Ship evades Chinese blockade Mission accomplished to resupply, rotate troops in Ayungin Shoal Philippine soldiers aboard a civilian vessel engaged on Saturday in a dramatic nearly two-hour standoff with Chinese Coast Guard ships near the disputed Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal claimed by both countries, an incident witnessed by journalists on board the Philippine vessel and a Philippine military plane circling the area. Around an hour away from Ayungin, a Chinese Coast Guard ship twice crossed the bow of the smaller Philippine vessel in an attempt to stop it from proceeding. It radioed the Filipinos, telling them to stop entering “Chinese territory.” But the Filipino captain maneuvered to shallow waters where the Chinese vessel, with a much larger displacement, could not follow without the risk of running aground. The Philippine vessel finally slipped past the Chinese blockade to reach Ayungin Shoal, where a handful of Philippine Marines are stationed in a Navy vessel that has been grounded there since 1999 to assert Philippine sovereignty. The military said the civilian ship, a research vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) with soldiers on board, completed its mission to deliver fresh supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre and rotate the troops. Mission accomplished “They were able to pass through the Chinese Coast Guard vessel and the mission is a success,” Cherryl Tindog, a spokesperson for the military’s Western Command, told AFP. “We have successfully resupplied and rotated the troops,” she said. Four Chinese vessels had encircled Ayungin Shoal as the Philippine vessel approached, according to the AFP reporter who was on board a Philippine military plane circling the area. Two of the vessels, with “Chinese Coast Guard” written on the hulls, then chased the Philippine boat and tried to block it from reaching the shoal. (from AFP/AP)
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 08:22:49 +0000
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