Three Filipino fishermen have died after an “unidentified commercial vessel” allegedly rammed their fishing boat near Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine coast guard said Wednesday, compounding tensions in a region of the disputed South China Sea that is already a flashpoint.
The fact that they’re not willing to say anything more specific than “foreign vessel” is actually rather interesting. Usually, the Philippines would be clamouring to get another dig in at China, but either they actually don’t know in this case (lol) or Taiwan/Vietnam are getting into the picture at Scarborough Shoal (and expanding beyond the Spratlys)… if so, the Filipino boat might have just gotten caught in the crossfire.
It could also be retaliation for this, but then I’d imagine Filipino rhetoric should be far more aggressive than it is.
The fact that they’re not willing to say anything more specific than “foreign vessel” is actually rather interesting. Usually, the Philippines would be clamouring to get another dig in at China, but either they actually don’t know in this case (lol) or Taiwan/Vietnam are getting into the picture at Scarborough Shoal (and expanding beyond the Spratlys)… if so, the Filipino boat might have just gotten caught in the crossfire.
It could also be retaliation for this, but then I’d imagine Filipino rhetoric should be far more aggressive than it is.
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