Muslim bloc demands payment for US warship damage on reef

From the Manila Times (Feb 2): Muslim bloc demands payment for US warship damage on reef

COTABATO CITY: The Bangsa Moro Party on Friday demanded compensation for Sulu province over the damage inflicted on Tubbataha Reef by minesweeper USS Guardian. Dr. Firdausi Abbas in a statement sent to The Manila Times said that the reef is in Sulu Sea, hence, the province should be compensated.

However, Abbas emphasized the incident is not simply a question of how much damage the minesweeper caused to the reefs, which is a Unesco World Heritage site but why was the minesweeper in the area?

He argued that the statement of the US Naval authority that the vessel went off course is not credible—the vessel has sophisticated equipment to chart its direction and the depth of the sea. “Was this vessel there for military purposes, for espionage on the Moro rebels?” Abbas asked. “This is clearly an intrusion by the US on what is now purely a domestic affair and even on Philippine sovereignty,” Abbas explained.

The Moro lawyer in presenting his legal point of view said that presence of nuclear submarine such as the USS Cheyenne, a nuclear attack submarine is a violation of the Constitutional declaration that the Philippines is a nuclear-free zone.

But he surmised that it may be part of an agreement with the Philippine authorities to have the ship here to lend teeth vis-à-vis the Kalayaan (Spratlys) Group of Islands claim.

“If this the case, then is an act, which is counterproductive and highly provocative because China is aware that the US does not have a naval or military base in the Philippines anymore and will merely worsen the situation and relations between the Philippines and China,” Abbas added.

As far as compensation is concerned, Sulu is entitled to it and its claim is primary, which the Philippine government must acknowledge, he stressed.

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/regions/40653-us-warship-damage