Chronologies
US - Southeast Asia
Chronology from Oct 2010 to Dec 2010
: Thongsing Thammavong is appointed prime minister of Laos after the surprise resignation of Bouasone Bouphavanh.
: Thailand lifts a state of emergency in Bangkok and three neighboring areas, seven months after a military crackdown on anti-government “Red Shirt” protests.
: Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare “steps aside” in anticipation of facing a leadership tribunal for failure to submit full income returns to the Ombudsman Commission. He appoints Deputy Prime Minister Sam Abal as acting prime minister.
: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Yun visits Burma and meets Foreign Minister U Nyan, Police Chief Brig. Gen. Khin Yi, and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
: Secretary Clinton and Seretary Gates attend the annual Australia-US Ministerial talks in Canberra where Australia’s role in Afghanistan, cyber security, and counterterrorism are on the agenda.
Nov. 9, 2010: Speaking in Jakarta, President Obama pledges to send humanitarian aid to victims of the Mount Merapi eruptions in Central Java and the tsunami in Mentawai. Obama and Indonesian President Susilio Bamgang Yudhoyono initial a Comprehensive Partnership Agreement covering several areas of policy cooperation.
Nov. 9, 2010: Secretary Gates holds discussions in Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Nov. 13, 2010: Burmese Nobel-laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is freed from seven years of house arrest in Rangoon following the military junta’s rigged election victory. President Obama praises her steadfast efforts to promote genuine democracy.
Nov. 16, 2010: Russian arms dealer Victor Bout, held in a Thai jail since his 2008 arrest, is extradited to stand trial in the US for arms trafficking to terrorist groups.
Nov. 24, 2010: US Army Chief of Staff General George Casey visits Vietnam, hoping to boost military-to-military relations.
Nov. 9, 2010: Speaking in Jakarta, President Obama pledges to send humanitarian aid to victims of the Mount Merapi eruptions in Central Java and the tsunami in Mentawai. Obama and Indonesian President Susilio Bamgang Yudhoyono initial a Comprehensive Partnership Agreement covering several areas of policy cooperation.
Nov. 9, 2010: Secretary Gates holds discussions in Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Nov. 13, 2010: Burmese Nobel-laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is freed from seven years of house arrest in Rangoon following the military junta’s rigged election victory. President Obama praises her steadfast efforts to promote genuine democracy.
Nov. 16, 2010: Russian arms dealer Victor Bout, held in a Thai jail since his 2008 arrest, is extradited to stand trial in the US for arms trafficking to terrorist groups.
Nov. 24, 2010: US Army Chief of Staff General George Casey visits Vietnam, hoping to boost military-to-military relations.
: The ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus 8 (ADMM+) convenes in Hanoi, with Secretary Gates in attendance.
Oct. 19, 2010: Responding to an Obama administration request, Malaysia sends a military medical continent to Afghanistan to serve with the International Security Assistance Force.
Oct. 21, 2010: USS Essex, participating in PHILBEX, responds to an appeal from the Philippine government to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Megi.
Oct. 25, 2010: US military personnel deliver more than 170,000 pounds of relief supplies to victims of Typhoon Megi. USAID announces an additional $800,000 for disaster relief.
Oct. 26, 2010: Over 1,000 US and Cambodian sailors engage in the first at-sea US-Cambodian CARAT exercise. The US Navy also conducts bilateral CARAT exercises with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Bangladesh.
Oct. 26, 2010: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon turns down an appeal by Thai opposition Red Shirts to intervene with the Thai government on the investigation of deaths of their members during the April-May riots in Bangkok.
Oct. 27, 2010: US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley accuses the Burmese junta of “craven manipulation” of the upcoming election and says all political prisoners should be immediately released and that Aung San Suu Kyi should be allowed to participate.
Oct. 27, 2010: US congressmen call on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to raise human rights issues in her Vietnam visit after the ASEAN Summit.
Oct. 28, 2010: President Barack Obama and Secretary Clinton send condolences to Indonesia for the families of victims of the Oct. 25 earthquake-generated tsunami in Mentawai, West Sumatra.
Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2010: Secretary Clinton visits Cambodia, emphasizing human rights.
Nov. 1-3, 2010: Secretary Clinton visits Malaysia, emphasizing the country’s role as a center for moderate Islam.
Nov. 2, 2010: US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel stresses that America’s “good relationship” with the country will be maintained despite Democratic Party losses in the US midterm elections.
Nov. 3, 2010: Secretary Clinton visits Papua New Guinea, promoting human rights in the violence-prone country.
Nov. 4, 2010: The US and New Zealand sign a new partnership document, the Wellington Declaration, which covers general defense cooperation, nuclear nonproliferation, and South Pacific and Antarctic cooperation.
Oct. 19, 2010: Responding to an Obama administration request, Malaysia sends a military medical continent to Afghanistan to serve with the International Security Assistance Force.
Oct. 21, 2010: USS Essex, participating in PHILBEX, responds to an appeal from the Philippine government to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Megi.
Oct. 25, 2010: US military personnel deliver more than 170,000 pounds of relief supplies to victims of Typhoon Megi. USAID announces an additional $800,000 for disaster relief.
Oct. 26, 2010: Over 1,000 US and Cambodian sailors engage in the first at-sea US-Cambodian CARAT exercise. The US Navy also conducts bilateral CARAT exercises with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Bangladesh.
Oct. 26, 2010: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon turns down an appeal by Thai opposition Red Shirts to intervene with the Thai government on the investigation of deaths of their members during the April-May riots in Bangkok.
Oct. 27, 2010: US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley accuses the Burmese junta of “craven manipulation” of the upcoming election and says all political prisoners should be immediately released and that Aung San Suu Kyi should be allowed to participate.
Oct. 27, 2010: US congressmen call on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to raise human rights issues in her Vietnam visit after the ASEAN Summit.
Oct. 28, 2010: President Barack Obama and Secretary Clinton send condolences to Indonesia for the families of victims of the Oct. 25 earthquake-generated tsunami in Mentawai, West Sumatra.
Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2010: Secretary Clinton visits Cambodia, emphasizing human rights.
Nov. 1-3, 2010: Secretary Clinton visits Malaysia, emphasizing the country’s role as a center for moderate Islam.
Nov. 2, 2010: US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel stresses that America’s “good relationship” with the country will be maintained despite Democratic Party losses in the US midterm elections.
Nov. 3, 2010: Secretary Clinton visits Papua New Guinea, promoting human rights in the violence-prone country.
Nov. 4, 2010: The US and New Zealand sign a new partnership document, the Wellington Declaration, which covers general defense cooperation, nuclear nonproliferation, and South Pacific and Antarctic cooperation.
: The aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrives in Thailand for a five-day visit with a crew of 6,250 and 80 aircraft aboard.
Oct. 3, 2010: US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joseph Yun in a Congressional hearing states that the US is concerned about reports of human rights abuses in Papua and supports implementation of the 2001 Special Autonomy Law for that Indonesian province.
Oct. 4, 2010: US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas urges ASEAN and China to make their 2002 Declaration of Conduct on the Spratly islands into a legally binding code. He says the US would be willing to assist ASEAN in this endeavor.
Oct. 4, 2010: Thailand asks the US for a mid-life upgrade of 18 F-16A/B aircraft worth about $700 million.
Oct. 11, 2010: US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, speaking at the Vietnam National University, praises the development of defense ties between the two countries represented by the August visit of the USS John McCain as well as Vietnam’s observer status at recent Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises.
Oct. 12, 2010: The US and Philippine navies conduct bilateral CARAT and PHILBEX exercises. Nearly 4,000 personnel from both countries participate in an amphibious landing exercise to enhance interoperability.
Oct. 3, 2010: US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joseph Yun in a Congressional hearing states that the US is concerned about reports of human rights abuses in Papua and supports implementation of the 2001 Special Autonomy Law for that Indonesian province.
Oct. 4, 2010: US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas urges ASEAN and China to make their 2002 Declaration of Conduct on the Spratly islands into a legally binding code. He says the US would be willing to assist ASEAN in this endeavor.
Oct. 4, 2010: Thailand asks the US for a mid-life upgrade of 18 F-16A/B aircraft worth about $700 million.
Oct. 11, 2010: US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, speaking at the Vietnam National University, praises the development of defense ties between the two countries represented by the August visit of the USS John McCain as well as Vietnam’s observer status at recent Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises.
Oct. 12, 2010: The US and Philippine navies conduct bilateral CARAT and PHILBEX exercises. Nearly 4,000 personnel from both countries participate in an amphibious landing exercise to enhance interoperability.