China wants unconditional release of boat, 9 poachers

MANILA, Philippines - China sought yesterday the unconditional release of nine Chinese fishermen convicted by a Palawan court of poaching in the Hasa-Hasa (Half Moon) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

“China firmly opposes that and urges the Philippine side to unconditionally release the Chinese fishing boat and fishermen,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying during a press conference in Beijing.

Hua said China has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and surrounding waters.

By arresting and detaining Chinese fishing boats and fishermen and making the judicial decision, Hua said the Philippine side has seriously violated China’s sovereignty and jurisdiction.

The Puerto Princesa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) last Monday convicted the nine Chinese fishermen of poaching and taking hundreds of endangered giant sea turtles from Hasa-Hasa Shoal.

Judge Ambrosio de Luna of the Puerto Princesa RTC Branch 51 ordered the fishermen to pay a fine of $100,000 (P4.3 million) each for poaching in Philippine waters, plus P120,000 ($2,666) each for the illegal gathering of sea turtles.

In May, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Command intercepted Qiongquionghai 09063 with 11 crewmembers near Hasa-Hasa Shoal, an area only 60 nautical miles from mainland Palawan but which is included in China’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday that China has not responded to the diplomatic protest lodged by the Philippines last Oct. 10 against Chinese reclamation on Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef in the West Philippine Sea.

“That’s a reclamation work they are doing,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said in a press briefing.

“But the important thing is that we filed a diplomatic protest. We were not silent because in diplomacy, sometimes being quiet means you acquiesce. So it is important we put on record we are protesting the activity that China is doing there,” he added.

He said the diplomatic protest was filed before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting of President Aquino and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“We would like to isolate and extract the South China Sea issue and deal with it separately while we promote and strengthen our other areas of cooperation with China, particularly on trade and investment and tourism and cultural exchanges,” Jose said.

Satellite imagery obtained by London-based security group IHS Jane showed that in the past three months, Chinese dredges have created a landmass that is almost the entire length of Fiery Cross Reef in the contest Spratly Islands.