RP destroys more Chinese structures in Spratlys<\/p>\n
MANILA (Agencies): President Fidel Ramos said yesterday that
\nPhilippine troops had destroyed more structures put up by China
\non the disputed Spratly islands.<\/p>\n
The president also rejected Beijing's appeals to free 62
\nfishermen arrested in the area last weekend, saying they had been
\ndestroying the environment and \"deserve condemnation by the
\ninternational community.\"<\/p>\n
He said the Philippine navy \"was forced to destroy various
\nstructures which were found to be made of metal frames, and
\nremove markers with Chinese characters\" on the Thomas 1 and
\nThomas 2 shoals, Half Moon Shoal and Pennsylvania Reef.<\/p>\n
Armed Forces Chief Gen. Arturo Enrile earlier said the Navy
\nhad dynamited Chinese-made territorial markers on Jackson Atoll,
\nHalf Moon Shoal and Sabina Reef, which all form part of the South
\nChina Sea archipelago.<\/p>\n
He said the nearest of these markers were a mere 80.64
\nkilometers from the southwestern Philippine island of Palawan
\n\"and therefore clearly within Philippine territory.\"<\/p>\n
The fishermen were arrested on Half Moon Shoal on Saturday
\naboard four boats, Ramos said. The Navy earlier said the
\nfishermen has been arrested on Alicia Annie Reef, which manila
\nclaims.<\/p>\n
The fishermen, aboard four boats, had 40 live and 40 dead sea
\nturtles, which are an internationally protected species, he said.<\/p>\n
They also had red and blue corals, 20 liters of cyanide,
\n\"several hundred sticks of dynamite and time delay fuses,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
The Spratly row between the two countries broke out last month
\nafter Manila discovered Chinese observation structures on
\nMischief Reef which were being protected by Chinese naval
\nvessels.<\/p>\n
The South China Sea archipelago is also claimed in whole or in
\npart by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Taiwan plans to send armed patrol boats to
\nreinforce claims to sovereignty over the disputed Spratly and
\nPratas islands in the South China Sea, the state-funded Central
\nNews Agency said yesterday.<\/p>\n
The agency also quoted police commander Yang Tsu-ching as
\nsaying Taiwan will erect a monument to emphasize sovereignty over
\nTaiping island, the biggest island in the Spratlys, which is
\ncurrently occupied by Taiwanese marines.<\/p>\n
The patrol boats will be armed with two heavy machineguns, and
\nall the crew members will be equipped with either M-16 automatic
\nrifles or Uzi submachine guns, the agency said.<\/p>\n
The Pratas islands are controlled by Taiwan but also claimed
\nby China.<\/p>\n
No date was given for dispatching the patrol or setting up the
\nmonument on Taiping island. Police and government spokesmen could
\nnot be reached for comment yesterday due to a national holiday in
\nTaiwan.<\/p>\n
In April last year, a group of Taiwan police made their first-
\never patrol of the Spratly islands. The then-interior minister Wu
\nPoh-hsiung said Taiwan would patrol the Spratlys every year
\nthereafter.<\/p>\n
The news agency cited \"observers\" as saying Taiwan's planned
\nmove was \"low-profile... compared with the warships and jet
\nfighters sent into the area by neighboring countries\".<\/p>\n
The planned move \"can be interpreted as a gesture from Taiwan
\nthat it wants the dispute over the island groups settled
\npeacefully,\" the agency added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rp-destroys-more-chinese-structures-in-spratlys-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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