The Armed Forces of the Philippines will hold joint exercises with hundreds of US soldiers over the next two weeks, its military chief said Sunday, amid growing tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.
Philippine military says spots more illegal South China Sea structures 10 Apr 2021 / 08:59 H.
MANILA, April 1 (Reuters) - The Philippine military said on Thursday it had documented illegal manmade structures on Union Banks in the South China Sea s Spratly Islands, near areas where hundreds of Chinese vessels had massed last month.
Military chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana said the structures were not far from islands and features claimed by the Philippines inside its exclusive economic zone.
He did not say which country had built the structures or the extent of the construction.
They were discovered on March 30, during one of the military s maritime flight patrols over the South China Sea, where it has been closely monitoring the activities of the Chinese vessels believed to be manned by militias.
Published April 8, 2021 4:58pm Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana encouraged the public to draw strength from the veterans in the fight against the pandemic in celebration of Araw ng Kagitingan on Friday. In a statement on Thursday, Sobejana said the veterans gallantry showed the determination of Filipinos to stand against overwhelming odds. “In this difficult time when our hope is being challenged by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, we as a nation shall draw strength from our veterans who fought valiantly to defend our country,” he said. According to him, soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines are also living these deeds of heroism and ideals in their hearts while they fulfill their duty to uphold our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
April 5, 2021 Share
The Philippines government has said that more than 250 Chinese vessels which it believes are operated by militia, have been spotted near six Manila-claimed islands and reefs in the disputed Spartly islands of the South China Sea and demanded that China immediately remove them. The gathering of the Chinese-flagged vessels, along with four Chinese Navy ships at a Chinese-occupied manmade island base, “is hazardous to navigation and safety of life at sea” and may damage coral reefs and threaten the Philippines’ sovereign rights, a government body overseeing the disputed waters said. The Philippine military said it could not confirm if 92 vessels spotted at Chigua Reef and 84 at Gaven Reef were part of the original flotilla.
The Philippines says it has discovered illegally built structures on features in the Union Banks, a series of reefs in the South China Sea.
The reefs are near where Manila says a flotilla of Chinese fishing vessels, allegedly manned by militias, have gathered in recent weeks.
The country s military said the structures were spotted during maritime patrols conducted on Tuesday, but it did not give the precise location of the structures or more details as to who erected them or as to their construction, saying only their presence violated international law.
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Chinese vessels are seen moored at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea on March 27. The Philippine government said that more than 250 Chinese vessels it believes are operated by militia have been spotted near six Manila-claimed islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea and demanded that China immediately remove them. (National Task Force-West Philippine Sea via AP)