MANILA, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Sunday, August 6, said it “strongly condemns” the “excessive and offensive” actions by the Chinese Coast Guard against a Philippine vessel headed to Ayungin Shoal during a recent resupply mission.
The AFP said one of its chartered supply boats was blocked and water cannoned by a CCG vessel on Saturday, August 5, on its way to Ayungin Shoal for a routine troop rotation and resupply mission, making it unable to unload the supplies. It could not complete its mission. The AFP said the incident was a “disregard of the safety of the people on board and in violation of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award.”
The PCG also echoed the call of the AFP for the CCG to respect its responsibility to observe state obligations under UNCLOS to cease all illegal activities within the maritime zones of the Philippines., PCG boats were “constantly followed, harassed, and obstructed by the significantly larger Chinese coast guard vessels” during a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal.