Muling inatake ng vessel ng China Coast Guard (CCG), maging ng Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM), ang supply boat ng Pilipinas sa BRP Sierra Madre sa Ayungin Shoal nitong Biyernes, Nobyembre 10, ayon sa National Task Force- West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS).

Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ng NTF-WPS na nangyari ang naturang pag-atake ng China bandang 7:30 ng umaga.

“At 0730H, today, 10 November 2023, China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels recklessly harassed, blocked, executed dangerous maneuvers in another attempt to illegally impede or obstruct a routine resupply and rotation mission to BRP SIERRA MADRE (LS 57) at Ayungin Shoal,” pahayag ng NTF-WPS.

Ayon sa NTF-WPS, ilegal na nag-deploy ang CCG vessel 5203 ng water cannon laban Philippine supply vessel na M/L Kalayaan upang paatrasin ito sa isasagawang resupply mission.

Chinese vessel, bumangga sa resupply boat ng AFP sa Ayungin Shoal

“Supply boats Unaizah Mae 1 (UM1) and M/L Kalayaan were also subjected to extremely reckless and dangerous harassment at close proximity by CCG rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIB) inside Ayungin Shoal lagoon during their approach to BRP Sierra Madre,” pag-uulat ng NTF-WPS.

Gayunpaman, matagumpay pa rin umanong naabot ng dalawang supply boat ang BRP Sierra Madre.

Samantala, nagprotesta na umano ang Philippine Embassy in Beijing sa Chinese foreign ministry kaugnay ng nangyari. Nakipag-ugnayan na rin umano sa rito ang Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) sa pamamagitan ng Maritime Communications Mechanism.

“We firmly insist that Chinese vessels responsible for these illegal activities leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal immediately,” pagbibigay-diin ng NTF-WPS.

“The systematic and consistent manner in which the People’s Republic of China carries out these illegal and irresponsible actions puts into question and significant doubt the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue,” saad pa nito.

Matatandaang noon lamang Oktubre 22, 2023 nang kumpirmahin ng NTF-WPS na binangga ng barko ng CCG ang AFP-contracted indigenous resupply boat na Unaiza May 2 (UM2) na nagsasagawa ng rotation and resupply (RORE) mission sa BRP Sierra Madre nang mga sandaling iyon.