Philippines states coastguard workers armed with knives and spears boarded their ships in Second Thomas Shoal conflict.
Published On 20 Jun 2024
The Philippines hasactually implicated the China Coast Guard of acting “like pirates”, stating workers armed with knives and spears boarded their resupply vessels at Second Thomas Shoal in the mostcurrent fight in the contested South China Sea.
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces General Romeo Brawner stated the event took location on June 17 as Filipino soldiers tried to resupply sailors stationed on the Sierra Madre, which Manila grounded on the reef in 1999.
“The Chinese Coast Guard workers had bladed weapons and our workers combated with bare hands,” he composed in a declaration on Facebook on Wednesday. “We were surpassed and their weapons were unforeseen however our workers battled with whatever that they had.”
The Philippines stated one of their sailors was terribly hurt, and the boats were harmed.
Brawner stated the coastguard had acted like pirates.
“Only pirates do this,” he stated. “Only pirates board, take, and ruin ships, devices, and personalbelongings.”
The scenario at Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within the Philippines’ unique financial zone (EEZ) about 195km (121 miles) from the western Philippine island of Palawan, hasactually endedupbeing progressively stuffed in current months with China trying to interferewith the Philippines’ routine objectives to the Sierra Madre.
Beijing rejected its workers acted wrongly.
“The law enforcement action taken by China Coast Guard on the scene was expert and restrained,” Spokesman Lin Jian stated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ routine news conference on Wednesday, stating they were attempting to stop a resupply objective that was “illegal”.
CSAFP: ‘OUR TROOPS FOUGHT BACK’
General Romeo Brawner Jr, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, stated that soldiers performing a rotation and resupply objective at the BRP Sierra Madre (LS57) at Ayungin Shoal on June 17 combated back with “everything that they had.” pic.twitter.com/fu6Ep4CPjp
— Armed Forces of the Philippines (@TeamAFP) June 19, 2024
Lin implicated the Philippines of sendingout building product and “even weapons and ammo” to the rusting ship.
“China advises the Philippines to stop its violation and justification at