Marcos: Ayungin incident not an armed attack but deliberate, illegal

This frame grab from handout video taken on June 17, 2024 and released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs Office on June 19 shows China coast guard boats (L) approaching Philippine boats (C) during an incident off Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippine military said on June 19 the Chinese coast guard rammed and boarded Filipino navy boats in a violent confrontation in the South China Sea this week in which a Filipino sailor lost a thumb. China defended its actions, with its foreign ministry saying on Wednesday that “no direct measures” were taken against Filipino personnel. Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday that while the recent Ayungin Shoal confrontation was not an armed attack, it was still a deliberate and illegal action.
Marcos spoke for the first time on the confrontation in the West Philippine Sea where Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) attacked Philippine Navy personnel, leaving one crewman without a thumb.
“It’s not armed, we were not aimed at with a gun, but it was a deliberate, it was a deliberate action to stop our people,” said Marcos.
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Marcos recently went to the Western Command in Palawan, where he personally spoke to the Armed Forces crewman who was injured in the encounter with the CCG.
Article continues after this advertisement“They boarded a Philippine vessel and took equipment from the Philippine vessel, so although there were no arms involved, nonetheless, it is still a deliberate action, and it is essentially an illegal action that was taken by the Chinese forces,” said Marcos.
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