- China has accused Filipino fishermen of throwing fire bombs at Chinese coast guard vessels
- The fishermen also allegedly waved ‘machete’ at the Chinese vessel
- But the Filipinos claimed it was the Chinese coast guards who threw bottles at them and they only retaliated with rocks
MANILA, Philippines – China has accused Filipino fishermen of throwing fire bombs at their coast guard vessels during a confrontation early this month at Panatag Shoal.
Philippine media has reported the incident last week after a Filipino fisherman claimed they were accosted by Chinese Coast Guard while fishing on the disputed island and were told to leave last March 5 and 6.
FB Bubhoy’s captain Junmar Pumicpic said the Chinese vessels rammed their boats and drove them away by shining lasers and powerful lights on their boat.
The Chinese patrol boats even threw empty bottles at the Filipinos, prompting the fishermen to retaliate with rocks.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the fishermen were operating in a Chinese territory and had been fishing in the vicinity of the shoal illegally.
“Chinese official ships advised the illegally stationed Philippine trawlers to leave, in accordance with the law, but they refused to obey,” Hua said in a daily press briefing on Tuesday, March 22.
The Chinese official also accused the fishermen of ‘provoking’ the coast guards and threatening them with weapons.
“Certain people on the ships even waved around machetes and flung fire bombs, carrying out deliberate provocation, attacking the Chinese law enforcers and official boat, confronting China’s law enforcement and seriously threatening the safety and order of the waters around Huangyan Island,” Hua explained.
Meanwhile, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official in Manila told Reuters they are still waiting for the report to verify the incident.
“We can’t comment at this time as we are still awaiting the official report from our concerned agencies on the incident,” the DFA official said.
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