US to keep confronting Beijing in South China Sea — Defence Secretary

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis vowed Tuesday that the US would keep confronting China over its territorial claims in the South China Sea, where Beijing has established a significant military presence on contested islands.

Mattis’s remarks came after Beijing voiced ‘strong dissatisfaction’ Sunday after two US warships sailed by an island in the disputed Paracel Island chain.

“You’ll notice there’s only one country that seems to take active steps to rebuff (such operations) or state their resentment of them, but it’s international waters and a lot of nations want to see freedom of navigation, so we will continue that,” Mattis told reporters as he flew to Hawaii.

The US Navy periodically conducts ‘ freedom of navigation’ operations in the contested waterway, where it sails close to island features China has built into military facilities as a way of showing it rejects any territorial claims.

“We are going out of our way to cooperate with Pacific nations, that’s the way we do business in the world, but we are also going to confront what we believe is out of step with international law,” Mattis said.

Sunday’s operation was conducted just over a week after Beijing flew nuclear- capable bombers to a disputed island, drawing immediate criticism from the US.

Last week, the Pentagon pulled its invitation to China to join maritime exercises in the Pacific over Beijing’s ‘continued militarisation’ of the South China Sea. Beijing has been building artificial islands to reinforce its claim over most of the resourcerich South China Sea, despite protests from Southeast Asian countries.

Its neighbours, particularly some of those involved in maritime disputes over the waters, have expressed fears China could eventually restrict freedom of navigation and overflight.

“Our diplomats are robustly engaged on this,” Mattis said.

“The concerns have come to me not just from American government circles, but also from foreign nations that are concerned, very concerned about this continued militarisation of features in the South China Sea.”

Mattis was heading to Hawaii to attend a change- of- command ceremony for the US military’s Pacific Command.

The current head, Admiral Harry Harris, has been nominated to be the new ambassador to South Korea.

He will be replaced by Admiral Philip Davidson.

Mattis is then due to attend a regional security conference in Singapore. — AFP

The Catholic Church in Australia agreed yesterday to join a national redress scheme for victims of institutional child sex abuse, declaring that ‘survivors deserve justice’.

It follows a five-year royal commission detailing thousands of harrowing abuse cases involving Australian churches, orphanages, sporting clubs, youth groups and schools over decades.

That inquiry heard from more than 2,500 survivors of abuse in facilities managed by the Catholic Church and recommended a scheme to support victims with counselling, psychological care and financial payments.

All but one of Australia’s state governments have signed up to the program, which will offer victims up to A$ 150,000 ( US$ 113,000) in compensation.

In a major step forward, the Church has become the first nongovernment institution to join the scheme.

“We support the royal commission’s recommendation for a national redress scheme ... and we are keen to participate in it,” Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Mark Coleridge said in a statement.

“Survivors deserve justice and healing and many have bravely come forward to tell their stories.”

In its findings, the royal commission found that Australian institutions ‘seriously failed’ children in their care with tens of thousands sexually assaulted.

It heard horrific testimony during confronting and often emotionally exhausting hearings, with more than 15,000 survivors detailing their claims.

More than 4,000 institutions were accused of abuse.

During the hearings, the commission heard that seven percent of Catholic priests in Australia were accused of abuse between 1950 and 2010, but the allegations were never investigated, with children ignored and even punished when they came forward. — AFP