RP scrambles jets over Chinese Spratly intrusion
RP scrambles jets over Chinese Spratly intrusion
MANILA (Agencies): The Philippines scrambled its aging jets for patrol missions to the disputed Spratlys and demanded an explanation from Beijing yesterday after armed Chinese ships were seen near two Filipino-held islands, officials said.
Air Force F-5 jets have been flying sorties to the South China Sea chain from their base in the western city of Puerto Princesa since the three ships were spotted by reconnaissance aircraft near the Kota and Panata islands Friday, the officials said.
The Philippine Foreign Department said it expected to hand a diplomatic note to the Chinese embassy here later yesterday to "call their attention to the reported intrusion" and to "seek an explanation for what happened," spokesman Oscar Valenzuela told AFP.
The armed forces reported to President Fidel Ramos Tuesday that three "frigate-type" vessels, armed with deck guns, were seen Friday "in the immediate vicinity" of the two islands which are occupied by Philippine troops.
Ramos' chief aide, Executive Secretary Ruben Torres, told reporters yesterday the president convened his Cabinet late Tuesday and decided "to really file that protest with China." "That's the strongest action we can make. We expect China's response to such a protest," he said.
Torres said if the Chinese "can prove innocent passage, then it's all right. If they are there to put up new structures, that's a problem."
The military report had also cited the presence of a hut-like structure on a previously unmanned Philippine-claimed reef "six miles northeast of Kota," but Valenzuela said he was unsure if this would be mentioned in the diplomatic note.
The Spratlys, which lie beside major sea lanes and are believed to hold vast oil and mineral deposits, are claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The palace released photographs of the ships taken by Air Force reconnaissance aircraft late Tuesday.
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However, the military's description of the vessels, along with the aerial photographs, indicated the craft were research and survey vessels, and not frigates, according to the authoritative Jane's Fighting Ships journal.
Manila's diplomatic note will also remind China of a code of conduct in the Spratlys treaty, in which "both sides agreed not to undertake any move in the area without notifying the other side," Valenzuela said.
The two countries agreed on the code after an incident in 1995 when the Philippine side discovered China had erected manned permanent structures on Mischief Reef, which is claimed by Manila.
Meanwhile, Vietnam called for calm amid concern in the Philippines over reports that Chinese warships had been spotted near disputed islands.
A foreign ministry statement, issued in response to media queries, said Vietnam had no new information on reports of an apparent increase in Chinese military surveillance around the Spratly islands.
But it called on regional claimants to the area not to complicate matters by resorting to force. "Our basic standpoint on this issue has been made clear," it said.
"During negotiations to reach a basic and long-term solution it's necessary to maintain the status quo, not to make the situation more complicated, and especially not to use force or threaten to use force."