Arroyo: Probe Spratly killings

President Arroyo ordered the military yesterday to investigate the killings of four fishermen, believed to be Chinese, near the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly islands.

The four Chinese fishermen were shot and killed while three others were wounded while fishing near the Spratlys on April 27.

The victims were from the Chinese island province of Hainan and the nationality of the attackers is unknown, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

All the equipment on the Chinese fishermen’s boat, including radios and navigation apparatus, were taken. An investigation was underway, according to Xinhua.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Mrs. Arroyo wanted an investigation report on the killings as soon as possible.

He added the Chinese and Philippine governments were still trying to verify the nationality of the assailants.

Ermita though stressed there was no indication that Philippine Navy personnel posted in the Spratlys carried out the attacks as some news reports suggest.

"It’s really not correct to assume that Philippine Navy personnel there are responsible because as people are saying, the attackers could very well have been pirates operating in the area," Ermita said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Western Command (Wescom) chief Rear Admiral Tirso Danga has taken the initiative to investigate the possible involvement of the Navy in the incident.

AFP spokesman Maj. Gen. Jose Angel Honrado said Danga initiated the probe since he has jurisdiction over the Kalayaan group of islands in the Spratlys, declared by the government as part of Philippine territory.

"Admiral Danga started the investigation on his own. That’s his area," Honrado said.

Honrado admitted though he is at a loss over the incident.

He said the military top brass is not expecting any results from the investigation within 24 hours.

"Well, I guess the investigation has started… Now as to the specifics, I don’t know," Honrado said.

"You don’t expect results in 24 hours, do you?" he said when pressed on the possible timetable for the investigation results.

Earlier, AFP chief Gen. Generoso Senga appealed to critics not to prematurely blame the military for the assault.

Senga said there is no initial basis to pinpoint the military as responsible for the attack last week.

Navy spokesman Capt. Geronimo Malabanan claimed the Navy had no boats in the area as they were all patrolling Malampaya gas fields off the western coast.

If indeed the attack occurred, the incident would have been reported to Navy headquarters, Malabanan stressed.

Expressing doubts that the incident occurred within Philippine waters, Malabanan said they have made verifications with various naval units in Palawan and in Northern Luzon.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Chinese consular officials had admitted being uncertain of the nationality of the attackers or the vessel involved since it "had no flag or identifying marks."

DFA spokesman Gilberto Asuque said the DFA has informed the Navy and Coast Guard of the communication made by Beijing to the Philippine Embassy to investigate the attack.

China is among the countries laying claim to the 100 small islands or reefs in the South China Sea. Other claimants are Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, which calls the disputed area the Kalayaan Group of Islands (KIG).

All claimants but Brunei have troops posted in parts of the Spratlys, believed to be rich in oil and gas reserves.

The conflicting claims have led to a series of squabbles, including a 2002 incident when Vietnam fired warning shots at Philippine military planes and a number of spats over fishermen crossing into the wrong waters. - AP, Jaime Laude