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A Chinese vessel rammed a Philippine fishing boat north of the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), killing a Filipino fisherman and leaving four others missing.

Executive Director Benito Ramos of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday said the Chinese vessel might have intentionally hit the fishing boat AXL John on Wednesday, but the vessel did nothing to help the fishermen.

“They did not [help],” Ramos said. “That’s why it’s suspicious. If it was accidental, then they should have helped.”

The AXL John may have been the first casualty in the dispute between China and the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal. Manila refers to the area as Panatag Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc. - Inquirer.net

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Who's the culprit? Sea mishap probe on

Delon Porcalla
The Philippine Star
June 26, 2012 12:00 AM

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Philippines  – A deeper investigation is needed to determine the identity of the foreign vessel that rammed a Philippine fishing boat near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal last week, President Aquino said yesterday.

The incident, which occurred north of the shoal, left one Filipino fisherman dead and four others missing. The Philippine fishing boat came from Bolinao, Pangasinan.

“We are not accusing anybody at this point in time. So ngayon, huwag muna tayong magsabing kasalanan ni Pedro, ni Juan, ni Maria, kung sinuman habang walang ebidensya (So let’s not put the blame on Peter, John, Mary or whoever until there is evidence),” Aquino told reporters in a chance interview at the Benguet State University here.

He said appropriate charges would be filed only after “necessary evidence” has been gathered.

more at http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=821053&publicationSubCategoryId=63

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HK bulk vessel suspected

Jaime Laude
The Philippine Star
June 26, 2012 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The only ship within the vicinity when a Philippine fishing boat was rammed by a larger vessel last week was a Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier operated by an Australian company and with 29 Chinese crew members, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday.

The PCG is investigating if the M/V Peach Mountain was the ship involved in the collision in waters off Bolinao,Pangasinan, which killed one fisherman.

The PCG said that based on initial investigation, only the Peach Mountain was monitored in the vicinity at the time of the collision. The ship reportedly has 29 Chinese crewmembers.

A Chinese naval or maritime vessel was earlier thought to be the culprit in the collision, which took place amid the raging territorial row between the Philippines and China over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

The shoal is 124 nautical miles from Zambales and is well within the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

But PCG commandant Vice Admiral Edmund Tan called Wednesday’s incident an “ordinary maritime accident” not related to the dispute at Panatag.

more at http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=821061&publicationSubCategoryId=63

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oh-oh.  it was well within philippine waters and time was needed to identify it?  does it mean that foreign ships that travel within the country's territory can do so without permit or proper identification?  i smell something...   

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