AFP, PCG to China Coast Guard: ‘Restrain your forces’

‘EXCESSIVE AND UNLAWFUL ACTIONS’ An aerial photo from a diplomatic source shows a China Coast Guard vessel shooting a powerful stream of water at a boat operated by the Philippine Navy.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday denounced the China Coast Guard (CCG) for blocking and using water cannons on Filipino vessels on a resupply mission to one of the country’s military outposts in the West Philippine Sea.

The AFP, PCG, National Security Council and Department of Foreign Affairs will hold a press conference on Monday on the Chinese actions.

Meanwhile the PCG has released photos showing a CCG ship with bow No. 4203 blocking and firing jets of water at one of its vessels.

According to PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela, the coast guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, the Chinese ship came as close as around 70 meters to the coast guard vessel.

The Inquirer also received aerial photos and a video from a diplomatic source showing a CCG vessel with bow No. 5201 shooting a powerful stream of water at one of the two wooden boats used by the Navy, hitting it on the port side. The small boat then veered away from the Chinese ship to keep out of the water cannon’s range.

Two senior AFP officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to speak about the incident, saw the same images sent to the Inquirer and confirmed they were from Saturday’s incident, but declined to provide further details.

Similar photos and videos have been circulating on social media since early Sunday.

‘Act with prudence’

The AFP said the Chinese actions were “in wanton disregard of the safety of the people on board and in violation of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

The PCG said it condemned the “dangerous maneuvers and illegal use of water cannons” by the Chinese coast guard against its ships escorting the supply boats.

The AFP said China’s “excessive and unlawful actions” prevented one of the two supply boats used by the Philippine Navy from bringing fresh provisions to the men on BRP Sierra Madre, which has been serving as the country’s outpost at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal since it was marooned there in 1999.

“We call on the China Coast Guard to act with prudence and be responsible in their actions to prevent miscalculations and accidents that will endanger peoples’ lives,” the AFP said.

The PCG called on CCG to “restrain its forces, respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, refrain from hampering freedom of navigation, and take appropriate actions against the individuals involved in this unlawful incident.” INQ