Navy seizes dynamite from two Chinese fish boats

Nine sticks of dynamite were seized from two Chinese fishing boats after the Navy boarded them off Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, China warned the Philippines yesterday to stop harassing its fishermen and that continued Navy patrols in the area is a violation of Chinese sovereignty.

Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said yesterday the dynamite was being used by the Chinese to destroy the coral reef within Philippine waters.

"Setting aside the territorial dispute, what should be focused on here is environmental protection," he said. "It is clear that they are destroying the environment by employing these methods."

Navy men also confiscated blasting caps and seaweed from the vessels before they were driven out of Philippine jurisdiction, according to Mercado.

"Instead they (Navy) should persuade intruders to promptly leave the area," he said. "I have directed the Navy to step up its patrols in the area but to avoid direct confrontation against intruders."

The two boats had hidden in Scarborough Shoal, a 16-kilometer rock formation lying within the 340-kilometer Philippine exclusive economic zone, after being chased by the Navy on Tuesday.

Mercado did not say why the Chinese fishermen were allowed to leave despite the fact that they could have been charged for illegally using dynamite in fishing.

"We have hard evidence to show that they have been poaching in Philippine waters," he said. "The UP Marine Science Institute says 20 percent of our fish catch come from the Kalayaan Island Group, including Scarborough Shoal."

He said Chinese Ambassador Fu Ying has assured him that China will deal with the fishermen in accordance with its law, which also bans fishing with dynamite.

"They (the Chinese) have made a commitment to act on it," he said. "She (Fu Ying) has asked that we also give her photographs of the fishing boats that were laden with corals. I expressed to her our concern in the military, that every time there are a number of vessels in the area, they seem to be a precursor of putting up new structures."

At the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. said the government has lodged a diplomatic protest with China over the presence of the boats in Philippine territory. ---