AFP, PCG deplore China water cannon attack

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday expressed grave concern over China Coast Guard’s (CCG) “excessive and unlawful actions” when it used water cannon against Filipino resupply vessels near Ayungin Shoal on Saturday.

“One of our chartered supply boats was blocked and water cannoned by a CCG vessel yesterday (Saturday), August 5, while en route to Ayungin Shoal for a routine troop rotation and resupply mission (RORE),” Col. Medel Aguilar, spokesperson of the AFP, said in a statement.

Aguilar was referring to the incident when CCG water cannoned Philippine vessels escorting boats delivering supplies to AFP personnel stationed on BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

Aguilar said the CCG vessel took an unlawful action without thinking of the safety of those aboard.

The move, he said, was “in wanton disregard of the safety of the people on board and in violation of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.”

The Philippine Coast Guard also condemned the CCG’s “dangerous” actions.

“The Philippine Coast Guard strongly condemns the CCG’s dangerous maneuvers and illegal use of water cannons against the PCG vessels escorting the indigenous boats chartered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said in a separate statement.

The PCG urged CCG to “restrain its forces, respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, refrain from hampering freedom of navigation, and take appropriate actions against those involved in the incident.”

“We ask that China Coast Guard, as an organization with a responsibility to observe state obligations under UNCLOS, COLREGs (Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea), and other relevant instruments of international maritime safety and security, to cease all illegal activities within the maritime zones of the Philippines,” Tarriela said.

Following the attack, the second supply was unable to complete its mission.

“Because of the CCG’s dangerous maneuvers, the second supply boat was not able to unload the supplies and could not complete the RORE mission,” Aguilar added.
He urged the CCG and the Central Military Commission, China’s highest national defense organization, “to act with prudence and be responsible in their actions to prevent miscalculations and accidents that will endanger people’s lives.” PNA