China Coast Guard acted 'like pirates' in latest Ayungin incident, says Brawner

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Wednesday likened to "pirates" the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) personnel who recently harassed Filipino troops conducting a resupply mission in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

"For me, this is piracy already, 'no? Piracy. Because they boarded our boats illegally. They got our equipment, 'no? Again... parang mga pirata na po sila doon sa mga ginawa nilang actions na 'yun (they acted like pirates),” Brawner told reporters in Palawan. 

Seven Filipino troops were hurt in the incident last Monday, including one who lost a thumb. CCG personnel also boarded the Philippines' rigid-hulled inflatable boats and seized some firearms, which Brawner said were disassembled and in their gun cases.

Brawner said he wants to remove the impression that the Filipino soldiers only stood by, stressing that they fought "with their bare hands" amid the lack of weapons.

“We saw in the video how the Chinese even threatened our personnel by pointing their knives… Despite this, lumaban po yung ating mga sundalo, 'no? Lumaban po with their bare hands no,” he said. 

(We saw in the video how the Chinese even threatened our personnel by pointing their knives… Despite this, our soldiers fought. They fought with their bare hands.)

Brawner said the AFP will demand to China to return the seized firearms.

“Our action now is that we are demanding that the Chinese return our rifles and our equipment and we are also demanding from them to pay for the damages that they have caused. Babayaran nila po ‘yun dahil hindi po tayo papayag na ganon lang, sisirain nila yung ating kagamitan at kunin lang nila,” he said.

(We are demanding that the Chinese return our rifles and our equipment and we are also demanding for them to pay the damages that they have caused. They should pay because we will not allow them to just destroy and take our equipment.)

Medals

The AFP, meanwhile, will award all personnel who were involved in the mission with medals. The soldier who lost his finger will receive a Wounded Personnel Medal, Brawner said.

“He said that he is will to go back and to serve again in the West Philippine Sea. So hindi po nawala yung kanilang fighting spirit at ‘yun po ang mahalaga (They still have their fighting spirit and that is what's important),” Brawner said of the soldiers.

The Ayungin Shoal, which China calls Ren'ai Reef, is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the country's 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

PH condemns

The Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), earlier said it "denounces the illegal and aggressive actions of Chinese authorities that resulted in personnel injury and vessel damage."

"We expect China to act sincerely and responsibly, and refrain from behavior that puts to risk the safety of personnel and vessels," the DFA said.

The Pentagon also denounced China's recent actions against Filipino troops, saying that this kind of behavior was provocative, reckless, and unnecessary. According to Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder, Washington will continue to support its ally, Manila.

Monday's incident was the first reported collision between Philippine and Chinese vessels since China implemented an administrative law enforcement procedure mandating the arrest of "foreign" vessels in their claimed territory in the South China Sea.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Manila refers to its part of the region as West Philippine Sea.

To recall, the Philippine government sued China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2013. The Court ruled in favor of the Philippines in July 2016 when it junked China's nine-dash claim over the South China Sea.

Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling. —KBK, GMA Integrated News