Dealing with an authoritarian regime that disregards human rights and freedom is very challenging. The China Coast Guard views the fishing activities of a group of Filipino fishermen as an “illegal gathering” and interprets it as a provocation on the part of the Philippines. The issue with China is that they see their citizens as part of their state machinery, which they can exploit, and they mistakenly believe this reflects how we support our fishermen in exercising their rights to fish freely in our own Exclusive Economic Zone. Furthermore, the China Coast Guard should not take responsibility for the harassment caused by the PLA Navy helicopter towards Filipino civilian fishermen. It is, in fact, a Chinese military helicopter hovering over the indigenous wooden hull fishing boats in Rozul Reef. I would also like to remind you that the Filipino fishermen have every legal right to fish in our EEZ, as it is only 138 nautical miles from the coastline of Palawan.
https://x.com/jaytaryela/status/1863747566434914483
