Arrest of Chinese fishermen an enforcement of PHL maritime law -- DFA

From the Philippine News Agency (May 7): Arrest of Chinese fishermen an enforcement of PHL maritime law -- DFA

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of Chinese fishermen who were found encroaching on Philippine waters.

In a statement, the DFA said “large numbers of endangered species” were found in their possession.

The crew were apprehended and their vessel seized Tuesday morning off Half Moon Shoal near the Philippine province of Palawan by the Philippine National Police Maritime Group Special Boat Unit.

The arrest of the Chinese crew and confiscation of the vessel are seen to further fuel tensions between Manila and Beijing, which are locked in a fierce territorial rivalry over some South China Sea territories.

The Philippines has adopted the name West Philippine Sea to some parts of the waters that fall within its territorial jurisdiction.

The DFA explained that such actions were not meant to escalate tensions with China.

The arrest, it noted, was undertaken “to enforce maritime laws and to uphold Philippine sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone” or EEZ -- a 200-nautical mile area of jurisdiction mandated by a United Nations convention.

“Relevant authorities in Palawan will address this case in a just, humane and expeditious manner,” the DFA said.

China claims almost 90 percent of the South China Sea, an assertion that triggered serious concern from its smaller neighbors like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan as it overlaps with their territories.

Beijing’s far-reaching claims over the resource-rich waters has also worried the United States, Japan, and the European Union, fearing that it could spark military confrontations in the region and hinder freedom of air and sea navigation.

Manila challenged China’s massive claim before a The Hague-based arbitral tribunal to try to declare it as illegal.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=641407