Authorities say three Filipino fishermen were injured when the Chinese coast guard fired water cannon at their boats. The incident comes amid rising confrontations in the South China Sea.
Philippines says China coast guard damages fishing vessels
Timothy Jones with Reuters and AFP
Authorities say three Filipino fishermen were injured when the Chinese coast guard fired water cannon at their boats. The incident comes amid rising confrontations in the South China Sea.
Ship with China Coast Guard written on it
A China Coast Guard vessel seen in August in the South China Sea
Three Filipino fishermen were injured and two fishing boats suffered “significant damage” after Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannon at them and cut anchor lines, Philippine authorities said Saturday.
The incident, which involved some 20 Philippine fishing boats, occurred on Friday near the Sabina Shoal, a fish-rich area in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims the South China Sea almost in its entirety in the face of an international ruling that the assertion is legally unfounded.
What was said about the Sabina Shoal incident?
The fishermen were “were targeted with water cannon and dangerous blocking maneuvers,” a Philippine coast guard spokesman said in a statement Saturday.
“Three fishermen sustained physical injuries, including bruises and open wounds. Two [Filipino fishing boats] also suffered significant damage from high-pressure water cannon blasts,” the spokesman, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said in the statement.
“The PCG [Philippine Coast Guard] calls on the Chinese Coast Guard to adhere to internationally recognised standards of conduct, prioritizing the preservation of life at sea over pretensions of law enforcement that jeopardize the lives of innocent fishermen,” Tarriela said.
