|
Philippines says
Chinese frigate stuck on its shoal
AP, MANILA
The Philippines says a Chinese warship entered an area it claims in the South
China Sea and ran aground on a shoal, as tensions continue between the two
nations over a separate territorial dispute.
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said yesterday
that Manila wanted Beijing to explain why the Chinese frigate became stuck on
Half Moon Shoal, about 110km from the western province of Palawan.
¡§We need to find out what really happened with the Chinese frigate in our
territory,¡¨ Hernandez said.
He said the Philippine embassy in Beijing has been instructed to inform China¡¦s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Manila is ¡§willing to help the frigate get out
of there.¡¨
Philippine Department of Defense spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said a military
aircraft spotted six other Chinese ships near the stricken vessel yesterday.
¡§We are seeking a clarification from the Chinese what these ships are doing in
the area, though it can be assumed that these are out for rescue,¡¨ he said.
China¡¦s foreign ministry said in a brief statement on its Web site that no one
was injured when the accident occurred on Wednesday as the ship was patroling
near the shoal.
Brigadier General Elmer Amon, deputy chief of the Philippine military¡¦s Western
Command, said the frigate appeared to be in distress and a coast guard vessel
had moved within sight of the ship to provide any assistance.
He said the outcropping, called Hasa Hasa Shoal in the Philippines, is well
within Manila¡¦s territory.
Earlier this year, Manila and Beijing became locked in a tense months-long naval
standoff at Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, ¶À©¥®q), another area claimed by
both nations, as well as Taiwan, in the South China Sea, after the Philippines
accused Chinese fishermen of poaching in its waters.
|
