CONFRONTATION These images grabbed from a video by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, show the moment China Coast Guard personnel attacked Philippine Navy personnel at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on Monday. A Filipino Navy man (lower right photo) suffered a serious head injury during the confrontation.
MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine Navy personnel was injured after he was assaulted by members of the China Coast Guard (CCG) during a confrontation at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on Monday, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of National Defense (DND) and the National Task Force for West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) strongly condemned the attack on a Filipino serviceman, which took place well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.
The latest face-off in the West Philippine Sea comes as the foreign ministers of the Philippines and China are set to meet in Manila to de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea.
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According to the AFP, at 9:15 a.m. on Monday, China Coast Guard Vessel (CCGV) 21560 deployed a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) carrying eight personnel that deliberately approached BRP Sierra Madre.
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The CCG officers circled and took photos and videos prompting two AFP rubber boats “to calmly and nonconfrontationally drive it away.”
The CCG RHIB refused to withdraw despite repeated instructions from Philippine Navy personnel to leave the area.
According to the AFP, the situation escalated when CCG personnel “reacted violently and aggressively” by striking a Philippine Navy personnel on the head with a wooden baton, causing an injury and damaging one of the Navy rubber boats.
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‘Acts of aggression’
The military’s Western Command immediately provided medical attention to the injured personnel and is currently coordinating with BRP Sierra Madre to determine the extent of the injuries and whether a medical evacuation is necessary.
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Despite the encounter, the military said its personnel “remained professional and exercised discipline,” while acting in accordance with the Rules of Engagement during the conduct of their lawful mission inside the Philippines’ EEZ.
“The safety and welfare of every Filipino serviceman remain paramount. This latest act of aggression against personnel performing their lawful duties is unacceptable and serves only to heighten tensions and increase the risk of dangerous miscalculation at sea,” the NTF-WPS said in a separate statement.
The DFA said any act of violence against Filipino personnel is “unacceptable and will merit the appropriate diplomatic action.”
For the DND, the latest violence committed by CCG adds to “a clear pattern of provocative and hostile behavior, and further contributes to the People’s Republic of China’s deficit of trust and credibility.”
“Their actions further justify the Department’s position of disengagement—we simply cannot trust this belligerent neighbor,” the DND said of China.
It cited Beijing’s continued violation of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and its disregard of the final and binding 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling on the South China Sea.
According to the DND, it will “continue to monitor and prepare measures to meet this aggression.”
“The professionalism and resolve shown by our military personnel compel us to strengthen our resolve, build up our deterrence, shore up our alliances, and bolster our national commitment to safeguard what is rightfully ours,” the agency said.
Code of Conduct
The BRP Sierra Madre, the rusting but still in active service vessel of the Philippine Navy, was deliberately grounded in 1999 to help secure the country’s assertion of sovereignty over the area of Ayungin—which is some 315 kilometers west of Palawan in the West Philippine Sea, and thus well within the country’s 370-km EEZ.
The latest confrontation between Philippine and Chinese authorities in the West Philippine Sea comes as Manila hosts the 59th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro is set to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week.
The two are expected, among other matters, to discuss ways to dampen escalating tensions in the South China Sea, as Asean finalizes its negotiations and finally adopts a legally binding Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea in the upcoming Asean Summit in Manila this November.
The COC is seen as an instrument that can effectively govern the behavior of parties and prevent hostilities in the disputed waters by updating the nonbinding 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
The AFP would continue its lawful presence and sustainment operations in Ayungin Shoal, while exercising “professionalism, restraint, and fidelity to international law.”
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“No act of coercion or aggression will deter us from carrying out our constitutional mandate or exercising the Philippines’ lawful rights in the West Philippine Sea,” the military said. /cb