Philippines says it ‘strongly condemns’ move at Scarborough Shoal which prevents its fishing boats from gaining access

The Philippines has accused China’s coast guard of installing a “floating barrier” in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.

Manila’s coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources “strongly condemn” China’s installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.

The barrier “prevents Filipino fishing boats from entering the shoal and depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities”, he said.

Philippine coast guard and fisheries bureau personnel discovered the floating barrier, estimated at 300 metres (1,000 feet) long, on a routine patrol on Friday near the shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc, Tarriela said.

  • @SkybreakerEngineer
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    121 year ago

    “Deniable” and “naval warfare” don’t really go together

    • @assassin_aragorn
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      61 year ago

      I agree, but if you go by the Chinese standard, they surprisingly do. Loud blowhorns, weaponized lasers, and suddenly cutting off civilian fishing vessels is apparently a-okay, if they’re the ones doing it. They’ve also sank some civilian ships.