China detains Vietnamese fishermen; Bomb blast near Indonesia’s Paris embassy; Myanmar invites countries to observe its April 1 elections; US welcomes the invitation from Myanmar; Myanmar postpones by-elections in restive North;
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  • According to reports, On 22 March 2012, China announced that it had detained twenty-one Vietnamese fishermen for illegally fishing in the disputed zones of South China Sea. However, Vietnam claimed that fishermen were detained by China in Vietnamese territory and therefore should be released unconditionally. The fishermen issue has once again flared up the disagreement between China and Vietnam on the South China Sea issue.1

    In another development, on 21 March 2012, a bomb exploded outside the Indonesian embassy in Paris. However, no one is reported to have been hurt in the incident. Authorities are yet to find out the motive and the persons involved in the attack.2

    Reports noted that Myanmar has invited teams from twenty-five countries and the European Union to monitor the special elections for forth-eight seats in the six- hundred- sixty-four member parliament. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon commended Myanmar’s leaders for allowing international election observers and offered assistance to provide a credible outcome.3

    Meanwhile, Myanmar government has sent invites for two election representatives and three journalists to be a witness to the 1 April elections in Myanmar. Appreciating Myanmar’s steps towards greater political reforms, the US authorities have welcomed the invitation.4

    According to reports, due to security concerns, Myanmar authorities have postponed voting in three out of forty-eight constituencies where elections are scheduled for 1 April 2012. All three constituencies are in the Kachin province in northern Myanmar.5

    In other develoepmnts, according to reports, Exercise Cope Tiger- the annual trilateral air exercise by Singapore, Thailand and the US was concluded on 23 March 2012. The exercise was held from March 12 to March 23, 2012 at the Korat Air Base, Thailand.6

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