PH protests Chinese 'illegal activities' on Pag-asa Island
by Javier Joe Ismael - Currie Cator
May 30, 2021 12:16 am
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has lodged another diplomatic protest against China for its 'incessant deployment, prolonged presence, and illegal activities of its maritime assets and fishing vessels in the vicinity of the Pag-asa islands.'
In a new protest filed on Friday, the Philippines demanded the withdrawal of the Chinese ships from Pag-asa (Thitu), the second largest island in the Kalayaan Group of Islands (Spratlys) and the largest Philippine-administered territory with an area of 37.2 hectares. It lies 480 kilometers west of Puerto Princesa in Palawan and is within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
This handout photo taken on April 27, 2021 and received from the Philippine Coastguard on May 5, 2021 shows Philippine coastguard personnel aboard their ship BRP Cabra monitoring Chinese vessels (R) at Sabina Shoal, a South China Sea outcrop claimed by Manila located about 135 kilometres (73 nautical miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan. Handout / Philippine Coastguard / AFP
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