![]() ![]() ![]() The nearby Second Thomas Shoal is where the Philippine navy has been occupying and reinforcing a rusting ship that it ran aground in 1999 to bolster its claims to the disputed reef. There are also ships around Second Thomas Shoal, so we want to make sure if the presence is permanent.” “We know there are Chinese ships moving around the Spratly area. “We are still verifying these reports,” spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla told Reuters. The Philippine military said it had received reports about the presence of Chinese ships in the area. “What will happen now if we sail close with all those Chinese ships?” “I’m alarmed because we frequently pass by that atoll on our way to Pag-asa,” he said, referring to the Philippine name for Thitu Island, where he frequently travels to visit a Filipino fishing community. He said Chinese government vessels have not been stationed at the atoll in previous years. “They have many ships there,” he said.īito-ono said he saw the ships for two days last week while flying in a plane over the area. It quoted unidentified Filipino fishermen and officials in the area.Įugenio Bito-onon Jr, the mayor of the Kalayaan region in the Spratly Islands, told the newspaper the ships had been based at the uninhabited atoll for more than a month. In a move that is likely to raise tensions in the disputed Spratly region, the Philippine Star newspaper said China began deploying ships to Quirino Atoll, also known as Jackson Atoll, after a fishing vessel recently ran aground in the area. ![]()
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