The St Kitts Nevis Observer
SHANGHAI, CHINA - August 5: The Chinese flag flaps in the wind on August 5, 2010 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lucas Schifres/Getty Images)
China has passed a law that for the first time explicitly allows its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels, a move that could make the contested South China Sea and nearby waters more choppy.
The Coast Guard Law passed on Friday empowers it to “take all necessary measures, including the use of weapons when national sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon by foreign organisations or individuals at sea”.
By Arielle Del Turco | December 15, 2020 | 5:32pm EST
The Chinese flag flaps in the wind. (Photo credit: Lucas Schifres/Getty Images)
“My friend asked me to go work with her in China…I agreed to go with her as long as the work there would be good.” This was the simple way that one unsuspecting Kachin girl from Burma (Myanmar) ended up as a victim of human trafficking and forced marriage in China. Soon after her arrival in China, the friends she came with left her with a Chinese man to live as his wife.
Forced to stay at his house, she was afraid and unsure of where to go for help. Before long, she gave birth to twins. Finally, she determined one day to wake up before her captor and flee to seek help from the authorities in a nearby city. She spent two months in a Chinese jail before being transferred to Burmese authorities who took her back to Burma, where a humanitarian organization provided her with shelter and support.