RP asks China: Restrain fishers in Scarborough

The Philippines urged China yesterday to restrain its fishermen from venturing into disputed islands in the Spratly archipelago to prevent a recurrence of incidents that continually strain bilateral relations.

This developed as Manila ordered an inquiry on the reported encounter between a Philippine Navy destroyer-escort and two Chinese fishing boats allegedly found poaching in the disputed Scarborough Shoal off Zambales.

The naval craft Rajah Humabon tried to accost the fishing boats, but the latter went into evasive maneuvers, prompting the patrol craft to fire warning shots to avoid a collision.

"There seems to be a violation of a standing order to make sure that there would not be any action which would be interpreted as acts of provocation," Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said.

Navy chief Vice Adm. Luisito Fernandez said the Rajah Humabon aimed the shots well away from the Chinese boats to avoid any risk of accidental damage, and used its smallest caliber gun.

He said the fishing boats refused to respond to attempts to contact them by radio and flash signal lights.

Fernandez also said the boats stopped after the warning shots were fired and that his men decided not to board the Chinese boats as it was already dark.

The boats were then allowed to leave the area.

Beijing was reportedly preparing a diplomatic protest over the incident, the second between the Philippine Navy and Chinese fishing boats near the Scarborough Shoal over the past few days.

Last Jan. 26, Navy men boarded two Chinese fishing vessels near the shoal and ordered them out.

Navy boats also sunk two Chinese fishing vessels in separate collisions in the disputed territory -- one in May and another in July.

The Navy claimed the collisions were accidental.

"Scarborough Shoal, which is located some 120 nautical miles from Zambales province in Luzon is part of Philippine territory," Foreign Affairs spokesman George Reyes said in a statement.

"The Philippines and China already reached an understanding in the recent past that both sides will exercise self-restraint and will not take actions that would further complicate the situation," the statement added.

Mercado stressed that any controversy arising from the territorial dispute would be settled through diplomatic channels of both countries.

China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei are claiming the Spratlys island chain, some wholly, some partially.