MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine military leader requested Wednesday that China restore numerous weapons and equipment captured by the Chinese coast guard on a disputed shoal, as well as compensate for damages in an attack he described as piracy in the South China Sea.
According to Philippine officials, Chinese personnel on more than eight motorboats repeatedly rammed and boarded two Philippine Navy inflatable boats on Monday to prevent Filipino navy personnel from transferring food and other supplies, including firearms, to a Philippine territorial outpost in Second Thomas Shoal, which Beijing also claims.
Following a struggle and many crashes, the Chinese grabbed the boats and destroyed them with machetes, knives, and hammers. They also grabbed eight M4 weapons packaged in boxes, navigation equipment, and other supplies, as well as injuring many Filipino navy officers, one of whom lost his right thumb, according to two Philippine security officials.
The two officials talked on the condition of anonymity due to a lack of permission to address the delicate topic in public.
The Philippine military released video and images Wednesday night showing the chaotic faceoff at the shoal, with Chinese men onboard boats carrying knives, axes, and sticks as they surrounded two Philippine naval supply boats near Manila's ship station. Sirens blare incessantly as both sides rage at one other, and the Chinese bash the Philippine military boat with a pole before grabbing what looks to be a bag with a stick.
Pictures show a damaged Philippine naval boat with sliced and deflated side floaters, as well as another boat with cracked windshields and navigational displays. A guy shows a broken smartphone.
“We are demanding that the Chinese return our rifles and our equipment and we’re also demanding that they pay for the damage they caused,” Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., head of the Philippine armed forces, said in a news conference in western Palawan province, where he pinned a medal on the wounded navy officer.
“They boarded our boats illegally and seized our equipment,” Gen. Brawner said. “They’re now like pirates with this kind of actions.”
Armed with long knives and machetes, the Chinese coast guard personnel tried to beat the unarmed Filipinos, who resisted with their bare hands by parrying the blows and pushing back the Chinese, Gen. Brawner said. “Our objective is also to prevent war.”
Some of the Chinese pointed knives at the Filipino navy members, he claimed.
The Chinese authorities blamed the incident on the Philippines, claiming that Filipino servicemen "trespassed" into the shoal despite its warnings.
The United States reiterated on Tuesday that it is bound to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally.
Second Thomas Shoal, part of the contested Spratly Islands, has been occupied by a small Philippine naval personnel onboard a stranded cruiser that has been closely observed by China's coast guard and navy in an ongoing territorial dispute. The Chinese dictatorship claims almost the whole South China Sea.
There is concern that tensions in the South China Sea, long considered as an Asian hotspot, would grow and pit the United States against China in a broader confrontation. Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have competing sovereignty claims along the busy waterway.
Since last year, hostilities between China and the Philippines have escalated in the disputed waters, particularly at Second Thomas Shoal, which is less than 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the Philippine coast and where the BRP Sierra Madre, now rusted, was deliberately grounded in 1999 to create a territorial outpost. The ship is still an operational military vessel, therefore an attack on it might be deemed an act of war in the Philippines.
