China Coast Guard Vessel No. 5205 is shown directing a laser beam at BRP Malapascua in this photo taken on Feb 6. - PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD/FACEBOOK
MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has accused a Chinese coast guard ship of directing a “military-grade” laser at one of its vessels, putting the Filipino crew in danger.
The PCG vessel was supporting a rotation and resupply mission of the Philippine Navy in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea - a name given by Manila to disputed territories it claims in the South China Sea - on Feb 6. China claims almost all of the South China Sea.
The China Coast Guard (CCG) ship with bow No. 5205 shone a green light twice towards the BRP Malapascua, causing temporary blindness to crew members on duty at the bridge or main command centre at past 6pm as the ship reached 19.5km (10 nautical miles) from the shoal, the PCG said.
“The PCG condemns any actions that harm and jeopardize the safety of everyone regardless of nationality,” PCG commandant Admiral Artemio Abu said.
The Chinese ship crossed the bow of the PCG ship at a distance of 7.4km (4 nautical miles), which was followed by “dangerous maneuvers”, with CCG 5205 a close distance of about 150 yards (137m) from the starboard quarter of the Philippine vessel before the Chinese ship shone its laser, said the Philippines.
Radio challenges were exchanged throughout, with the Chinese coast guard warning the Philippine ship that it was “in the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China”.
Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, a submerged reef 194km off Palawan province, is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone where the Philippine Navy maintains its presence through the decrepit BRP Sierra Madre.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG adviser of the commandant for maritime security, told the Inquirer that the temporary blindness of the crew on duty lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds, “but we don’t know if it would cause long-term medical effects”.
It was not the first time that China directed a laser beam at a Philippine ship, he said.
In June last year, the PCG tugboat BRP Habagat, while 10 nautical miles north of the Philippine-occupied Panata (Lankiam Cay) Island, was “shadowed and harassed” by a People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel, said Commodore Tarriela.
The Chinese navy ship directed its searchlight at BRP Habagat for 20 minutes and flashed “blue-colored lights with blinkers” at the tugboat’s bridge, which also resulted in momentary blindness and skin itchiness among the crew on duty, he added.
The reported incidents, disclosed to the public for the first time, follow a pattern of Chinese forces allegedly harassing other countries with lasers.
Last year, the Australian government said a Chinese warship aimed its laser at a Royal Australian Air Force jet 105km from Australia’s northern coast. But China denied this.
Beijing has been trying for years to prevent the Philippine Navy’s resupply missions in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and has displayed new tactics over the past few months.
Except for the small wooden boats chartered by the Navy, the CCG has been preventing Philippine military and law enforcement vessels from entering the shoal.
Back in August, the same Chinese coast guard ship that struck a laser at the Philippine ship last week, removed the cover of its 70mm naval gun after BRP Teresa Magbanua - which was providing escort to a Philippine Navy resupply mission in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal at the time - crossed the blockade created by Chinese vessels.
“We see it as an act of provocation,” Tarriela said.
Despite the “dangerous maneuvers and aggressive actions at sea” by the CCG, Adm Abu said the PCG “will always be in the West Philippine Sea to sustain our presence and assert our sovereign rights”.
