Caught in the middle

WITH all the ballyhoo surrounding the North Korean rocket launch (expected to take place between April 12 and 16), the safety and security of the 50,000 Filipinos living in South Korea remains to be the Philippine government’s foremost priority.
Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued a statement, calling North Korea’s planned satellite launch “unacceptable.”
The DFA also made an appeal to North Korea — to abide by UN Security Council Resolutions 1874 and 1718, which call for the “abandonment of its ballistic missile program in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.”
The Philippine Embassy in Seoul assured Filipinos working in South Korea that the government has already laid out its contingency plans, in the event that tension intensifies in the Korean peninsula.
“Our embassy is prepared for worst-case scenario,” Philippine Vice President and Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Concerns, Jejomar C. Binay, told leaders of the Filipino community in a dialogue at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul on March 25.
Joining US President Barack Obama and top o fficials from 53 nations, Binay was in Seoul to represent President Benigno Aquino III in the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit.
The world leaders gathered in South Korea for a two-day summit to “keep at it,” and take concrete actions to secure nuclear materials.
The Philippine government is a signatory to the Convention On The Physical Protection Of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM), one of the 13 counter-terrorism instruments in force and the only internationally legally binding undertaking in the area of physical protection of nuclear materials used for peaceful purposes.
In the convention, Obama warned that nuclear terrorism remained one of the world’s biggest threats. He called for greater urgency in safeguarding the world’s atomic stockpiles.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who also attended the Nuclear Security Summity, shared the same sentiments with the Philippine government and called for North Korea to cancel its planned rocket launch.
Japan announced earlier this week that it would deploy surface-to-air missiles in central Tokyo in readiness to shoot down the rocket if needed.
Emphasizing shared interest in preventing nuclear proliferation, the US and China agreed to consolidate their response if North Korea goes through with its rocket launch next month.
The US president noted the major progress made over the past two years to make it harder for terrorists to get hold of material for atomic weapons.
“But we’re under no illusions. We know that nuclear material—enough for many weapons — is still being stored without adequate protection,“ Obama said.
North Korea’s ballistic capabilities continue to show the world that it’s only a matter of time before this secretive regime bolster its stature against its perceived adversaries.
Processing plutonium over the years, the country is believed to have enough fissile material nuclear bombs.
Although still paltry compared to the arsenals of nuclear powers such as the US, Russia and China, North Korea’s proliferation maintains its image as a looming threat to the peace and security of the world.
It is also unlikely to back down anytime soon given its increasingly strident tone on the world stage.
In order to forestall the threat of peace posed by the impending North Korea rocket launch, different national governments are planning to internationalize the dispute by obtaining authorization from the UN Security Council for more aggressive measures.
The international community strongly urges North Korea to exercise restraint and cancel its launch.
Even though the window for a peaceful transition is admittedly closing fast, this is not an inescapable conclusion and should be pursued out of moral reasons.
For the time being, there are no clear signs of imminent devastations. But no matter how the dispute is resolved, it is our kababayans, along with other innocent lives, who will be affected should A worst-case scenario arises
While the international tensions over the missile launch arises, the Philippines for its part should not take any chances, closely observe developments and formulate more viable plans that will benefit Filipino working and living in South Korea.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek March 28-30, 2012 Sec A pg. 6)