Chinese fishermen see case dismissed

Chinese fishermen see case dismissed

OLONGAPO, Philippines (AP): A judge dismissed yesterday charges of illegal entry into Philippine territory against 21 Chinese fishermen apprehended by the navy near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

Judge Eliodoro Ubiadas of the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court said it has not yet been established that the area where the Chinese fishermen were arrested "exclusively belongs to the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines".

The Chinese fishermen were arrested May 20 about 12 kilometers off Scarborough Shoal, which Manila claims is Philippine territory but Beijing says has been part of China since ancient times.

China has protested the arrest of the fishermen and demanded their immediate release. President Fidel Ramos ignored the request, and said the Philippine judicial system would deal with the fishermen.