Manila: China Coast Guard used sonic device to ‘harass’ PCG near Zambales
THE PHILIPPINES has accused China of using a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) at the weekend to harass its vessel near the coast of Zambales province, more than two weeks since it started monitoring the area after the deployment of China’s monster ship.
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By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter
THE PHILIPPINES has accused China of using a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) at the weekend to harass its vessel near the coast of Zambales province, more than two weeks since it started monitoring the area after the deployment of China’s monster ship.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said China tried to drive away the 44.5-kilometer (km) BRP Cabra by using the acoustic device, which emits high-decibel sound that could damage the ears.
“For the first time, China Coast Guard (CCG) 3103 employed a LRAD to harass the Philippine Coast Guard vessel, attempting to deter proximity,” it said in a statement on Sunday.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.
The PCG said CCG 3103 replaced another vessel deployed near the coast of Zambales “to maintain the illegal Chinese patrol.” CCG 3103 “appears to be escorted by CCG-5901 or the “Chinese monster ship,” it added.
Chester B. Cabalza, founding president at Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation, said this was not the first time China’s coast guard used the acoustic device within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“They experimented with the utilization of LRAD in 2023 to annoy Filipino coast guardians, with the harmful intent to cause hearing loss,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “It is still considered as a destructive grey zone tactic, almost parallel to the laser lights that cause blindness.”
The Philippines has accused China of intimidating Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal and normalizing its “illegal presence” after Beijing sent the monster ship, the world’s biggest coast guard vessel, into the Philippine EEZ on Jan. 4.
The PCG said in a separate statement on Sunday that CCG 3103 was operating at a distance of 172.236 km off the coast of Zambales.
“In its radio communications with the PCG vessel, BRP Cabra, it is clear that the Chinese Communist Party is disregarding international law while arrogantly asserting jurisdiction over these waters, which are well beyond the People’s Republic of China’s baseline,” it said.
It said the China Coast Guard has been threatening Philippine vessels, “warning that if we do not leave, they will take necessary measures, and we will bear the consequences.”
The PCG said the threats against the legitimate presence of the Philippines “clearly indicate China’s desire to impose a new order that undermines the rules-based international system.”
“Without needing to emphasize the key points of the 2016 arbitral award, which invalidated their nine-dash line claim, it’s evident that anyone with a sound mind, genuinely concerned about preserving peace and stability in the region, would acknowledge that their presence in the Philippines’ EEZ is both barbaric and illegitimate,” it added.
A United Nations-backed court in the Hague voided China’s expansive claim in the South China Sea in 2016, as it ruled the shoal is a traditional fishing ground for Filipino, Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen.
The PCG said on Saturday night BRP Cabra had managed to prevent the Chinese vessels from approaching the coastline of Zambales, with the CCG being pushed back to 167 km to 176 km from the shore.
“This achievement is a testament to the vigilance and bravery of the men and women aboard BRP Cabra, who have shadowed the CCG at close distances while conducting hourly radio challenges to assert that the Chinese presence violates the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral award,” the PCG said.
REGIONAL STABILITY
Meanwhile, Philippine think tank Stratbase ADR said in a statement on Sunday that more countries are pushing for stronger maritime security partnerships with the Philippines this year amid “China’s persistent aggression in the West Philippine Sea.”
“Ambassadors from France, Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, Indonesia and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding regional stability and maritime sovereignty,” it said, citing its maritime security forum in Manila last week.
French Ambassador Marie Fontanel said the maritime security cooperation between France and the Philippines is robust, citing key developments such as France’s participation in the 39th US-Philippines Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises and the establishment of a full-fledged defense mission in Manila in June.
“For an archipelagic nation like the Philippines, maritime safety is crucial. Ensuring the efficient transport of people and goods is essential for economic prosperity, while territorial and maritime sovereignty are vital for national security,” she said at the forum.
Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya said “Japan stands ready” to work closely with the Philippines, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the international community “to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Stratbase said European Union Delegation Ambassador Massimo Santoro said a region free of coercion is “key to our collective stability, peace and prosperity.” “Strategic partnerships are central to the EU’s approach to the Indo-Pacific, promoting cooperation over confrontation.”
Indonesian Ambassador Agus Widjojo said the Philippines and Indonesia should “finds ways to promote regional maritime cooperation in the wider Indo-Pacific region.”
Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Lai Thai Binh noted that “for Vietnam and the Philippines, maritime security is not just a matter of national interest, but a shared regional imperative.” “Addressing these complex challenges requires robust partnerships and a steadfast commitment to upholding international law, particularly the UNCLOS,” he added.
