China Coast Guard Seizes Debris Recovered Near Pag-Asa

Members of the Chinese coast guard forcibly took an unidentified floating object retrieved by Philippine Navy personnel from waters near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea on Sunday, Nov. 20.

Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, chief of the military’s Western Command (WESCOM), said the incident has been reported to the National Task Force on West Philippine Sea for appropriate action.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was “aware of the incident and awaits the detailed reports from maritime law enforcement agencies.”

The reported incident came hours before US Vice President Kamala Harris began a three-day visit.

Carlos said a report from Naval Station Emilio Liwanag (NSEL) on Nov. 20 stated that at around 6:45 a.m., its personnel – using long-range camera – spotted an unidentified floating object drifting about 800 yards west of Pag-asa Island.

An NSEL team immediately proceeded to the area to check the object, which was then being driven by strong waves and current toward Pag-asa Island’s Cay 1 sand bar.

The NSEL team members tied it to their boat and started towing it back to their station.

“However, as the NSEL Team was towing the floating object, they noticed that China Coast Guard vessel with Bow Number 5203 was approaching their location and subsequently blocked their pre-plotted course twice. CCGV5203 then deployed its Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB),” the WESCOM report, quoting the NSEL, said.

“The said CCGB RHIB forcefully retrieved said floating object by cutting the towing line attached to the NSEL rubber boat. CCGV RHIB then towed it back to CCGV5203,” it added. WESCOM said no member of the NSEL team was injured in the incident.

As many as 37 Chinese maritime militia vessels or fishing boats were also in the area at the time.

Kalayaan, Palawan information officer Ariel Carlos told dzBB the Chinese Coast Guard tried in a forceful tone to communicate with NSEL troops, but both sides could not understand each other.

Carlos said the floating object was described to be made of metal and appeared to be part of a rocket or satellite debris very similar to what was found in Busuanga in Coron.

After the incident, he said Kalayaan acting Mayor Beltzasar Alindogan called a meeting with residents to ask them to be always on watch and ready for similar incidents.

Maj. Cherryl Tindog, WESCOM spokesperson, said the floating metal object appeared similar to a number of other pieces of Chinese rocket debris recently found in Philippine waters. She added that the Filipino sailors did not resist the seizure.

“We practice maximum tolerance in such a situation,” Tindog told reporters. “Since it involved an unidentified object and not a matter of life and death, our team just decided to return.”

It was the latest flareup in long-seething territorial disputes in the strategic waterway involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Chinese coast guard ships have blocked Philippine supply boats delivering supplies to Filipino forces in the disputed waters in the past but seizing objects in the possession of another nation’s military constitutes a more brazen act.

In a statement on Monday night, Nov. 21, the Chinese embassy denied the use of force or blocking of the NSEL team.

“Relevant reports are inconsistent with facts,” the embassy said. “There was no so-called blocking of the course of a Philippine Navy boat and forcefully retrieving the object at the scene.”

Quoting the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the embassy said that at around 8 a.m. on Nov. 20, a China Coast Guard ship “found an unidentified floating object in the waters off the Nansha Islands, which was later identified as the wreckage of a rocket recently launched by China.”

“Before the China Coast Guard found the said floating object some Philippine Navy personnel already retrieved and towed it. After friendly consultation the Philippine side returned the floating object to the Chinese side on the spot. The Chinese side expressed gratitude to the Philippine side,” it added. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Pia Lee-Brago, AFP, AP