The Philippines yesterday carried out a resupply and rotation mission to troops on a South China Sea reef without “untoward incidents,” Manila said, more than a month after a violent clash with Chinese forces in the area.
The mission to Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) was the first since Manila and Beijing last week reached a “provisional arrangement” for the delivery of daily necessities and rotation missions for Filipino troops based on a rusty warship grounded atop the reef.
The shoal has been a focus of clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships in the past few months, sparking concern it could draw in Manila ally Washington in a conflict as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims to almost the entire South China Sea.
Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP
A Filipino sailor lost a thumb in the latest confrontation on June 17, when China Coast Guard members wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Philippine Navy resupply attempt.
“No untoward incidents were reported” after a civilian vessel escorted by a Philippine Coast Guard boat reprovisioned the BRP Sierra Madre and rotated troops there, a Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs statement said.
China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu (甘羽) confirmed that the Philippines had carried out the resupply mission “in accordance with the temporary arrangement reached between China and the Philippines.”
The two sides disagreed on the details of the mission, with a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson saying that “China had been notified of the resupply before it was carried out.”
“After confirming on-site that the Philippine vessel carried only humanitarian living necessities, the Chinese side let the Philippine vessel through,” the spokesperson said.
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Teresita Daza told reporters that Manila gave no prior notification to the Chinese side, and there was no on-site inspection of the vessels.
“We were informed the Chinese coast guard vessels were at a reasonable distance with no risk of collision,” Daza added.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles. It might sound apocalyptic, but a newly detected asteroid nearly the size of a football field now has a greater than 1 percent chance of colliding with Earth in about eight years. Such an impact has the potential for city-level devastation, depending on where it strikes. Scientists are not panicking yet, but they are watching closely. “At this point, it’s: ‘Let’s pay a lot of attention, let’s
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
RSS