

The navy bid farewell to the 50-tonne Seagull-class missile boats during a ceremony held in the southern Tsoying naval base, more than three decades after they had been put into service.

The Taiwanese navy first built the missile boats, reportedly an imitation of Israel's Dvora-class patrol boats, in the late 1970s and later mass produced them in the early 1980s.

The navy had thought the fleet, numbering around 50, would act as "hit and run" boats should a conflict break out in the Taiwan Strait.

With a maximum speed of 74 kilometres (46 miles) per hour, each of the boats was armed with Hsiungfeng I (Brave Wind I) ship-to-ship missiles.

The Seagull boats have now been replaced by 30 missile boats built under the so-called "Kuang Hwa No 6 Project" launched in 2000.

Each of the 171-tonne vessels is armed with four Hsiungfeng II missiles, an improved version of the Hsiungfeng I.

Ties between Taiwan and China have eased markedly since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008, ramping up trade and allowing in more Chinese tourists.

But Beijing still refuses to renounce the use of force, even though Taiwan has been self-governing since the end of a civil war in 1949, prompting the island to continue to modernise its defence forces.

PM Cameron accuses Argentina of colonialism and protectionism ahead of G20

British Prime Minister David Cameron has fired a broadside at Argentina ahead of the opening of the G20 summit in Mexico, accusing the country of colonialism over the Falklands and protectionism in world trade.

    

The message to Argentina is very clear, listen to what the people of the Falkland Islands want, said Cameron.

The PM said he would use the opportunity presented by the G20 summit to tell Argentine president Cristina Fernandez to her face that she should listen to the people of the Falklands when they say they want to remain British.

He also singled out Argentina for criticism for protectionist trade measures which he identified as one of the five key threats to the world economy.

Relations between Britain and Argentina are in the deep freeze after Buenos Aires tried to use the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict to revive its sovereignty claim over the Malvinas.

In a TV interview recorded ahead of the opening session of the G20 summit at which he expects to encounter the Argentine leader, PM Cameron said: “The Falkland Islanders have decided to have a referendum. They are going to ask a very simple question of whether they want to continue with the status quo or whether they want to change.

”The message to Argentina is very clear - listen to what the people of the Falkland Islands want. We should all believe in this day and age in self-determination, not colonialism.“

Asked if he would pass this message directly to Cristina Fernandez, PM Cameron said: ”Absolutely.”

Cameron is expected to exchange a few words with the Argentine president as the G20 leaders gather for the opening session, but there will be no formal bilateral talks between the UK and Argentina, according to Foreign Office sources.

Britain has rejected calls from Argentina, made by the Argentine president to the UN decolonisation committee last week, for direct talks to discuss the future of the Falklands.

Cameron has said that the UK position is that as long as the Falkland Islanders prefer to remain British and wish no sovereignty talks with Argentina, London will support that position. If Islanders with to establish a dialogue on the issue with Argentina, UK will equally support them.

However the UK and the Falklands are willing to discuss with Argentina issues of common interest such as fisheries, oil and communications.

In a speech to a business audience in summit venue Los Cabos, Mexico, PM Cameron said that G20 countries should be setting an example to the rest of the world by avoiding protectionism, but said Argentina had failed to do so. He cited the case of the nationalisation earlier this year of oil company YPF, which is largely owned by Spanish firm Repsol.

Ban Ki-moon good offices on Falklands issue if “both parties are willing to engage”

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reiterated his good offices to help resolve the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the UK, but also pointed out “as long as the parties are willing to engage”.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week on the sidelines of the UN Decolonization Committee debate on the Falklands/Malvinas dispute held a meeting with Argentina’s President Cristina Fernández, in “which they discussed a range of issues on the global agenda”, according to an official release in the UN website.

The issues discussed included the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). The Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom have been engaged in a dispute concerning the sovereignty of the islands, located in the South Atlantic Ocean.

“The Secretary-General acknowledged the strong regional support for this issue and reiterated that his good offices to resolve this dispute remain available if the parties are willing to engage,” according to information provided by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

The release adds that the UN chief and President Fernández discussed the situation in Haiti, where Argentina has military and police personnel serving as peacekeepers with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti MINUSTAH.

“The Secretary-General thanked Argentina for its ongoing support for MINUSTAH,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said, adding that, “He congratulated Argentina on the implementation of gender strategies in defence and peacekeeping operations”.

Likewise the two leaders discussed expectations for the upcoming meeting of the Group of 20 (G20), taking place on 18-19 June in Los Cabos, Mexico; and the Secretary-General welcomed Argentina’s commitment to a successful outcome at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next week.

Argentina refuses to receive invitation to dialogue from the Falklands’ government

A letter from the Falkland Islands government inviting the Argentine government to enter into a dialogue and which was to be delivered directly to President Cristina Fernandez’ delegation during the Decolonization Committee debate was frustrated by the passivity of the C24 chair and by Foreign Minister Hector Timerman.

(Click to enlarge)

A copy of the letter addressed to President Cristina Fernandez

In the letter addressed to the Argentine president, the Falklands values the chance to make known its feelings directly and invites Cristina Fernandez to a short meeting during her visit to New York or at a later time to be arranged.

In the letter the Falklands refers to Argentina’s June 8 address to the Foreign Office saying it was prepared ‘to sit down and listen’, and taking up that offer “we are writing with one very simple purpose, to ask that the Argentine government ends its campaign of harassment and intimidation against Falkland Islanders, and allows us to live in peace in our Islands, which have been our home for almost 180 years”.

The letter dated June 14 is addressed to President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and is signed in the name of the Falklands’ government by MLA Roger Edwards and MLA Mike Summers, the two delegates that spoke before the C24.

In the letter the Falklands government says it finds it impossible to comprehend how a large country such as Argentina and member of G20, continues to behave in way that ignores the Falklands wishes, seeks to deny Islanders political rights and “to make our lives difficult”.

“This behaviour will only make it harder to have neighbourly discussions on matters of mutual interest and harden our resolve against any change in the status of the Islands” and will not have ant impact on the British government’s position.

MLA Summers in his address to the C24 wrapped up saying he had a letter from the Government of the Falkland Islands, which invites the Government of the Republic of Argentina “to sit down and listen to the views of the people of the Falkland Islands, and enter into a dialogue, designed to find ways to co-operate in matters of mutual interest, and to preserve the environment of the South West Atlantic to the benefit of future generations of Falkland Islanders and Argentines, as we did before the on-set of sanctions by Argentina against our people. I invite the Argentine delegation to allow me to approach their table in order to hand over the letter”.

However when the Thursday session ended and President Cristina Fernandez received a standing ovation and was being congratulated for her speech and surrounded by her ninety delegates, MLA Summers did try to approach and hand the letter but could not get close enough.

The closest he managed was Foreign Minister Hector Timerman who refused to take the document telling the Falklands’ legislator to “send it to my embassy”.

For peace and reconciliation, we need talks on Las Malvinas

By Alicia Castro - Today marks the 30th anniversary of the end of the war in the South Atlantic, but the sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the UK goes back 179 years. It dates from the time that Great Britain – in much the same way it invaded Buenos Aires in 1806 and 1807 without success – invaded and took the Malvinas by force in 1833. In this lengthy historical process, the events of 1982 are the most regrettable.

Alicia Castro is Argentine Ambassador to the UK .

The military junta that ruled Argentina at the time abandoned negotiations and started a war as a vile attempt to win people's favour and cling to power. Nowadays, a democratic Argentina repudiates the war and prosecutes those responsible for the crimes committed.

Today, our President attends the meeting of the UN Decolonisation Committee, the body that specifically deals with 16 pending colonial situations, including the “Malvinas/Falkland Question”. The international community – through the UN and other multilateral fora – has urged both countries to resume negotiations. So this is what my country asks: that the UK enters into negotiations with us over the future of the islands.

Britain's excuses for not negotiating are unfounded. They cannot hide behind the so-called self-determination of the islanders when no UN resolution has recognised such a right, unlike cases in which the principle is applicable in the context of decolonisation. This is a special case that involves a colonial territory, not a colonised population; its inhabitants are not the original people of the islands. It is a population installed by Britain after 1833. There are only 1,339 inhabitants who were born in the islands. And more than 1,500 soldiers. Is it rational that the “wishes” of this population obstruct the relations and understanding between two countries and two regions?

We are committed to respecting the islanders' interests and way of life. They are British and proud to be so; we respect their Britishness and identity. We are willing to offer safeguards to preserve their way of life. It is in their own interest to improve links with mainland Argentina. Geography and common sense dictate the need for negotiation.

Latin America has expressed as a single voice in support of Argentina's claim. If the UK wishes to build a stronger relation with our region, it has to make a political gesture and listen to the calls for negotiation by the international community.

The trauma left by the conflict on both countries requires a solution by a genuine reconciliation. The only victory that can ever be celebrated will be that on the day when our respective nations sit down at the negotiation table to the benefit of peoples of both parties. War should not be celebrated. The only way of honouring the fallen from both sides is to strive for peace and reconciliation.

Falklands’ conflict “very much alive in the collective memory”

UK Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne has spoken of his admiration for the Falkland Islands people on the thirtieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Falklands conflict.

Representing the UK Government at commemoration services in the capital, Stanley, Mr Browne has also met members of the Falkland Islands Assembly and heard how they are building their economy and developing their communities to improve local facilities.

Some of those living on the Islands can trace their family back nine generations, and all believe the area's improving fortunes are testament to the self-determination in which they passionately believe.

Mr Browne's visit also marks a time to reflect on the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for freedom. Speaking ahead of the Liberation Day Service at Christ Church Cathedral, he said:

“I am honoured to be here to remember the members of the UK Armed Forces who fought, and the many who died, in the Falklands conflict. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten. It is the reason that the people of the Falkland Islands are able to choose their own future today.

”The people living here now either remember the conflict themselves or know somebody who does. It is very much alive in the collective memory. We should not forget the reasons for our presence here or the right of the Falkland Islanders to decide their own destiny. This is a fundamental right. Thirty years on, the principle of self-determination for the Falkland Islands people remains as important as it ever has.”

After the service the Minister attended the Liberation Day Parade, involving both members of the British Armed Forces and local residents. The parade included a 'freedom march', stressing the rights of all peoples to liberty and justice. This right was emphasised on Tuesday when the Falkland Islands Government announced a referendum on their political future.

Falklands’ flag flying above Downing Street and the Foreign Office

Britain sent a defiant message to Argentina on the 30th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War by flying the Islands' flag above Downing Street.

 The flag has been hoisted to mark “this important anniversary”

The flag was also being flown over the Foreign Office, the offices of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at 70 Whitehall and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Number 10 said the gesture was a tribute to those who died in the 1982 conflict and a show of solidarity with the Islanders of today.

The Ministry of Defense was flying the flags of the three services, Army, Royal Navy and RAF, that drove out the Argentine invasion and occupation in 1982.

“Thirty years ago today the Union Jack was hoisted above Government House in Stanley as British forces liberated the Falkland Islands,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

“Today we have hoisted the Falkland Islands flag above Downing Street to mark this important anniversary”.

“We are flying the flag in tribute to all those who lost their lives in the conflict and in solidarity with the Falkland Islanders who continue to face aggressive threats from their neighbors across the water.”

Eric Pickles, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, said: “Today, we pay tribute to the bravery of our Armed Forces 30 years ago in liberating the Falklands from totalitarian aggression.

”British forces put their lives on the line to defend British sovereign territory, the British way of life and the rights of British people to determine their own future.

“This was a victory both for freedom and the indefatigable spirit of the Islanders”.

VCs of the Falklands War

Two Victoria Crosses were awarded in the Falklands War. These are the Citations for the Two recipients:

Lt. Colonel Herbert Jones OBE, The Parachute Regiment

Lt. Colonel Hebert Jones OBE

On 28th May 1982 Lieutenant Colonel Jones was commanding 2nd battalion The Parachute regiment on operations on the Falkland Islands. The Battalion was ordered to attack enemy positions in and around the settlements of Darwin and Goose Green. During the attack against an enemy, who was well dug in with mutually supporting positions sited in depth, the battalion was held up just South of Darwin by a particularly well-prepared and resilient enemy position of at least 11 trenches on an important ridge. A number of casualties was received. In order to read the battle fully and ensure that the momentum of his attack was not lost, Colonel Jones took forward his reconnaissance party to the foot of a re-entrant which a section of his battalion had just secured. Despite persistent, heavy and accurate fire the reconnaissance party gained the top of the re-entrant, at approximately the same time as the enemy positions. In his effort to gain a good viewpoint, Colonel Jones was now at the very front of his battalion. It was clear to him that desperate measures were needed in order to overcome the enemy position and rekindle the attack, and that unless these measures were taken promptly the battalion would sustain increasing casualties and the attack perhaps even fail. It was time for personal leadership and action. Colonel Jones immediately seized a sub-machine gun, and, calling on those around him and with total disregard for his own safety, charged the nearest enemy position. This action exposed him to fire from a number of trenches.

As he Charged up a short slope at the enemy position he was seen to fall and roll backward downhill. He immediately picked himself up, and charge the enemy trench firing his sub-machine gun and seemingly oblivious to the intense fire directed at him. He was hit by fire from another trench which he outflanked and fell dying only a few feet from the enemy he had assaulted. A short time later a company of the battalion attacked the enemy, who quickly surrendered. The devastating display of courage by Colonel Jones had completely undermined their will to fight further.

Thereafter the momentum of the attack was rapidly regained, Darwin and Goose Green were liberated, and the battalion released the local inhabitants unharmed and forced the surrender of some 1,200 of the enemy.

The achievements of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment at Darwin and Goose Green set the tone for the subsequent land victory on the Falklands. They achieved such a moral superiority over the enemy in this first battle, that despite the advantages of numbers and selection of battle-ground, they never thereafter doubted either the superior fighting qualities of the British troops, or their own inevitable defeat. This was an action of the utmost gallantry by a commanding officer whose dashing leadership and courage throughout the battle were an inspiration to all about him.

Sergeant Ian John McKay, The Parachute Regiment

During the night of 11/12 June 1982, 3rd Battalion The Parachute regiment mounted a silent night attack on an enemy battalion position on Mount Longdon, an important objective in the battle for Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Sergeant McKay was platoon sergeant of 4 Platoon, B Company, which after the initial objective had been secured, was ordered to clear the northern side of the long east/west ridge feature, held by the enemy in depth, with strong mutually supporting positions.

By now the enemy were fully alert, and resisting fiercely. As 4 Platoon's advance continued it came under increasingly heavy fire from a number of well-sited enemy machine gun positions on the ridge, and received casualties. Realizing that no further advance was possible, the platoon commander ordered the platoon to move form its exposed position to seek shelter among the rocks of the ridge itself. Here it met up with part of 5 Platoon.

The enemy fire was still both heavy and accurate, and the position of the platoons was becoming increasingly hazardous. Taking Sergeant McKay, a corporal and a few others, and covered by supporting machine gun fire, the platoon commander moved forward to reconnoitre the enemy positions but was hit by a bullet in the leg, and command devolved upon Sergeant McKay.

It was clear that instant action was needed if the advance was not to falter and increasing casualties to ensue. Sergeant McKay decided to convert this reconnaissance into an attack in order to eliminate the enemy positions. He was in no doubt of the strength and deployment of the enemy as he undertook this attack. He issued orders, and taking three men with him, broke cover and charged the enemy position.

The assault was met by a hail of fire. The corporal was seriously wounded, a private killed and another wounded. Despite these losses, Sergeant McKay, with complete disregard for his own safety, continued to charge the enemy position alone. On reaching it he dispatched the enemy with grenades, thereby relieving the position of beleaguered 4 and 5 Platoons, who were now able to redeploy with relative safety. Sergeant McKay, however, was killed at the moment of victory, his body falling on the bunker.

Sergeant McKay's grave

 Without doubt Sergeant McKay's action retrieved a most dangerous situation and was instrumental in ensuring the success of the attack. His was a coolly calculated act, the dangers of which must have been only too apparent to him beforehand. Undeterred he performed with outstanding selflessness, perseverance and courage. With a complete disregard for his own safety, he displayed courage and leadership of the highest order, and was an inspiration to all those around him.

Falklands War Diary of a HMS Yarmouth Crew member - June 15th 1982

15th June

0031 2 miles to Berkeley Sound

0033 Mine detection sweep

0050 Entering Exocet danger area

0120 Speed 12 knots, PLYMOUTH ahead ½ a mile

0111 Surrender of Port Stanley has been signed

0135 Surrender of East and West Falkland accepted

0255 Helo in the hover red 30 ours or theirs

0333 Told to return to the main group

0452 Fall out

As Falkland Islanders, we have the right to decide our own fate

By MLA Gavin Short (*) - The following piece was published on Wednesday’s edition of The Guardian.

“ Thirty years on from the liberation of the Falklands, a referendum on our political future will send a clear signal to the world

For those lucky enough to visit our home, the Falkland Islands, one thing will be immediately obvious: we do not have, and never have had, any desire to be ruled by the government in Buenos Aires.

The Argentine government repeatedly deploys misleading rhetoric that implies either that we have no strong views about our future, or that we are somehow kept here against our will. This is completely absurd. In the next few months the world will see unequivocally the strength of feeling that Falkland Islanders have regarding their political future.

This week, the 30th anniversary of our liberation, is clearly a very significant time for Falkland Islanders. The restoration of our liberty 30 years ago gave us the freedom to determine our own political future. It is therefore especially fitting that we announced this week our intention to hold a referendum on the political status of the Falkland Islands.

For Falkland Islanders, this gives the opportunity for our voice to be heard loud and clear in the face of an Argentine administration that deliberately ignores our existence and our rights. We are holding this referendum not because we have any doubts about who we are and what future we want, but to show the world just how very certain we are about it.

Our future is neither for Argentina nor the UK to decide. We alone, the people of the Falkland Islands, can make that choice. The principle of self-determination is enshrined in the UN charter and is a human right applicable to all peoples, including us.

We hope that this referendum will send a clear signal – not just to Argentina but to other members of the international community – that the attempts by Argentina's president, Cristina Kirchner to bully and harangue these islands are unacceptable in a region that values democracy and human rights. Argentina's efforts to damage our livelihoods through a policy of illegal and counter-productive blockades are unacceptable. Such crass efforts to railroad the Falkland Islanders, and the British government that stands beside us, are doomed to fail. It is time, 30 years after the restoration of our liberty, for Argentina to stop this nonsense and to talk to us directly.

This is the message that our delegation will be presenting at the meeting of the UN decolonisation committee in New York on Thursday. Unusually, the meeting will be attended by President Kirchner herself. We welcome enthusiastically the opportunity this provides to challenge the president directly in front of the international community and global media. For the first time, our delegation will consist of more than just our democratically elected legislative assembly members. Six young Falkland Islanders, who can trace their heritage back seven generations in the islands, will be attending. This is the face of the Falkland Islands that the world needs to see.

The Falkland Islanders are a peaceful, hard-working and resilient people. Our society is thriving and forward-looking. Self-governing, financially self-sufficient and with our own identity, we are a small place with a big future. All we ask of Argentina is that our rights be respected, that we be left in peace to choose our own future and to develop our home for our children and generations to come.”

(*) Falklands’ Legislative Assembly spokesperson