ASIA / PACIFIC Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER May 21, 2018 China’s first home-built aircraft carrier begins sea trials BEIJING (AP) — China’s first entirely home-built aircraft carrier has begun sea trials in a sign of the growing sophistica- tion of the country’s domestic arms industry. The still-unnamed ship left dock in the northern port of Dalian to “test the reliability and stability of its propulsion and other systems,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The Liaoning provincial maritime safety bureau issued an order for shipping to temporarily avoid a section of ocean southeast of the city. The 50,000-ton carrier will likely be formally commissioned sometime before 2020 following the completion of sea trials and the arrival of its full air complement. The new carrier is based on the former Soviet Union’s Kuznetsov class design, with a ski jump-style deck for taking off and a conventional oil-fuelled steam turbine power plant. China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, arrived as a mostly empty hull from Ukraine and was commissioned in Family photo becomes new picture of militancy in Indonesia Continued from page 4 momentum,” he said. “And they don’t want to lose it.” Using women and chil- dren in militant attacks has long been a tactic deployed in other countries — Nigerian terror group Boko Haram often uses children as suicide bombers. Experts say more than 1,000 Indonesians have gone abroad to help IS, and their return raises new worries. “We’ve got hundreds of fighters coming back. Probably the Indonesians don’t even know how many are coming back,” said Bilveer Singh, a political science professor at the National University of Singapore. “If you don’t get this thing right, then you are going to get more and more terrorist attacks in the coming months and years.” He said the buildup to Indonesia’s presidential election next year coupled with growing religious in- tolerance could spark new violence, especially if Islam is used as a politicizing weapon. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has struggled to push through anti-terror legislation proposed since 2016 which would make it easier for law enforcement officers to go after extremists. In condemning the recent attacks, he vowed to issue an emergency presidential decree if parliament continues to drag its feet. “I’m not afraid of the bombing. I think it’s the rising radicalization and growing intolerance of Indonesia,” Singh said. “It has been moving in a very dangerous way, and it has not been stopped. And I think the danger of Indonesia is not tomorrow. The danger of Indonesia is in the next five to 10 years.” Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Surabaya, Indonesia, contributed to this report. 2012 along with its flight wing of Chinese J-15 fighter jets. State media reports say China is also MADE IN CHINA. An aircraft carrier is seen leav- ing Dalian in northeast China’s Liaoning province for sea trials. The country’s first entirely home-built air- craft carrier began sea trials in a sign of the growing sophistication of China’s domestic arms industry. The 50,000-ton carrier will likely be formally commis- sioned sometime before 2020. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP) planning to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier capable of remaining at sea for long durations. China has the world’s largest navy in terms of numbers of ships, although it lags behind the U.S. in technology and combat capabilities. It has been deployed to assert China’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea and is increasingly ranging farther into the Pacific and Indian oceans. China last year established its first overseas military base in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, where rivals such as the U.S., Japan, and several European nations also have a permanent presence. New owner of Cambodian newspaper begins by firing editor PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The new owner of a newspaper considered the sole remaining independent media voice in Cambodia has fired its editor for publishing a story about the publication’s sale and the purchaser’s links to the government, bolstering doubts it will continue to perform the watchdog function of a free press. The dismissal day of Kay Kimsong, editor-in-chief of the English and Khmer language editions of the Phnom Penh Post, was followed by the resignations of at least four senior editorial personnel. The newspaper’s sale by Australian businessman Bill Clough We’ll help you get there by listening, learning and finding the home loan that lets you achieve your dreams. Apply online at bannerbank.com/home-loans Conventional Refinance Construction to Sivakumar Ganapathy, a public relations executive in Malaysia, was announced in early May. The Post reported that his PR company had done business for the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, which has curtailed press freedom ahead of a July general election.