Arrest of Chinese fishers not motivated by sea tension—Roxas

Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said the Philippine National Police (PNP) was only doing its duty when it arrested 11 Chinese fishermen caught shipping live sea turtles.

Roxas said the arrest was not motivated by the tension between China and the Philippines over territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea.

“Kahit ano pa ang lahi, Pinoy o hindi, mahuhuli ‘yan… Irrelevant kung ano ang lahi (Whatever the race, Filipino or not, we are going to arrest them… Race is not relevant),” Roxas said in an interview at the House of Representatives.

“Hindi ito pinupuntirya ang isang bansa. Ginagawa lang ng PNP ang trabaho nila sa pag-protect ng kaligtasan at pati mga endangered species,” he added.

(This is not to crack down on a certain country. The PNP is just doing its job to protect our safety as well as that of endangered species.)

On Tuesday, the PNP maritime police seized a Chinese fishing vessel found carrying sea turtles off Hasa-Hasa Shoal (Half Moon Shoal) in the latest escalation of the increasingly bitter territorial dispute between Manila and Beijing.

The 11-member crew was caught shipping 400 live sea turtles aboard the boat.

The arrest angered China, which demanded the release of the boat and its crew as it claimed the shoal is part of its territory.

Roxas said the PNP was not nitpicking over the arrest, noting that Filipino fishermen were also arrested.

Police had said five Filipino fishermen were also arrested in the area after maritime police found 70 live sea turtles on their boat.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had said the arrest was an exercise of the Philippines’ sovereignty over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea.

RELATED STORIES

Chinese warship stuck on PH reef

China frigate leaves shoal; Palace happy