THE DRAGON GROUNDS OUT ON A PHILIPPINE REEF

That's the USS GUARDIAN aground down there in this picture. Its been removed now and the Philippines is seeking millions in fines against the U.S. China has a fishing vessel aground on the same reef cruising right into this World heritage site like it owned it. ( the Guardian got there on a horrendous navigational error ). The Philippines administers the site. While the U.S. may contest the fines, it is paying damages to the Philippine government and submitted to Philippine Coast Guard authority while conducting the salvage. That should have made it pretty clear to the Dragon that this is Philippine undisputed turf. But does the Dragon ever listen? Read more about it from the Associated Press. The headline, a lead in and a link to the full story are below:

"After US warship, suspected Chinese fishing vessel runs aground in protected Philippine reef

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, April 9, 5:25 AM

MANILA, Philippines — A suspected Chinese fishing vessel with 12 crewmen has run aground in a protected coral reef in the southwestern Philippines, where a U.S. Navy minesweeper got stuck and had to be dismantled recently, officials said Tuesday.

The steel-hulled vessel strayed into the Tubbataha National Marine Park in the Sulu Sea and struck an atoll, where it was stranded. It was unclear why the vessel strayed into the no-sail area, regional coast guard commander Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista said.

t is not the same area where the Philippines and China were in a standoff last year over competing sea claims. Tubbataha lies east off southwestern Palawan province and is far from South China Sea islands and offshore areas long contested by China, the Philippines and four other governments.

The 12 crewmen were taken into custody but investigators have not been able to communicate with them because they do speak Chinese and no English. They may face charges of illegal entry and poaching, and have already violated a regulation banning commercial ships from venturing into a five-kilometer (three-mile) no-sail area around Tubbataha, park superintendent Angelique Songco said.

No fish were found in the vessel but it was equipped with fishing nets, she said....."

LINK BELOW:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/after-us-warship-suspected-chinese-fishing-vessel-runs-aground-in-protected-philippine-reef/2013/04/09/7bc001b6-a0e6-11e2-bd52-614156372695_story.html