MANILA, Oct 4 (Reuters) – The Philippine Coast Guard said on Sunday Chinese vessels obstructed a Philippine law enforcement operation against a foreign fishing vessel suspected of dynamite fishing near the Manila-held Thitu Island in the South China Sea.
It described the presence of a Chinese navy helicopter as an “unnecessary act of intimidation”. It was the latest in a series of recent maritime confrontations between Manila and Beijing.
• The operation involved personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Navy and Philippine National Police Maritime Group responding to a report of suspected blast fishing near Sandy Cays 2 and 3, about three nautical miles west of Thitu Island, known in the Philippines as Pag-asa.
• The PCG said two China Coast Guard vessels sounded their horns, radio-challenged the Philippine team and later shadowed and blocked its boats. A People’s Liberation Army Navy helicopter also circled above the Philippine personnel four times.
• The Philippine team ordered the foreign fishing vessel to stop and radioed it several times, but the vessel ignored the orders and sailed southwest toward Subi Reef, one of seven artificial islands China has built in the Spratlys to support its sovereignty claims.
• Philippine authorities ended the pursuit for safety reasons and returned to Thitu.
• The PCG said the China Coast Guard had “no law enforcement authority” in the territorial sea of Thitu and said its actions “made it easier for a suspected violator to escape”. It also rejected any Chinese claim that its vessels had been expelled from the area.
• At just 37 hectares (0.14 square miles), the coral-fringed Thitu is the largest and most prized of the nine Philippines-held features in the Spratly archipelago, located 450 km (280 miles) from the mainland.
• Separately, the military said a Chinese J-16 fighter jet repeatedly approached and manoeuvred close to a Philippine patrol aircraft over the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Saturday, creating an aviation safety risk.
• The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the incident was part of a “recurring pattern of unsafe and coercive behaviour” against Philippine vessels and aircraft conducting lawful operations.
• The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the weekend incidents.
(Reporting by Karen Lema ; Additional reporting by Greg Torode; Editing by Sonali Paul)
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