About 100 Filipino activists and fishermen sail wooden boats toward a disputed shoal guarded by China.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — About 100 Filipino activists and fishermen, accompanied by journalists, sailed Wednesday to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s coast guard and suspected militia vessels have used powerful water cannons to ward off what they consider to be intruders.

The Philippine Coast Guard deployed three patrol vessels and a light aircraft to remotely monitor activists and fishermen, who set out from the western province of Zambales to assert Manila’s sovereignty over the Scarborough Reef and outlying waters. The navy dispatched a ship to monitor the participants.

A flotilla of about 100 small wooden fishing boats equipped with bamboo outriggers initially joined the voyage to help distribute food parcels and fuel to fishermen and lay a dozen territorial buoys about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) from the coast before returning to Zambales, Emman Hizon said. , one of the organizers.

Four larger wooden boats with more than 100 activists, including a Filipino and two foreign Catholic priests, fishermen and journalists, then headed toward the shoal and were expected to reach its outlying waters early Thursday, Hizon said.

The activists, who belong to a non-governmental coalition called Atin Ito – Tagalog for This is Ours – said they would seek to avoid confrontation but were prepared for any eventuality.

“Our mission is peaceful, based on international law and aimed at asserting our sovereign rights,” said Rafaela David, one of the lead organizers. “We will navigate with determination, not provocation, to civilize the region and safeguard our territorial integrity. »

In December, David’s group, with boats full of fishermen, also attempted to sail to another disputed shoal, but cut the journey short after being followed by a Chinese ship.

China effectively seized Scarborough Reef, a triangle-shaped atoll with a vast fishing lagoon surrounded by mostly submerged coral outcrops, by surrounding it with its coast guard ships after a standoff tense in 2012 with Philippine government ships.

Angered by China’s action, the Philippine government took the disputes to international arbitration in 2013 and largely won with a Hague court ruling three years later that China’s broad claims were based on historical grounds. in the busy shipping lane were invalid under the 1982 United Nations Convention on International Trade. Law of the sea.

The decision declared Scarborough Reef a traditional fishing area for Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese fishermen. In the past, fishermen anchored in the shoal to avoid the huge waves on the open sea during stormy weather.

China refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected the outcome and continues to challenge it.

Two weeks ago, Chinese coast guard and suspected militia vessels used water cannons on Philippine coast guard and fishing vessels patrolling Scarborough Reef, damaging both vessels.

The Philippines condemned the Chinese coast guard’s action on the shoal, which is within the Southeast Asian country’s internationally recognized exclusive economic zone. China’s coast guard said it took a “necessary action” after the Philippine vessels “violated China’s sovereignty.”

Besides the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in territorial disputes.

Chinese coast guard vessels had also ventured into waters near Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia in the past, sparking tensions and protests, but Southeast Asian countries with considerable economic ties with China have not been as aggressively critical of Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions.

The Philippines has released videos of its territorial clashes with China and invited journalists to witness hostilities on the high seas in a bid to gain international support, sparking a global war with Beijing.

The increasing frequency of skirmishes between the Philippines and China has led to minor collisions, injuries to Philippine navy personnel and damaged supply boats in recent months. This has raised fears that territorial disputes could escalate into armed conflict between China and the United States, long-time allies of the Philippines.

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