By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — A Chinese maritime militia vessel and 22 sampans were driven out of the territorial sea of Kota Island in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) after Philippine maritime forces confronted the group over unauthorized fishing and alleged waste dumping near the island’s shoreline, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported Friday.
The operation, conducted by the PCG with the Philippine Navy and Philippine Marine Corps, forced the Chinese vessels to withdraw approximately 3.5 nautical miles from Kota Island after a two-hour encounter that included the Chinese mothership maneuvering around two Philippine rubber boats.
PCG personnel monitoring the island spotted the 22 sampans at about 3 p.m., positioned approximately 0.55 nautical miles northwest of Kota Island. The closest fishing boat was only 250 meters from the shoreline, placing it well within the island’s 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, according to the agency.
The PCG also reported that the Chinese vessels were dumping waste into the sea.
Two PCG rubber boats were dispatched at around 3:30 p.m. to confront the group and compel its departure. During the operation, the Chinese maritime militia vessel, identified as CMMV 9622, circled and encircled the Philippine boats, while its master signaled the Filipino personnel to leave.
The PCG team continued the operation, driving the sampans away one by one. One vessel initially refused to withdraw, resulting in contact during the encounter, but no injuries or damage were reported. The sampan eventually complied.
By 5:30 p.m., all 22 sampans and the Chinese mothership had moved approximately 3.5 nautical miles away from Kota Island and proceeded northwest, the PCG said.
The Coast Guard identified CMMV 9622 as the same Chinese maritime militia vessel that Philippine personnel had repelled from Kota Island approximately two weeks earlier.
The agency condemned the latest activity as a “blatant violation of the territorial sea of Kota Island and an affront to Philippine sovereignty,” underscoring that one of the sampans had been operating just 250 meters from the shore.
The PCG said foreign vessels are prohibited from fishing within the island’s territorial sea without Philippine authorization, citing the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.
It also rejected the Chinese vessel master’s assertion that the waters belonged to China, saying the claim had no basis under international law.
Kota Island falls under the Municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan and lies within the Spratly Islands, a disputed area of the South China Sea.
The PCG said it would continue surveillance operations around the Kalayaan Island Group and remain vigilant against further incursions by foreign vessels.
The latest encounter marks another confrontation involving Chinese maritime militia forces near a Philippine-held island, with the Coast Guard reiterating its position that unauthorized fishing and other activities within the island’s territorial sea violate Philippine sovereignty and applicable laws.
IA/XF
