MANILA, Philippines (AP) – A flotilla of about 100 fishing boats led by Filipino activists headed Wednesday to disputed shoals in the South China Sea disputed by the Chinese government. Vessels believed to be coast guard and militia used powerful water cannons. This is to chase away what they see as intruders.
The Philippine coast guard and navy deployed one patrol boat each to monitor from a distance the activists and fishermen who set out in wooden boats with bamboo outriggers to assert Manila’s sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal. Dozens of journalists took part in the three-day voyage.
Activists and volunteers, including a Roman Catholic priest affiliated with a non-governmental coalition called Atin Ito (“This is Ours” in Tagalog), floated small territorial buoys to fish for Filipino fishermen near the shallows. Organizers said they had planned to distribute food packs and fuel to the area, in preparation for any unexpected situation.
“Our mission is a peaceful one based on international law and aimed at asserting our sovereignty,” said lead organizer Rafaela David. “We will sail with determination, not provocation, to civilianize this region and protect its territorial integrity.”
In December, David’s group of fishermen also tried to sail to another disputed shoal, but the trip was halted after being tailed by a Chinese boat.
After a tense standoff with Philippine government vessels in 2012, China surrounds Scarborough Shoal, a triangular atoll with a vast fishing reef surrounded by mostly submerged coral outcrops, with coast guard ships. As a result, it was effectively occupied.
Enraged by China’s actions, the Philippine government took the dispute to international arbitration in 2013, and three years later a Hague tribunal ruled that China’s extensive claims on historical grounds in the busy sea route had been brought to the United Nations in 1982. We almost won the case, ruling that it was invalid based on the treaty. Laws of the ocean.
The ruling declared Scarborough Shoal a traditional fishing ground for Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese fishermen. Until now, fishermen had anchored in shallow water to avoid large waves on the high seas during stormy weather.
China has refused to participate in the arbitration, rejects its results, and continues to defy the arbitration.
Two weeks ago, Chinese coast guard vessels and what appeared to be militia vessels used water cannons on a Philippine coast guard and a fishing boat patrolling Scarborough Shoal, damaging both vessels.
The Philippines condemned the Chinese Coast Guard’s actions against the shoal, which is within the Southeast Asian nation’s internationally recognized exclusive economic zone. China’s coast guard said it had taken “necessary measures” after the Philippine ship “violated China’s sovereignty.”
The Chinese coast guard also reinstalled a floating fence at the entrance to the vast shallow fishing reef, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.philippine coast guard removed similar barriers In the past they allowed Filipinos to fish there.
In addition to the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan are also participating. involved in a territorial dispute.
Ships of the Chinese Coast Guard also entered the waters near Vietnam, Malaysia, and other countries. Indonesia Although it has sparked tensions and protests in the past, Southeast Asian countries with significant economic ties to China have been less vocal in criticizing Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions.
Philippines releases video of territorial showdown with China and invites journalists to witness fighting on the high seas In a strategy to gain international supportsparking a war of words with Beijing.
The increasing frequency of skirmishes between the Philippines and China has resulted in minor skirmishes in recent months, injuring Philippine naval personnel and damaging supply ships. There are growing concerns that the territorial issue could escalate into conflict. Armed conflict between China and the United Statesa long-time treaty ally of the Philippines.
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