Chinese flag on Mischief Reef source of rift
Chinese flag on Mischief Reef source of rift
By David Botbol
ABOVE THE SPRATLY ISLANDS (AFP): The Chinese flag flutters prominently on Mischief Reef, a barren Spratly islet claimed by the Philippines and at the center of a growing territorial dispute with Beijing.
The red flag with five yellow stars was unmistakable on two ships anchored in a lagoon and on buildings put up by the Chinese across the sprawling reef.
AFP journalists were able to confirm that China had put up four large modern structures guarded by at least one military ship on Mischief Reef in a flight over the zone.
Philippines army chiefs revealed in February that China had moved onto the reef, 100 nautical miles away from the Philippines' southwestern province of Palawan and within the country's 200-mile (320 kilometer) exclusive economic zone. They released military reconnaissance photos to back their claims.
The confirmation came as China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened their first ASEAN-China dialog Monday in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
The talks are expected to include the Spratly dispute.
China has built four stilt-supported structures on Mischief Reef. Built from pre-fabricated materials, each has a Chinese flag on top.
The structures were spread kilometers apart around a belt of barely submerged sandbanks and coral reefs, which forming an arch enclosing a blue lagoon, where two large ships flying the Chinese flag were anchored.
The smaller ship appeared to be a support vessel without any visible weaponry. On the second, there were at least three covered pieces of cannon-shaped guns positioned on the upper and lower decks.
Beijing has claimed that Reef structures are shelters for fishermen. The shelters are, however, high quality constructions and there is also sophisticated telecommunications.
However, no weapons were visible on the structures and the few men, seen outside the platforms looking through binoculars and waving at the approaching plane, did not wear military uniforms.
The four clusters are similar and each comprise between three and six octagonal buildings. Filipino military sources said the structures were erected in late 1994 and are being used as "living quarters", probably for a small Chinese garrison.
The same flight went near older but similar stilted structures in the area west of the Spratlys already occupied by China. Nearby, was a more elaborate two-story fort built on the rocks.
It also flew the Chinese flag, was equipped with a satellite dish and had two covered guns with barrels pointing to the sky.
Philippine military sources fear the Chinese occupation of Mischief Reef might be reinforced in the longer term by the replacement of the light stilt-supported structures by similar fortified buildings.
Last week, Filipino forces destroyed several Chinese markers discovered around Mischief Reef on Thomas I and II Shoals, Half Moon Shoal and Pennsylvania Reef. They also arrested 62 Chinese fishermen on Half Moon who have been detained in Palawan.
The fishermen have been charged with illegal entry, illegal poaching using explosives and cyanide and detained since in the Palawan capital Puerto Princesa. Two Chinese diplomats who visited them Sunday have demanded the prompt release of the fishermen.
Filipino troops guarding Pag-asa, the biggest of eight Spratly islands occupied by the Philippines, 270 nautical miles from Palawan, fired warning shots at a flotilla of Chinese fishing boats, which came within a mile of its position in late March, witnesses told AFP.
The six fishing boats, which had been operating in the area for several days, immediately withdrew, the witnesses said.
The fishing season is at its peak in the Spratlys from January to March when the weather is good. The seas are teeming with fish which attract numerous vessels from claimant nations, including Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brunei as well as the familiar red- flagged Chinese vessels.