June 2024 Second Thomas Shoal incident | |||||
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Part of South China Sea disputes | |||||
![]() China Coast Guard personnel (left) brandishing an axe towards a Filipino military personnel | |||||
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Belligerents | |||||
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Units involved | |||||
Armed Forces of the Philippines
| China Coast Guard | ||||
Casualties and losses | |||||
8 injured [lower-alpha 1] | None reported |
On June 17, 2024, the China Coast Guard interfered with a resupply mission by the Philippine Navy near the Second Thomas Shoal, which is part of the internationally contested Spratly Islands.
The Second Thomas Shoal is submerged reef is among the maritime features which form part of the Spratly Islands, which is claimed as a territory by several nations including China and the Philippines. [3]
The Philippines has deliberately grounded the BRP Sierra Madre in 1999 in an attempt to enforce its sovereignty claims, which remains a commissioned ship of the Philippine Navy over the feature which it believes to be within its exclusive economic zone. Meanwhile, China virtually claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. [3]
China Coast Guard released on June 15, 2024, new guidelines on implementing its 2021 law which authorizes its officers to use lethal means on foreign ships which enter waters China claims. The guidelines allow the detention of non-Chinese on the suspicion of "violating entry-exit laws of China" without formal charge for up to 60 days. [4] [5] [6]
The Philippines was conducting an operation a rotation and reprovisioning (RORE) mission for its personnel stationed at the Second Thomas Shoal on June 17, 2024, particularly the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) backed by the Philippine Coast Guard under a "limited" role. [7]
The AFP used the civilian vessel ML Lapulapu and the Philippine Navy's rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). [7] [8] [1]
The China Coast Guard (CCG) would interfere with the Philippine mission. [9] As per the CCG, it responded when a Philippine supply ship at around 5:59 am "dangerously approached and deliberately collided" with a "normally navigating" Chinese vessel. CCG insists that it has issued multiple "stern warnings" which was ignored. [2]
The Philippines said that China Coast Guard personnel boarded its boats and allegedly damaged the communications and navigational equipment of the boats and took seven firearms. [7] It also said that there is a directive for Filipino personnel on board not to display or use any firearms and therefore fought against Chinese coast guard personnel who are armed with bladed weapons with bare arms. [8]
The ML Lapulapu was reportedly rammed and did not proceed with its intended mission. [1]
China acknowledge that the action of its coast guard marks the first time it conducted an onboard inspection on Philippine vessels. [10]
CCG personnel also reportedly threw rocks at Filipino troops moored near the grounded BRP Sierra Madre. [11]
Eight Filipino personnel reportedly got injured. [11] One of them was noted to have lost a finger. [12]
The Philippine Coast Guard's BRP Bagacay would retrieve the stalled BRP Cabra at 8:00am but was three Hubei Class missile boats by the People's Liberation Army Navy of China. Bagacay would be informed about the damaged RHIBs. [13]
The PCG was notified about the injured Filipino troops at around 10:00 am which were allowed to be brought to the grounded Sierra Madre. [14] The PCG was able to retrieve their damaged RHIBs by 12 noon. [15]
The Philippines attempted to rescue the injured personnel by 10:30 pm. [14] China allowed the Philippines to retrieve the eight injured but insisted that the responding vessels not bring construction materials. [11]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China insist that the resupply mission of by the Philippines is illegal and that they are actually sending construction materials and weapons to the BRP Sierra Madre contrary to the Philippine claim. It maintained that the action of the China Coast Guard was "professional and restrained" and that the Philippines has provoked China. [9] The China Coast Guard also maintained the same stance in regards to the nature of its conduct. [10]
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Romeo Brawner Jr. described China's action as a "hijacking" and as "piracy" and demanded reparations. He said that the Filipino personnel involved deserved medals for their valor. [8]
Former Justice Antonio Carpio believes that the incident does not constitute as an "armed attack" that would invoke the Philippines would Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States but has acknowledged the incident as an "escalation". [16] As of June 21, there is no discussion on the invocation of the MDT by the Philippine government. [17]
President Bongbong Marcos says that the Philippines is "not in the business to instigate wars" in regards to the South China Sea dispute though he add that his country's declared "calm and peaceful disposition" should not "mistaken for acquiescence". [18] He also conferred the 80 Filipino personnel who took part in the mission, the Order of Lapu-Lapu with the rank of Kamagi. [19]
The PCG also conferred the Distinguished Coast Guard Cross and Ribbon the 70 crew members of the BRP Cabra and Bagacay. [20]
The United States reiterates its support to the Philippines through the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). It said that an "armed attack" such as what happened on June 17 could be a basis to invoke the treaty. [21] Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Korea, as well as the European Union also issued statements condemning China's actions. [22] [23]
The Philippine Navy (PN) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 90 combat vessels, 16 auxiliary vessels, 25 manned aircraft and 8 unmanned aerial vehicles. Tracing its roots from the Philippine Revolutionary Navy on May 20, 1898, while its modern foundations were created during the creation of the Offshore Patrol on February 9, 1939, the PN is currently responsible for naval warfare operations and maritime patrol missions within the Philippine Waters, as well as ensuring the protection of the Philippine's maritime interests, including the West Philippine Sea and Benham Rise.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Philippine waters, conducting maritime security operations, safeguarding life and property at sea, and protecting marine environment and resources; similar to coast guard units around the world. In case of a declaration of war, the Coast Guard shall also serve as an attached service of the Department of National Defense.
BRP Benguet (LS-507) is a LST-542-class tank landing ship currently serving the Philippine Navy.
BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) is an LST-542-class tank landing ship that is an active duty commissioned vessel under the Philippine Navy.
The BRP Nestor Reinoso (PC-380) is the tenth ship of the Jose Andrada class coastal patrol boats of the Philippine Navy. It is part of the second batch of its class ordered through US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) in 1993, and was commissioned with the Philippine Navy on 1 June 1995.
Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin Shoal, Bãi Cỏ Mây (Vietnamese) and Rén'ài Jiāo, is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, Philippines. It is a disputed territory and claimed by multiple nations.
Sabina Shoal, also known as Escoda Shoal ; Mandarin Chinese: 仙賓礁/仙宾礁; pinyin: Xiānbīn Jiāo; Vietnamese: Bãi Sa Bin, is a disputed atoll in the NE of Dangerous Ground in the Spratly Islands. The Philippines puts it under the jurisdiction of Brgy. Pag-asa, Kalayaan, Palawan. It is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Vietnam, all of whom claim the Spratly Islands in their entirety.
The Parola-class patrol vessel consists of ten vessels currently in service with the Philippine Coast Guard. Their hull number prefix "MRRV" means they are officially classified as "multi-role response vessels". They will be named after primary lighthouses in the Philippines, with the Filipino word "Parola" meaning "lighthouse" in English. The lead ship, BRP Tubbataha, is named after a major lighthouse situated in the Tubbataha Marine National Park in Palawan.
BRP Tubbataha (MRRV-4401) is the lead ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard, and is one of the newer additions to the agency's fleet.
BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4402) is the second ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.
BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) is the third ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.
BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) is the sixth ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.
BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) is the eighth ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.
BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) is the ninth ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.
The BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) is the lead ship of her class of patrol vessels operated by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The service officially classifies her as a multi-role response vessel (MRRV). She is one of the largest, and most modern vessels of the PCG.
The Teresa Magbanua-class patrol vessels is class of patrol vessel built for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The class is based on the Japan Coast Guard's Kunigami-class design.
On February 6, 2023, the China Coast Guard and Philippine Coast Guard had an encounter near the Second Thomas Shoal, one of the features of the Spratly Islands which is subject to a wider dispute in the South China Sea.
On August 5, 2023, a China Coast Guard ship blocked a Philippine Coast Guard ship en route to the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands.
The West Philippine Sea – Atin Ito is a civilian-led initiative to deliver donated goods to Filipino troops stationed in the Spratly Islands, a feature claimed by several countries including the Philippines and China. The organization supports the Philippines' sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.
Alberto Bernardo Carlos is a vice admiral in the Philippine Navy who headed the Armed Forces of the Philippines–Western Command (AFP–WESCOM).