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Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 22, 2014 8:58:21 GMT 8
US to yield Pemberton, 4 others 10/20/ 2014 Palace says VFA, murder different issues The United States government yesterday said it would comply with a local prosecutor’s order to produce a murder suspect and four other US Marines in the investigation into the killing of transgender Jennifer Laude. The prosecutor ordered the five US Marines to give depositions at a formal hearing on Tuesday after police named one of them as a suspect in the October 11 hotel killing in Olongapo City. “The United States will continue to assist in the investigation to help ensure justice is served,” US embassy spokesman Anna Richey said in an emailed response to AFP’s request for comment. “This will include making the suspect, witnesses, and any evidence gathered available to the Philippine authorities,” she added. Richey said the suspect was being held on board the USS Peleliu pending an investigation into the death of Laude, described by local police as a transgender sex worker. The four other American Marines sought by prosecutors were described by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as witnesses. Malacañang also rushed to the defense of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), saying the issue on Laude’s killing and the agreement’s review should be treated separately. This is some of the material that came from this URL: subicnewslink.blogspot.com/2014/10/us-to-yield-pemberton-4-others.html
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Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 22, 2014 20:52:40 GMT 8
SUSPECT MARINE IS TRANSFERRED Here are only a few paragraphs from a Stars and Stripes article. This is the URL: www.stripes.com/news/pacific/philippines/marine-charged-in-transgender-s-killing-transferred-to-philippine-base-1.309560A U.S. Marine suspected in the death of a transgender in the Philippines has been transferred from custody on an American ship to a Philippine military base. Local police have filed a murder complaint against the Marine, who they have identified as Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was seen entering the Celzone Lodge in Olongapo City on Oct. 11 with Jeffrey Laude, 26, also known as Jennifer. Laude’s naked body was discovered in a hotel bathroom a short time later. With the transfer of the suspect, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, has authorized the Peleliu to depart Subic Bay, he said. The ship was among five Navy vessels to port at Subic Bay following joint military exercises in the Philippines. The other four were allowed to leave last week. Related Headlines from the Stars and Stripes: Anti-US sentiment following slaying could threaten US-Philippine security agreement plans. The Navy has released four of the five ships held back in the Philippines following the killing of a transgender Filipina last weekend. U.S. Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel J. Locklear ordered the ships held back after Philippine National Police identified Marine Pvt. 1st Class Joseph Scott Pemberton as a suspect in the death.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 28, 2014 9:31:16 GMT 8
SKIPPER OF US DESTROYER RELIEVED AFTER MISHAP OFF SUBIC This is reported by this URL 2014-10-27: subicnewslink.blogspot.com/2014/10/skipper-of-us-destroyer-relieved-after.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SubicBayNewslink+%28SUBIC+BAY+NEWSLINK%29 This is the article and a picture of the ship in Subic Bay: MANILA, Philippines - A senior United States Navy officer has been relieved from his post a week after his warship rammed into two small fishing boats while sailing out of Subic Bay. An online report by Norfolk, Virginia-based News Channel 3 said yesterday Commander John Bradford, skipper of the USS Stethem, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was relieved by his superior “due to loss of confidence in his ability to command.” Capt. Chris Sweeny replaced Bradford until a permanent officer is named to command the ship, the report said. Under Bradford’s command, the Stethem was sailing out of Subic after being towed and pushed by two tugboats of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) when it rammed two fishing boats in its path last Oct. 13. The mishap resulted in the sinking of the boats whose crewmembers – Orlito Cocjin, 44, Julie Mendez, 43 and Pampilo Bacsal, 33, all of Barangay Baretto, Olongapo City – survived by jumping into the sea. US sailors rescued them. The Stethem was among the vessels docked in Subic during the recent Philippines-US Amphibious Landing Exercises 2015 in Palawan and Zambales. Over 4,000 US Marines and sailors, including Pfc. Thomas Scott Pemberton, accused in the killing of transgender Filipino Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, participated in the joint maritime drill. Pemberton is currently detained at Camp Aguinaldo. SMBA authorities said the fishermen did not file a case against Stethem officials and crew after US authorities promised to shoulder the costs and expenses incurred in the accident. The report said after being assisted by two SBMA tugboats, the Stethem left. The ship is based in Japan and is under the operational control of the US Navy’s 7th Fleet. (Jaime Laude, Philippine Star) PHOTO: USS Fitzgerald, a guided-missile destroyer, docks in Subic’s Alava Pier yesterday for the Phl-US CARAT exercise. (Ernie Penaredondo) www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/10/26/1384526/skipper-us-destroyer-relieved-after-mishap-subic
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Post by xray on Oct 28, 2014 12:26:02 GMT 8
Kinda depressing to see this "transgender" issue being shouted from the rooftops - A murder is a murder, if Pemberton is guilty then he should be punished according to existing law regardless if his victim liked to dress up as a girl or not. Seems to be a love/hate relationship building up which does not bode well for either side - Obviously Philippines can do nothing against China without US help, and US needs to get a reign on Chinese expansionism. Shame to see these strategic issues of vital importance get hung up because of something like this.
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Post by Registrar on Oct 28, 2014 15:41:57 GMT 8
The episode is seen by political activists as a opportunity not to be wasted to get fully sponsored media-time to pursue their opposition to the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US. If they can destroy the VFA, they opine, they can pull off another "bases-out" triumph. Being seen as anti-US can be a good earner, and we all know that money means votes. Erap did pretty well in that regard. The only long-term effect for the former President seems to be that he's not on the 'Christmas Card List' at the US Embassy. No big deal, really. "Transgender" is a publicity multiplier, not just for the anti-treaty activists, but also for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex social activists.
Deliberately weakening the country militarily has never stopped the anti-US coalitions before. Former senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., admitted openly (by authoring a speech) that he voted against the U.S. bases even though he knew it would leave the Philippines weaker militarily. "Go ahead. Do your worst and we shall do our best," he said of the episode. It took only twelve senators to turf the US out, not an uprising, not a general election. That's the way activists work - leverage.
The pockets of the Chinese are very, very deep. About 662 fathoms some say. (The average depth of the South China Sea is 1212 metres.) That's a lot of leverage. The Chinese figure they have a good idea where the oil is, which is why they are investing national pride and a great deal of treasure in an international confrontation against the Philippines. By way of background, in September 2004, the Philippine and Chinese national oil companies agreed to conduct seismic soundings in the South China Sea. In March 2005, the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) agreement among China, Vietnam, and the Philippines coordinated "pre-exploration" of possible hydrocarbon reserves, and an exclusive contract was awarded to a state-owned Chinese company to conduct the surveys. Some might argue that granting a Chinese state-owned company exclusive knowledge of potential Philippine oil deposits was a short-term prostitution of the country's long term economic interests. There is widespread suspicion that corruption during the Arroyo years may have influenced Philippine politics and policy along these lines, but I certainly couldn't say. The issue seems to have been swept under the carpet, as most issues are, by allowing the urgent to displace the important.
I don't feel sorry for the alleged perpetrator, but I do hope that the incident can be allowed to run its course dispassionately - fat chance of that! There are people who want it to become an international incident, and care not a whit if it hurts the Philippines long term interests. The Philippines has a poor and growing population which deserves better politicians than it presently has or has had. (But then again, don't we all?)
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Post by xray on Oct 29, 2014 5:40:42 GMT 8
I understand that there are radical, vocal minority interest there that have an inordinate voice in national affairs due to media trumpeting, same as it is over here. When a certain class becomes protected, their appetite for more privilege will never be satisfied. I think the concept of "hate crime" laws might be noble at first glace, but their implementation are certainly flawed. If Pemberton is guilty he should be punished, I would not agree that he be punished more because the victim was a prancing lady boy.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Nov 4, 2014 9:26:27 GMT 8
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Post by Karl Welteke on May 7, 2015 16:47:21 GMT 8
USS FORT WORTH STOPPED IN SUBIC BAY MAY 4TH 2015 The USS Fort Worth, the United States' Littoral Combat ship (LCS 3), stopped at Subic Bay. This information is from this URL: subicnewslink.blogspot.com/2015/05/uss-fort-worth-restocks-refuels-in-subic.htmlX386. This is a new and interesting ship but I copied only the two paragraphs below from the above URL: The USS Fort Worth, the United States' Littoral Combat ship (LCS 3), stopped at Subic Bay last Monday, May 4 to resupply and refuel, the US Embassy in Manila said Tuesday "Fast, agile and mission-focused, littoral combat ships are designed to operate in near-shore environments and employ modular mission packages that can be configured for surface warfare, mine countermeasures or anti-submarine warfare," the embassy said.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jun 2, 2015 9:38:34 GMT 8
USS Shiloh arrives in Subic Bay This was posted 2015-05-31 by: SubicNewsLink subicnewslink.blogspot.com/2015/05/uss-shiloh-arrives-in-subic-bay.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SubicBayNewslink+%28SUBIC+BAY+NEWSLINK%29It contained this picture: X475. The guided missile cruiser ship USS Shiloh (CG-67) is seen docked for supply replenishment at the Alava pier of Subic Bay Freeport zone Friday afternoon (May 29). The US ship is equipped with guided missiles and rapid-fire cannons and also carries two multi-purpose helicopters for anti-submarine warfare. (AMD/MPD-SBMA) And this was the news paper story: USS Shiloh (CG-67) arrived in Subic Bay over the weekend for a port visit as part of an ongoing patrol in the Pacific theater. The USS Shiloh is part of the forward-deployed Naval Forces of the U.S. 7th Fleet — the U.S. Department of Defense unified combatant command responsible for the overall stability of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. The routinely scheduled port visit will permit the ship to replenish supplies, strengthen people-to-people ties through community outreach and will afford the approximately 360-person crew of which 31 are Filipino-American, the opportunity to briefly experience Filipino culture, which is reflective of strong historic, community, and military connections. The USS Shiloh, commissioned July 18, 1992, is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser and serves as a multi-role warship capable of facing and defeating threats in the air, on sea, or ashore. The warship is also capable of employing two SH-60 Seahawk multi-purpose helicopters, used primarily for anti-submarine warfare. The USS Shiloh, named in remembrance of the American Civil War battle operates out of its homeport in Yokosuka, Japan and is commanded by Captain Kurush F Morris.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jun 2, 2015 9:48:29 GMT 8
US lifts shore leave ban for sailors in PH by Elena L. Aben May 30, 2015 It was posted by the Manila Bulletin with this URL: www.mb.com.ph/us-lifts-shore-leave-ban-for-sailors-in-ph/#rvxeSsqWCtIl2jjJ.99This is the story from the above Manila Bulletin URL: The United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) has eased liberty restrictions on American troops in the Philippines. With the lifting of the liberty ban effective May 29, sailors of USS Shiloh now in Subic Bay are allowed to go on pass or shore leave to briefly experience Filipino culture. USS Shiloh, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser with approximately 360-person crew of which 31 are Filipino-American, dropped anchor in Subic Bay Friday for a port visit as part of an ongoing patrol in the region. “The routinely scheduled port visit will permit the ship to replenish supplies, strengthen people-to-people ties through community outreach,” said a statement from the US embassy. It added that the port visit will afford Shiloh’s crew “the opportunity to briefly experience Filipino culture, which is reflective of strong historic, community, and military connections.” A USPACOM message dated May 27 announced the plan to reopen liberty in the Philippines commencing May 29. It added that US service members will adhere to the USPACOM liberty/pass policy which states that a curfew of 2400-500 (12mn-5:00 a.m.) be strictly enforced in all areas of the Philippines. All U.S. military personnel are required to observe the buddy system, wherein one has to be accompanied by another service member, DoD civilian, contractor, spouse or adult family member when on liberty pass. “All service members who are on temporary duty or on a port call to the Philippines shall strictly comply with liberty zones posted on the Foreign Clearance Guide” Liberty policy has been tight in the Philippines since the killing of Filipino transgender, Jeffrey Laude alias “Jennifer” allegedly at the hands of a US serviceman in October last year. In April when more than 6,000 U.S. forces arrived in the country for the annual Balikatan exercise, PACOM spokesman Maj. David Eastburn said in an email to the Manila Bulletin that “liberty is not authorized in the Philippines.” Olongapo Mayor Rolen C. Paulino said the “no liberty policy” resulted to lost income opportunities, not only for the city, but the country as a whole.
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