Chinese, Viet vessels sighted anew in South China Sea

There they go again.

Vietnamese and Chinese cargo and fishing vessels have been sighted again by the military near islands and islets claimed by the Philippines in the Spratly island group in the South China Sea.

Military reports said two Vietnamese fishing vessels were spotted near Parola Island, or Northwest Cay, one of the Philippine-held territories in the Spratlys.

One of the Vietnamese boats was seen only 1,700 yards southeast of Parola Island, while the other Vietnamese boat was anchored five miles southwest of the island, near a cargo vessel.

The cargo vessel was sighted two miles southwest of Parola and had been anchored there since it arrived on July 12. The military reports did not mention the cargo ship’s purpose for being in the area.

Military officials said they are alarmed about the increasing frequency and presence of foreign vessels in the Philippine-claimed territories

Besides the ship sightings off Parola island, military reports also said two more Vietnamese fishing vessels were seen near Lawak Island, also claimed by the Philippines.

One of the Vietnamese fishing vessels was observed to have been anchored only 1,000 yards northeast of Lawak Island since the night of Aug. 11. The other Vietnamese ship arrived on the morning of Aug. 14 and put down anchor in the same area.

Meanwhile, three Chinese fishing vessels were also observed near Pagasa, the largest Philippine-claimed island in the Spratly group.

Military reports showed that one Hainan-class fishing boat was seen five miles east of the island on Aug. 9. Two other Hainan-class fishing vessels arrived three days later and put down anchor near the first fishing boat, the military report said.

A Hong Kong-based fishing boat was also seen two days later on Kota, another Philippine-claimed island. The vessel was anchored approximately 1,000 yards northeast of the island.

China and the other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member-countries claiming the Spratly Islands, either partly or totally, are now in negotiations to draft a non-binding declaration on the South China Sea to prevent new occupations in the disputed area.

The Spratlys – which are believed to contain large and commercially viable deposits of natural gas and crude oil – are being claimed, in whole or in part, by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.