President Toribiong: Palau Draws Closer to US Following Confrontation With ...
31.12.69
The incident pitted his small Pacific island nation against China over Palau's contention that a group of Chinese had illegally entered Palau's territorial waters to fish or, Toribiong suggested, perhaps to spy.
Toribiong spoke with PNC News Saturday as he was passing through Guam on his way back to Palau from Hawaii where he met with American military officials for routine, previously scheduled, annual military talks under Palau's Compact of Free Association with the U.S.
The confrontation with the Chinese fishermen came up during the Hawaii talks and the result said Toribiong has been to bring his island nation closer to the U.S.
Palau and the U.S. already enjoy close relations under the Compact which obligates the U.S. to provide for Palau's defense. But the events of the past few weeks prompted Toribiong to renew a prior invitation to the U.S. military to establish bases on the Southern Palauan islands of Peleliu and Angaur. Toribiong said that U.S. military authorities told him they are considering it.
Source: Pacific News Center
Standoff diffused as Chinese boats leave shoal
31.12.69
Their departure diffused the standoff but also embarrassed the Philippines, which had insisted on confiscating the fishermen's alleged illegal catch of endangered giant clams, corals and live sharks.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario confirmed that the Chinese fishing boats departed late Friday from Scarborough Shoal, off the northwestern Philippines.
In a later statement, he said that China sent back one of its surveillance ships to the shoal, bringing to two the number of vessels facing off a Philippine coast guard frigate.
He also accused China of flying an aircraft near the Philippine frigate, and said that a "white Chinese ship harassed a Philippine-registered vessel with nine French nationals, which has been conducting archaeological surveys."
Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
Chinese fishing boats leave Huangyan Island
31.12.69
MANILA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- All the Chinese fishing boats left the lagoon in Huangyan Island in South China Seas on Friday night, after a five-day stalemate, according to sources from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the military on Saturday.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement issued on Saturday that all the Chinese fishing vessels had left the lagoon, and only one Chinese surveillance ship remained there.
The standoff erupted when the Philippine Navy spotted some Chinese fishing boats sought refuge from bad weather at a lagoon off the Huangyan Island on April 8. The Philippines sent its largest warship Gregorio del
Source: People's Daily Online