Saturday, April 20, 2013

4/20/2013 How Far Will The Dragon Swim?

THE STRANGE CASE OF THE CHINESE F/V MIN LONG YU

Illegal Entry, Grounding with Coral Reef Damage, Illegal Fishing, and Ant Eater Poaching

Philippine Coast Guard Official Photo of the Final Re-floating of the F/V MING LONG YU

Back in January the United States Navy Mine Counter measures ship the USS GUARDIAN ran aground on the Philippines' Tubbataha Reef.  Tubbataha Reef is a World Heritage site recognized by the United Nations, belonging to, and administered by the Philippines natural resources authorities and protected by the Philippine Coast Guard. THE USS GUARDIAN became a constructive total loss and had to be cut up and removed from the reef in pieces. It came out in the news coverage of that story that the reef is actually 8 miles from its charted location. That information in turn led us to publish a posting on the problems of Chart datum (base data) and the necessity to deal with the fact that many of the World's navigation charts contain various inaccuracies when only a few weeks later the mystery of the periodically disappearing "Sandy Island" was reported solved also in the Pacific. As it turns out while some features of Pacific navigation charts are as up to date as the latest satellite imagery, some of the data hasn't been updated since first reported by Captain Cook in the 1700s.


USS GUARDIAN AGROUND ON TABBATAHA REEF BEFORE BEING CUT UP


 However even an 8 mile charting error can't explain the presence in Philippine territorial waters of the Chinese fishing vessel MIN LONG YU. The MIN LONG YU was found in Philippine territorial waters when she too ran aground on Tabbataha Reef which is a World Heritage site recognized by the United Nations as under the jurisdiction of the Philippines all claims by China to own all of the China Seas up to the Philippine main island beaches notwithstanding. Just as the USS GUARDIAN grounding did, the contact between the MIN LONG YU and the reef damaged living coral and immediately drew the attention of Heritage Site Rangers and the Philippine Coast Guard. Clearly this Chinese fishing vessel was illegally in undisputed Philippine waters, and it had a hold full of fish. Later as the salvage effort proceeded and the Philippine Coast Guard continued its investigation it was revealed that boxes of processed Ant Eaters , an endangered Philippine species treasured by the Chinese were also aboard. One must conclude that the MIN LONG YU held illegal communications with parties ashore in the Philippines unless the crew landed and harvested the ant eaters themselves, a virtual invasion of the Philippines proper in the same month when Chinese military air craft over flew one of the main islands. Yesterday the fishing vessel was freed from the reef and is being taken into port by the Philippine Coast Guard, the crew is under arrest and in custody ashore in the Philippines. Given the utter disregard for Philippine sovereignty exhibited by the Chinese when it comes to the uninhabited islands just off shore of the Philippine main islands they have been curiously quiet about this incident. It is very inconvenient for the Chinese that the Philippine claim to its offshore islands is well within the United Nations Convention on The Law of the Sea. It is even more inconvenient that the UN recognizes Philippine sovereignty over this particular reef or anything else off shore of their main island beaches. Then this incident occurred only a few weeks after the U.S.accidentally grounded on the reef and humbly submitted to Philippine authority. The extraction of the USS GUARDIAN was conducted at U.S. expense under the watchful eye and authority of the Philippine Coast Guard. The Philippine Coast Guard also supervised the extraction of the MIN LONG YU. So far there has been no rescue attempt or loud protest from the Dragon claiming that their fishermen were simply exercising their sovereign rights. After all, if all of the proofs of Philippine soverignity over the reef weren't enough, to claim some sovereign right of China to hunt ant eaters on the Philippine shore would be tantamount to simply admitting the truth, China is a thug state that seeks to turn its regional neighbors into subservient vassal states.


Here is a link to the article on the re-floating of the Min LONG YU:



Below is a reprint of our updated article on the original grounding and the discovery of the boxes of processed ant eaters with links.
4/15/2013 News Endangered species and the Swimming Dragon




Shark on the Tubbataha Reef, Wikipedia photo

LAST WEEK WE BROUGHT YOU THE STORY OF CHINESE FISHERMEN CAUGHT POACHING IN PHILIPPINE WATERS. THE HEADLINE AND STORY LINK ARE BELOW. BELOW THAT IS AN UPDATE.  IT SEEMS THESE WEREN'T JUST FISH POACHERS PHILIPPINE RANGERS FOUND ENDANGERED ANT EATERSABOARD

Last Week:

The Philippines Assert Their Soverignity Over A Dragon Boat


GMA NEWS

Philippine authorities on Wednesday afternoon lodged poaching charges against 12 Chinese fishermen whose vessel ran aground in Tubbataha Reef before midnight last Monday.

The Tubbataha Management Office plans to lodge at least three more charges against the fishermen on Thursday, radio dzBB's James Viernes reported.

The charges were based on Section 27 ofRepublic Act 10067, the Tubbataha National Park Act. Under Section 27 of the law, "poaching by foreigners" involves the entry of any foreign fishing vessel in the Tubbataha Reef area "shall constitute prima facie evidence that the vessel is engaged in fishing in the area."

To read the full story click on the link below:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/303249/news/nation/poaching-charges-filed-vs-chinese-fishermen-in-tubbataha-incident


And Now


Frozen anteaters found aboard Chinese ship grounded at Tubbataha


The 12 Chinese whose fishing vessel ran aground Tubbataha Reef last week may be in for more trouble after at least 400 boxes of frozen balintong (anteaters) were found inside their vessel, the Coast Guard said Monday.

http://thedailyguardian.net/index.php/flash-news-new/26841-frozen-anteaters-found-aboard-chinese-ship-grounded-at-tubbataha

2/2013 Reoccurring announcement Maritime TV:  http://www.maritimetv.com/Home.aspx
                                           



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