Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Hidden Article

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

Bayan Muna protests against China’s excursions in Scarborough Shoal

INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO | 12.05.2012 02:11 | Analysis | Anti-militarism | Ocean Defence | South Coast | World

The progressive party-list Bayan Muna is protesting against China’s excursions in Panatag or Scarborough Shoal saying that China should order its vessels to leave the area and stop harassing Filipino fishermen.








Bayan Muna Representatives Teddy Casiño and Neri Colmenares have filed House Resolution 2330 assailing China for its latest incursions and investigating the failure of government to assert the country’s sovereignty and enforce illegal fishing laws against the Chinese fishermen.

On April 8, 2012 twelve Chinese fishing vessels were found in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a triangle-shaped cluster of reefs and islands 137 miles (220 km) away from Palauig, Zambales. Found trespassing and illegally harvesting marine life in Philippine waters, the Chinese fishermen were to be arrested for poaching by Philippine authorities on board BRP Gregorio del Pilar. However, two surveillance vessels were sent by China to the area, ensuing a standoff as Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario and Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing’s talks to resolve the matter was similarly left at an impasse;

Photographs released by the Philippine Navy showed Chinese fishermen standing on top of their catch, mostly giant clam shells. Corals and live sharks were also photographed. On April 11, BRP Gregorio del Pilar withdrew from Panatag Shoal, supposedly for fueling and reprovisioning, as another Chinese ship entered.

In the following days, Del Rosario said he had told Ambassador Ma that the government will allow the fishing vessels to return to China “following the confiscation of their harvest of endangered species by our authorities.” For his part, Ma said they would need to subject the boats to their own inspection.

On April 13, the fishing boats and a surveillance ship freely left the disputed area without the confiscation of the large amount of illegal catch.

“The Chinese hardened their position and Beijing is now insisting that Panatag shoal belongs to them. We also do not want to go to war, but we must assert our sovereignty, through whatever means we can. The Chinese might be bullying us but we must stand our ground. We must have our dignity as a nation intact; it is with this that our ASEAN friends and the international community will see that we are on a moral and righteous high ground and come to our aid,” Casino said.

He cautioned, however, against bringing in the United States into the conflict. “This matter is best settled between China and the Philippines through diplomatic means and using the international conventions. We do not need another bully like the US in our backyard.”

The lawmaker said that besides bringing the matter to the attention of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the Aquino administration, including Congress, should also assert the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea which was signed in 2002 by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the People’s Republic of China aimed at easing tensions in the region and serving as a foundation for future negotiations.

“There is also a need to explore possible solutions to the continued infringement of Philippine territory, especially those that may require legislation or even diplomatic initiatives involving members of the legislative branch. Though at the same time we must we make it clear to the Chinese government that we will not take this sitting down and they should expect protest actions against them,” Casiño said.

In the meantime, other patriotic organizations have pointed out that there should be no question on the territorial claim of the Philippines on the Panatag Shoal which is located within the country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, as stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Based on Unclos, the coastal state has “sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, of the waters” 200 nautical miles from its coast. The coastal state will also have jurisdiction over “the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures; marine scientific research; and the protection and preservation of the marine environment.

“The actions of China are the latest in a series of blatant infringements on Philippine territory targeting our rich marine, mineral and energy deposits. At the minimum, Aquino should demand that China order its fishermen to return their illegal catch, in accordance with the provisions of the UNCLOS. If China is serious in de-escalating the situation they should admit their mistake, return the illegal catch to Philippine authorities as a sign of good will, and respect the Philippines’ authority over the area as provided by local and international laws,” said Casino.

INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech