Navy lets Chinese boats take shelter

Patrol ships have allowed nine Chinese fishing vessels to seek shelter at the Philippine-claimed Scarbo-rough Shoal in the South China Sea to escape bad weather, the Philippine Navy said yesterday.

"We have tolerated the fishing vessels seeking refuge in a lagoon due to bad weather prevailing in the area, but we are still monitoring them for illegal activities," Navy chief Vice Adm. Luisito Fernandez said.

He clarified that only nine Chinese vessels entered the shoal on March 8, contrary to earlier reports that a Navy patrol ship sighted 16.

Fernandez said Patrol Ship 31 will remain in the area to make sure the Chinese fishing boats leave when the weather improves.

"Until then we will monitor them for any activities in violation of Philippine maritime, fishing and environmental laws," he said.

The Navy chief said one of the boats lifted anchor and left last Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Philippine government has asked Beijing to pull out the remaining fishing vessels anchored at the shoal.

Foreign Undersecretary Lauro Baja said they had asked Philippine ambassador to Beijing Romualdo Ong to inform the Chinese envoy to Manila, Fu Ying, about the vessels monitored last week on Scarborough Shoal.

Fu is in Beijing for a vacation.

Baja said Manila has asked its envoy to tell Beijing about the "importance of avoiding another incident" on the shoal, where the Navy rammed and sank a Chinese boat last year and chased off another with gunfire last month.

He said the Philippines would hold off filing a diplomatic protest while waiting for a reply to their request that the fishing boats be pulled out.

Scarborough Shoal, which is claimed by both the Philippines and China, is a rich fishing ground located 125 nautical miles off the province of Zambales, or well-within the country's 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

The two countries also own rival claims to the Spratly group of islands to the southwest of the shoal.

Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado attributed the increased "foreign intrusion" to the fishing season.

"We will step up patrols despite our limited capabilities," he said.

The Navy has avoided confronting the Chinese ships, and has instead simply taken photographs of their activities.

In the past, the Navy had either rammed, chased away or detained Chinese fishing vessels which intruded into Philippine-claimed areas in the Spratlys, drawing formal protests and warnings from Beijing. --