Ship expulsion ‘clear threat to PH rights’—DFA

Philippine Foreign Affairs Department spokesman Raul Hernandez AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — For the second time in 2014, Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels drove away Filipinos from maritime features in the West Philippine Sea and subsequently rejected the protest filed by the Philippine government.

On March 9, two civilian vessels contracted by the Philippine Navy to resupply and bring fresh troops onto the grounded ship BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, were blocked and then told to leave the vicinity of the shoal because it was Chinese territory.

This was the first time in 15 years that China has interfered with the Navy’s resupply and troop rotation operations on the BRP Sierra Madre, which was run aground in 1999 to mark the Philippine’s claims, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez told reporters in a press conference Tuesday.

“China’s actions constitute a clear and urgent threat to the rights and interests of the Philippines under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” Hernandez said.

“Ayungin Shoal is part of the continental shelf of the Philippines and is therefore entitled to exercise sovereignty rights and jurisdiction in the area without the permission of other States,” he said.

The BRP Sierra Madre serves as an outpost to a small marine detachment stationed there to defend the shoal.

The DFA has submitted a protest to the Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy Tuesday but the protest was immediately rejected, Hernandez said.

“[China gave] the usual response, that they have jurisdiction over the place and indisputable sovereignty over the area and that they also reject our protest,” he said.

Ayungin shoal is 105 nautical miles from the coast of Palawan, putting it within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone within which a country has exclusive rights to the maritime resources.

Last Jan. 27, the CCG used water cannons to drive away Filipino fishermen trying to fish in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Panatag shoal or Scarborough shoal, which is around 118 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales province.

The Philippines’ protest against China’s actions was likewise rejected by the Chinese Embassy.

Alleged construction work

Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesman Qin Gang said in a press conference in Beijing Monday that the Filipino vessels were “loaded with construction materials” and were going to start construction work.

“China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) and their adjacent waters including the Ren’ai Reef (Ayungin Shoal),” Gang was quoted as saying by China’s state news agency Xinhua.

“The move infringed China’s sovereignty and violated the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea,” he said.

Sudden appearance

According to the timeline of events relayed by the Navy to the DFA, two CCG ships with numbers 3112 and 3113 “suddenly appeared” around 9:30 in the morning of March 9 and trailed the civilian ships.

“Then 30 minutes later these Chinese vessels tried to block and prevent the civilian vessels to proceed to Ayungin shoal,” Hernandez said.

“Around 12:40pm, these Chinese vessels relayed to our vessels through digital signboard, sirens and megaphones to leave the area because they said that that is their jurisdiction,” he said.

The Filipino civilian vessels refused to comply until two hours later when they decided to abort the operation at Ayungin Shoal.

“Around 2:30 p.m., the Philippine vessels decided to abort the resupply and rotation of personnel in Ayungin shoal and went back to Palawan,” Hernandez said.

Asked about the status of the marines stationed in the BRP Sierra Madre, Hernandez said that they would stay there and that the Navy would work to try to resupply them.

“We are hoping to be able to resupply them and we are asking China to desist from interfering with our sovereign duty to feed and resupply to our people there,” he said.

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