Jun 19, 2024 - 16:09
By manilatimes.net

8 navy men hurt after Chinese block supply mission

AT least eight Filipino naval personnel were injured, including one who reportedly lost a finger, after Chinese vessels prevented Philippine ships from carrying out a routine rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission to its troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on Monday, June 17.

According to reports, members of the Philippine Naval Special Operations Group sustained injuries after the Chinese People's Liberation Army-Navy, China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese maritime militia vessels intercepted the six Filipino ships conducting the mission.

CCG personnel even boarded one of the rigid-hulled inflatable boats and confiscated the weapons of the Filipino troops onboard.

This shows the BRP Sierra Madre of the Philippine Navy anchored near Ayungin Shoal with Filipino soldiers onboard to secure perimeter in the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea on May 11, 2015. PHOTO BY RITCHIE B. TONGO/POOL PHOTO VIA AP

The CCG personnel later allegedly punctured at least four RHIBs to prevent them from completing their mission.

One of the Philippine vessels was also reportedly rammed and later towed by the CCG to an area far from Ayungin.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine Coast Guard, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), and other concerned government agencies have yet to confirm the reports and have not issued details about the incident in contrast to previous maritime encounters with China during which videos and photographs were immediately released to the public.

China and the Philippines, meanwhile, traded blame over the incident.

Beijing accused Manila of violating its commitments by deploying a supply ship and two inflatable boats to Ayungin, which the Chinese call Ren'ai Reef, attempting to deliver supplies to a Philippine warship grounded there for 24 years.

It said during the process, the Philippine supply ship «dangerously approached and deliberately collided» with a normally navigating Chinese vessel.

The Philippines, on the other hand, accused China of disrupting a routine RoRe mission through the «illegal and aggressive actions of Chinese maritime forces.»