MANILA: The Philippine military accused the China Coast Guard on Monday (Jul 20) of clubbing a Filipino sailor with a baton as they approached a grounded vessel that has long served as a Philippine garrison in the disputed South China Sea.
News of the incident on Monday came just hours after the Philippine foreign ministry said the two countries’ top diplomats would meet at a regional summit in Manila this week.
The Philippines said in a statement a Chinese rigid-hull inflatable boat carrying eight men had circled and taken photos and video of the BRP Sierra Madre, which sits on the flashpoint Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly archipelago.
China claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, and has frequently clashed with Philippine vessels in the area.
The latest clash in the crucial waterway took place after two rubber boats were sent to drive them away, the statement said.
“The (Chinese coast guard) personnel reacted violently and aggressively by striking a Philippine Navy personnel on the head with a wooden baton, causing injury and damaging the Navy rubber boat,” the statement said.
The Philippine defence department said in a separate statement the encounter added “to a clear pattern of provocative and hostile behavior” by the Chinese coast guard.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
