A fishing vessel with 22 Filipino fishermen on board was rammed by a Chinese fishing vessel and sank at the Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
All of the distressed fishermen were later rescued by a Vietnamese boat.
The defense chief condemned the incident, which happened on Sunday, and called for a thorough investigation, while pushing for diplomatic actions.
“We call for the conduct of a formal investigation on the matter and for diplomatic steps be taken to prevent a repeat of this incident,” he said in news statement issued on Wednesday.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. subsequently tweeted a brief condemnation of the Chinese action, while praising the Vietnamese.
The incident involving Filipino and Chinese fishermen was the first in the country’s territory, which is being claimed by China, since Chinese maritime militias masquerading as fishermen have reportedly swarmed in that area.
Lorenzana, in the same news statement, said the “collision between a Chinese and Filipino vessel [F/B Gimver 1] was reported by Filipino fishermen near the Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea on the evening of June 9, 2019. The collision sank the Filipino vessel.”
“We denounce the actions of the Chinese fishing vessel for immediately leaving the scene of the incident, abandoning the 22 Filipino crewmen to the mercy of the elements. The F/B Gimver 1 was anchored at the time when it was hit by the Chinese fishing vessel,” he said.
The defense chief said a Vietnamese fishing vessel, which was near the vicinity, rescued all 22 fishermen and brought them to safety, in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command.
“The BRP Ramon Alcaraz, which was conducting a routine maritime patrol in the area, was ordered to assist in the recovery of F/B Gimver 1 and its crew,” Lorenzana said.
In his tweet, Locsin said, “I take my cue from Defense Secretary Lorenzana. What is contemptible and condemnable is the abandonment of the crew to the elements.”
Locsin added that the “Vietnamese rescue will be the basis of enhanced Vietnam-Philippines military cooperation.”
While Lorenzana thanked the Vietnamese vessel and its crewmen for saving the Filipino fishermen, he strongly protested the action of the Chinese fishing vessel and its crew.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the cowardly action of the suspected Chinese fishing vessel and its crew for abandoning the Filipino crew. This is not the expected action from a responsible and friendly people,” he said.
2 comments
Earlier this year Chinese vessel rescues Filipino fishermen, they “thanked the Chinese for rescuing them and saving their properties as they towed back their fishing boats without claiming any charges.
inhuman acts of the chinese fishermen and should be punish by the chinese government and be banned from fishing within the exclusive economic zone of the philippine government.