Hopes fade of end to Huangyan standoff
Source: Agencies |
June 21, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
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PHILIPPINE President Benigno Aquino III said yesterday that he would send ships back to Huangyan Island waters once stormy weather clears, if ships from China had not left the area by then.
Government ships from the two countries have squared off for more than two months in the area.
The Philippines announced last weekend that it would withdraw its remaining two ships because of bad weather endangering Filipino crewmen, and China later said it would pull out its fishing boats for safety - sparking hopes of an end to the standoff.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa yesterday welcomed the actions by both parties, saying that his country has called on both sides "to refrain from further escalating tensions and instead promote peaceful settlement by diplomatic means."
Aquino, however, said a Philippine plane would check the shoal once the weather improves.
"If there's a presence in our territorial waters, then we will redeploy," Aquino told reporters. "But if there is no other presence or other vessels that might impinge on our sovereignty, there's no need to deploy."
A storm that has whipped up 15-meter waves continued to lash the area yesterday. Forecasters in the Philippines said the weather may start to clear by the weekend. Ships and fishing boats have been warned to stay away.
A Philippine government official said six Chinese government ships and 30 Chinese fishing boats were sighted near the island on Tuesday.
The fishing boats, marooned in the shoal's sprawling lagoon, may have been stranded by the passing storm and may leave once the weather clears, said the official.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said two Chinese surveillance ships and one Philippine Bureau of Fisheries vessel had left the shoal's lagoon over the past two weeks. He urged China to withdraw its remaining vessels as a first step to resolve the impasse.
Both sides have also been discussing how to deal with the ships outside the lagoon, he said.
On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China had no plans to pull out its ships altogether. "The Chinese side will continue to maintain administration and vigilance over Huangyan Island waters," he said.
Government ships from the two countries have squared off for more than two months in the area.
The Philippines announced last weekend that it would withdraw its remaining two ships because of bad weather endangering Filipino crewmen, and China later said it would pull out its fishing boats for safety - sparking hopes of an end to the standoff.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa yesterday welcomed the actions by both parties, saying that his country has called on both sides "to refrain from further escalating tensions and instead promote peaceful settlement by diplomatic means."
Aquino, however, said a Philippine plane would check the shoal once the weather improves.
"If there's a presence in our territorial waters, then we will redeploy," Aquino told reporters. "But if there is no other presence or other vessels that might impinge on our sovereignty, there's no need to deploy."
A storm that has whipped up 15-meter waves continued to lash the area yesterday. Forecasters in the Philippines said the weather may start to clear by the weekend. Ships and fishing boats have been warned to stay away.
A Philippine government official said six Chinese government ships and 30 Chinese fishing boats were sighted near the island on Tuesday.
The fishing boats, marooned in the shoal's sprawling lagoon, may have been stranded by the passing storm and may leave once the weather clears, said the official.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said two Chinese surveillance ships and one Philippine Bureau of Fisheries vessel had left the shoal's lagoon over the past two weeks. He urged China to withdraw its remaining vessels as a first step to resolve the impasse.
Both sides have also been discussing how to deal with the ships outside the lagoon, he said.
On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China had no plans to pull out its ships altogether. "The Chinese side will continue to maintain administration and vigilance over Huangyan Island waters," he said.
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