Navy spots more Chinese vessels

It's like they never left.

Ten more Chinese fishing vessels have been sighted by the military anchored in two islands belonging to the Philippine-claimed Kalayaan Island Group in the South China Sea, reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo said yesterday.

The vessels are believed to be the same ones spotted by the Navy anchored in nearby islands last week, officials said.

In his report, Armed Forces Western Command chief Maj. Gen. Santiago Madrid said Navy surveillance planes first spotted one Chinese fishing vessel anchored about four nautical miles southwest of Rizal Reef (international name: Commodore Reef) last Friday evening.

The next day at 4:25 p.m., five more Chinese fishing vessels were spotted anchored about four nautical miles southwest of the island, which is about 200 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

At Panata Island (Lam Kian Island), which is nearly 300 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa, four Hainan-type fishing vessels were monitored anchored some 1.5 nautical miles from the island.

It can be recalled that last Feb. 26, two Chinese fishing vessels were monitored in the vicinity of Parola Island, one of the islands at the western edge of the Kalayaan island Group.

The two Hainan-type fishing vessels were anchored approximately 1.5 nautical miles east of Parola, also known as North East Cay. The vessels were spotted by a Navy surveillance plane before noon that day.

The island is approximately 140 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa.

And last Feb. 24, two Hong Kong fishing boats were spotted arriving off Panata and Nanshan Islands and had remained there. --