MANILA, Philippines (AP) – A Filipino fishing boat captain protested Tuesday against Chinese coast guard incursions in the disputed South China Sea, demanding that Chinese officials chase him and his men from disputed shoals and dump their catch at sea. He said he ordered it. Ocean.
The January 12 direct confrontation, which Filipino fisherman Joely Salrigan and his men belatedly reported to the Manila Coast Guard after returning from a voyage, is a sign that China and the Philippines are seeking to de-escalate tensions in what could be a flashpoint in Asia. Trying my best.
At meetings in Shanghai, Beijing and Manila on January 17th. agreed to take action The move is aimed at easing tensions after a year of confrontations between ships from both countries over territory on the high seas on one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.of hostilities It has raised concerns of a major armed conflict that could involve Manila’s longtime treaty ally, Washington.
Fishermen led by Sarrigan reported to the Philippine Coast Guard on January 12 that the Chinese coast guard had removed them from the disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwest coast of the Philippines and ordered them to dump their catch and shells into the sea.
The collision occurred on a coral outcrop that juts out into the open sea like an islet at low tide. Sarrigan and his men boarded a dinghy from his mothership and collected shells and fish for food during the voyage. But five Chinese coast guard officers, three armed with iron batons, chased the boat and landed on the island, ordering the fishermen to leave.
A Chinese police officer tried to seize a Filipino fisherman’s cellphone, but the fisherman resisted by pushing the policeman’s hands away. Both sides recorded the confrontation with video cameras and cellphones, Sarrigan said.
“This is Philippine territory. Leave,” Sarrigan said, telling the Chinese coast guard officer, who immediately insisted he leave the shallow water. He said the Chinese were not speaking and were gesturing.
“They seemed angry. They wanted what we caught back into the sea,” Sarrigan told a small group of journalists in Manila, including The Associated Press. “It’s inhumane, because it was food that people shouldn’t have taken away.”
Sarrigan said he decided to throw some of the shells and fish into the sea and return to his mother ship, the F/V Vrail, to prevent the conflict from escalating.
Chinese officials did not immediately comment on Sarrigan’s remarks. However, in past disputes over Scarborough Shoal, Beijing has asserted its sovereignty and right to protect the rich fishing atoll from infringement.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Brigadier General Jay Tarriera said the written statements and videos submitted by Sarrigan and his subordinates were verified as accurate by the coast guard. The report will be submitted to a multi-agency government group tasked with dealing with the long-simmering territorial dispute, which will consider possible actions such as filing a new diplomatic protest against China.
“These actions were simply illegal and the harassment of Filipino fishermen was unacceptable,” Tarriera told a news conference.
However, the Philippine Coast Guard remains confident that the China-Philippines agreement to de-escalate tensions will “have a positive impact” and encourage a peaceful resolution to the long-standing conflict, Tarriera said.
Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels were engaged in a series of alarming and tense battles last year, mainly in offshore waters. Second Thomas Scholl, another hotly contested area in the South China Sea. The Philippine government has repeatedly protested the Chinese Coast Guard’s use of water cannons, military-grade lasers and dangerous interdiction actions that have caused minor skirmishes off the island’s occupied shallow waters.
The United States has warned that it has an obligation to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if its military, ships and aircraft come under armed attack, including in the South China Sea. China has repeatedly warned of unspecified consequences if the United States and its allies continue to intervene in the conflict.
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Associated Press journalists Joel Kalpitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.