Christmas convoy to Lawak Islands aborted due to circling China vessels

The Atin Ito Coalition, which was on the way to bring gifts to Philippine soldiers stationed in the Lawak Islands, on Sunday decided to abort the mission due to the Chinese ships that circled the local vessels.

As reported by Jonathan Andal on “24 Oras Weekend,” the captain of the civilian ship M/V Kapitan Felix Oca decided to turn around after 16 hours of sailing from El Nido, Palawan, as three Chinese vessels surrounded them — two warships, and one Coast Guard ship.

The ship was supposed to reach the Lawak Islands — part of the Philippine territory — on Monday to deliver Christmas gifts to soldiers patrolling the area. The Atin Ito Coalition said it planned to send the gifts through other means.

According to Akbayan, the primary vessel started to be shadowed by Chinese vessels at 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, south of the Kayumanggi Bank.

In a separate statement, the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) reported harassment and dangerous maneuvers by the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) on a separate resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre at the Ayungin Shoal.

“CCG vessel 5204 deployed a water cannon against the Philippine supply vessels causing severe damage to M/L Kalayaan’s engines, disabling the vessel and seriously endangering the lives of its crew,” the statement read.

The Unaizah Mae 1 (UM1) was also reported to have been subjected to “reckless and dangerous harassment at close range,” and rammed by CCG 21566 during the incident.

“The Task Force reiterates that Ayungin Shoal is a low-tide elevation within the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, in accordance with UNCLOS as upheld by the 2016 Arbitral Award,” the NTF-WPS said.

“As a low tide elevation, Avungin Shoal can neither be the subject of a sovereignty claim nor is it capable of appropriation under international law. China cannot lawfully exercise sovereignty over it,” it added.

This comes nearly a decade after the Philippines in 2013 challenged China over its claims on the West Philippine Sea, where Manila scored a victory and a landmark ruling by an international tribunal which invalidated Beijing’s claims.

China has refused to acknowledge the ruling, with a number of its vessels spotted in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal in the Philippine territory, as earlier reported by the Western Command.

“In this regard, the assertion of China that its actions in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal are a legitimate exercise of law enforcement measures, has no basis in international law,” the NTF-WPS said.

“Further, we express grave concern over the deliberate disinformation conducted through official channels that distort facts on the ground,” it added.

The NTF-WPS also condemned what it described as the latest in “unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers,” which it said “puts into question and significant doubt the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue.”

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xillian last December said China would continue to adhere to what it described as “friendly consultation” with the Philippines regarding the “swarming” of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

For his part, maritime security expert Ray Powell lauded the Philippines for its “assertive transparency campaign,” publishing photos and videos of incidents in the West Philippine Sea involving Chinese vessels.

“First of all, it’s resulted in the building of a lot of natural resilience, they’ve also resulted in a lot of international support,” he said in a separate report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

“It may take a little while for China to adjust and figure out that what it’s doing right now is hurting it more than it’s helping,” he added.

Several countries — led by the United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada — earlier expressed support for Manila and criticized China's actions in the string of several reported incidents of harassment against Philippine vessels this year. — DVM, GMA Integrated News