PH Navy: Medical evacuation in Ayungin Shoal successful despite Chinese presence

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday said that a medical evacuation of a sick sailor in Ayungin Shoal over the weekend went successful despite the reported presence of Chinese vessels.

“Last July 7, the Armed Forces conducted a medical evacuation of one of our troops on BRP Sierra Madre in coordination with the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard),” Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad.

The BRP Sierra Madre is the grounded Philippine ship that serves as the Philippines' post in the Ayungin Shoal.

The sick Navy officer, Trinidad said, is now at Camp Ricarte Station Hospital in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

"We would like to thank the Coast Guard for being part of the effort to ensure the safety of our [sailor] deployed on BRP Sierra Madre. [The] details of that we could get from the Philippine Coast Guard," Trinidad said.

On Sunday, former US Air Force official and former defense attaché Ray Powell said that China Coast Guard (CCG) 5203 blocked the BRP Cabra and BRP Cape Engano while they were passing 14 nautical miles east of Ayungin Shoal.

He also said six Chinese maritime militia vessels were closely shadowing the PCG vessels.

Powell said this prompted the Chinese to dispatch seven more militia vessels “to bolster blockade around 2TS while CCG 5203 went south [and] first interdicted the 2 [Philippines] ships at 0700.”

Trinidad, however, referred to the PCG regarding the details of the incident.

GMA News Online reached out to the PCG about the matter but it has yet to respond as of posting time.

Humanitarian grounds

For its part, China's coast guard said on humanitarian grounds it had "allowed" the Philippines to evacuate a person who had fallen ill on a rusting warship beached on the Second Thomas Shoal located in waters claimed by both countries.

The Chinese Coast Guard said in a statement late Tuesday that it monitored and verified the entire operation on Sunday, which its spokesperson said was at the request from relevant parties in the Philippines.

A month ago, Philippine coast guard accused its Chinese counterpart of blocking a medical evacuation from the warship, calling the actions "barbaric and inhumane".

China's foreign ministry said the same day that China will allow the Philippines to deliver supplies and evacuate personnel if Manila notifies Beijing ahead of a mission.

China's foreign ministry said the same day that China will allow the Philippines to deliver supplies and evacuate personnel if Manila notifies Beijing ahead of a mission.

Ayungin Shoal is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands. It is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

EXPLAINER: What is the Ayungin Shoal and why is it important?

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Manila refers parts of the waters within its exclusive economic zone as the West Philippine Sea. —with Reuters/KBK, GMA Integrated News