China's state-sponsored poachers will be back

From latest reports, most of the Chinese state-sponsored poachers have left the vicinity of Pagasa Island in the West Philippine Sea. Their ships’ holds engorged with live corals and giant sea turtles, they’ve had their fill — for now. They will be back. For, they met no resistance from weak Philippine patrols. International sanctions perhaps could stop the rapacious Chinese economy from destroying regional fisheries.

Like barbarians of old pillaging frontier settlements, the Chinese marauders departed only for momentary storm shelter. Circumstances embolden them to return. To begin with, the Chinese government abets their illegal harvesting of endangered marine species. Two official vessels had escorted the 30 poaching launches that arrived in China’s Subi Reef garrison a week ago. From there the poachers fanned out to the Spratly archipelago. (That same week south in the Paracel archipelago China refortified Woody Island as the new military seat of its unfounded claim to the entire sea.)

Pagasa, center of the Philippine municipality of Kalayaan Islands, is 12 nautical miles northeast of Subi. Nine of the poaching ships lingered for days half a mile off Pagasa, raucously hauling in what are forbidden the world over. When the fleet departed Saturday, two ships stayed on. It’s as if the Chinese are taunting the Filipino islanders: stop us if you can. Kalayaan mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr. has cautioned constituents against taking the law into their hands and confronting the plunderers. Philippine sailors stationed in Pagasa could only videotape the poaching. To act would have militarized the situation, and fallen for Beijing’s ploy.

Beijing had laid such a trap last April farther to the east, in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal just off Luzon. Philippine aircraft spotted nine Chinese launches loading corals, turtles and giant clams deep inside the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone. With no other patrol nearby, a passing Philippine Navy ship was tasked to inspect the trespassers. In a flash three Chinese government vessels appeared and cut the Philippine ship’s path. When the latter departed to let the Coast Guard take over the police matter, Beijing took it as a signal for further aggression. It dispatched up to a hundred more state-sanctioned poaching craft, backed by a dozen government vessels.

To this day the Chinese vessels remain in Panatag. Beijing is waiting for the weather to clear, in order to build permanent military structures on the pretext of protecting fishermen. Squatting is the next step to state-approved poaching. This was how China encroached in the Philippines’ Panganiban (Mischief) Reef in 1995.

In the oil-rich Recto (Reed) Bank to the south of Panatag, China is employing state-organized piracy. Twice last year Chinese government ships threatened to ram a Filipino research vessel and a fishing craft in what again is within the Philippine EEZ. If Manila blinks, China would grab the offshore oilfields.

Chinese pillaging in the Spratlys, Paracels and Philippine coasts is destroying regional fisheries. In coral reefs spawn and feed fish and shellfish. Thus fishers are bound by tradition, science and laws to protect such habitats. Killing sharks, rare giant clams and turtles only for gourmet soup, and gathering corals for jewelry and home decor upset the marine ecosystem. International treaties prohibit the harvest and trade in endangered species in order to conserve food resources for all nations and future generations. Responsible governments have the duty to enforce the pacts. China, however, thinks nothing of other countries, and beyond its present food needs.

It is high time that international conservation groups denounce China’s destructive ways. Also, for the United Nations to devise sanctions. Mayor Bito-onon is showing how. He is calling on the Coral Triangle Initiative — consisting of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines — to take a stand against China’s indiscriminate reaping and ruin of limited resources. The Coral Triangle hosts the world’s highest marine biodiversity; in it are caught nearly half of the world’s tuna supply.

In the wake of Chinese military intrusions in Philippine waters, Rep. Rodolfo Biazon has suggested that Manila ask for U.N. peacekeeping forces. Perhaps countries affected by China’s sea poaching can seek instead U.N. environmental patrols. U.N. vessels shall interdict state-sponsored poachers. This would teach China its true role in the U.N. Security Council. That is, to ensure world stability, including food security, via self-restraint. China cannot go on provoking countries like Russia and Palau to drive away its sea poachers with machineguns.

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More on the present crime situation, from PNP Director-General Nicanor Bartolome:

• The Metro Manila police claims that someone goofed in reporting a 63.8-percent surge in crime in the first half of 2012, compared to the same period last year. The correct figure should be 36.8 percent — and that’s still high. The regional police brass has been told to double-time their crime fighting.

• Crime gangs are able to pull off six to eight robberies, carjacks, or assassinations before they’re busted. The notorious Sabater syndicate committed 20 holdups and hijacks in Cavite before all members were killed. Stronger crime busting has been ordered.

• As redefined, “crime solving” does not end with identifying the suspects and filing charges. At least one suspect must be arrested, for a case to be considered closed.

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