PH hits China bullying of Viet fishers

A China Coast Guard ship monitors Philippine fishermen aboard their wooden boats during the distribution of fuel and food to fishers by the civilian-led mission Atin Ito (This Is Ours) Coalition, in the disputed South China Sea on May 16, 2024. A Philippine boat convoy bearing supplies for Filipino fishers said they were headed back to port May 16, ditching plans to sail to a Beijing-held reef off the Southeast Asian country after one of their boats was "constantly shadowed" by a Chinese vessel. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday denounced the use of force in the South China Sea after Vietnamese fishermen were beaten up by Chinese maritime law enforcers.

The DFA told reporters it is aware of the Sept. 29 incident where 10 Vietnamese fishermen fishing in the waters of Paracel Islands were allegedly beaten up by Chinese personnel using iron bars.

“The Philippines has consistently denounced the use of force, aggression and intimidation in the South China Sea, and emphasized the need for actors to exercise genuine self-restraint,” the DFA said.

“It is a paramount obligation to ensure the safety at sea of vessels and their crew, especially fisherfolk,” the DFA added.

The Vietnam Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned the “brutal behavior” of the Chinese law enforcers.

According to reports by local newspapers in Vietnam, there were 40 attackers that ganged up on the fisherfolk with the incident lasting for three hours. One fisherman had a broken leg while two others suffered broken arms.

A total of $20,000 (P1.1 million) worth of equipment and fish were also stolen by the perpetrators, the reports added.

Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) early this week didn’t deny the incident but said the reports were “not in line with the facts.” The MFA said the operation by their Chinese enforcers were “professional and restrained.”

China claims practically all of the South China Sea including the Paracel Islands and the West Philippine Sea where the Philippine Coast Guard has also experienced several incidents of harassment by the China Coast Guard (CCG).

Last June, a Filipino navy officer lost a thumb during an encounter with CCG personnel in Ayungin (Second Thomas) shoal, which is within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The South China Sea is a resource-rich waterway that is wholly claimed by China and partially by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

The 2016 Arbitral Award reaffirmed the Philippines’ EEZ and rejected China’s sweeping claims for having “no legal basis” in international law. INQ