The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday
expressed alarm over the latest incident of Chinese harassment in Bajo De
Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) last Jan. 22.
This involves Chinese Coast Guard ship, 3412, efforts to ram
three Philippine-flagged fishing vessels, F/V OG Barbie, F/V Ocean Glory 2, and
F/V Ana Marie, last Jan. 29, with obvious effort to damage the ships and
endanger the lives and safety of the Filipino fishermen on board.
"The AFP is alarmed over this recent development, we
understand that mariners have a code that allows the refuge of vessels in safe
waters during inclement weather, under this circumstances our fishermen were
not allowed to (do) that," AFP spokesperson Col. Restituto Padilla said.
He added that they will work closely with the Department of
Foreign Affairs as we pursue the government's efforts to resolve the issue
peacefully.
Scarboroug Shoal, the site of a dangerous maritime stand-off
between the Philippines and China in 2002, is located 124 nautical miles
from Masinloc town in Zambales and 472 nautical miles from China ’s nearest landmass in Hainan .
It fell under Chinese control on the same year and has since
blocked Filipino fishermen and Philippine patrol vessels access to the area.
“The Philippines
strongly protested China
“Chinese fishing vessels were likewise spotted transporting
collected giant clams to other Chinese fishing vessels. The act of harvesting
giant clams, which are among the most endangered marine species, entails the
crushing and destruction of surrounding corals which result in the permanent
destruction of the reef itself,” it added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=732746
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