Chinese Ships Harass PHL Vessel off Ayungin Shoal

A Philippine civilian ship transporting troops and supplies to the Ayungin Shoal area was harassed by two Chinese Coast Guard ships Saturday, GMA news online reported.

Reports said Philippine vessel was bringing supplies to the troops aboard the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal when the incident occurred.

GMA’s Ian Cruz who is aboard the Philippine civilian vessel said one of the two large Chinese sea craft with hull number 3401 cuts in front of the Philippine vessel and blocked its path.

Cruz added a second Chinese vessel had hull number 1127. Cruz reported the crew aboard the Chinese vessels demanded that the Philippine vessel leave the area because it was encroaching on Chinese territory. Cruz added the Philippine vessel had foreign correspondents and Philippine media representatives aboard.

Reports from DZBB said the Philippine civilian boat also carried troops who were to replace the Philippine forces aboard the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal.

The harassment came amid heightened tension between the Philippines and China over a disputed part of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), reports said. The Philippines announced last week it will file a case against China over the disputed South China Sea before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague next week, subjecting Beijing to international legal scrutiny over the increasingly tense waters for the first time.

The Philippine government is seeking a ruling to confirm its right to exploit the waters in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as allowed under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), its team of lawyers said.

Legal experts said a ruling against China by the five-member panel of the Permanent Court of Arbitration could prompt other claimants to challenge Beijing. They added that while legally binding, any ruling would effectively be unenforceable as there is no body under UNCLOS to police such decisions.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to parts of the potentially energy-rich waters.

China, which has refused to participate in the case, claims about 90 percent of the South China Sea, displaying its reach on official maps with a so-called nine-dash line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia, reports said.

The UN convention gives a country 12 nautical miles of territorial control that includes sovereign rights to explore, exploit and manage natural resources within 200 miles.

China claims several reefs and shoals in Manila’s EEZ, reports said.

Source: Gma News Online

Image Credit: www.philstar.com