MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2023) The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) condemned China for pointing a military laser at its patrol vessel near a shoal in the disputed archipelago of Spratly Islands, which temporarily blinded the crew, the Philippine media reported on Monday.
"The PCG condemns any actions that harm and jeopardize the safety of everyone regardless of nationality," PCG commander Adm. Artemio Abu was quoted by the Inquirer news outlet as saying.
At the time of the accident, the Philippine coast guard ship was near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, an archipelago in the South China Sea contested by several nations, including the Philippines and China. According to the newspaper, the Chinese vessel was 4 nautical miles away from the Philippine boat and shone a green light twice, causing temporary blindness to some crew members. The Chinese transmitted to the Philippine coast guard ship over the radio that it was in the jurisdiction of China.
The Philippine military noted that this was not the first time China harassed its ships with laser, and last year, Chinese forces used a laser against a jet of the Royal Australian Air Force, the news outlet said.
For decades, China has been in disputes with several countries in Asia-Pacific over the control over a number of islands in the South China Sea, on the shelf of which significant oil and gas reserves have been discovered. The main disputed areas are the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines are involved in the dispute to varying degrees.
