PH Navy says laser incident ‘has no place’ in West Philippine Sea

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, spokesperson of the Philippine Navy for West Philippine Sea, speaks to the members of the media at West Philippine Sea Office, Manila City in this file photo taken on March 6, 2024. INQUIRER.net / Arnel Tacson

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Navy said China’s actions against a Filipino aircraft in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on September 27 have “no place” in international maritime law.

Real Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy WPS Spokesperson, said during Tuesday’s briefing, “Actions that endanger the lives of pilots or Navy personnel have no place in the West Philippine Sea.”

On September 27, a Chinese Navy missile boat used a laser thrice at a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources aircraft conducting maritime surveillance near Hasa-Hasa Shoal, 111 kilometers off Palawan.

READ: Chinese warship shoots laser at BFAR aircraft

“We cannot control what they (Chinese Navy) do in the West Philippine Sea. What is important is that the AFP continues to perform its mandate: to ensure that the territory is intact and our sovereign rights are protected,” Trinidad added.

READ: China harasses Philippine Coast Guard vessel with laser

In February 2023, the Philippine Coast Guard accused the Chinese Coast Guard of pointing a “military-grade” laser at one of the Filipino vessels supporting a Navy resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal.