Philippines, US, Vietnam, Indonesia in joint maritime training op

FMT:

Philippines, US, Vietnam,

Indonesia in joint

maritime training op

AFP

-27 Jan 2025, 02:03 PM

The four nations practised vessel boarding and arrest techniques, the US Embassy in Manila says.

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There have been frequent clashes or tense standoffs between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea in recent years. (EPA Images pic)

MANILA: 

Coast guard and fishery officials from the Philippines, US, Vietnam and Indonesia practised vessel boarding and arrest techniques at a joint maritime law enforcement training, the US Embassy in Manila said Monday.

The two-week course on the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao comes as part of a regional effort* to boost law enforcement cooperation as fears of maritime conflict with China grow.

* is US a regional nation?

There have been frequent clashes or tense standoffs between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the strategic waterway, as well as recent incidents involving Vietnamese and Indonesian vessels.

“Together, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that our maritime sovereignty remains a zone of peace, safety and prosperity for all,” Philippine Coast Guard district commander Rejard V Marfe said in a statement released by the US embassy.

Does that include the "regional" country, the US?

Marfe called the Jan 13-24 training “invaluable in ensuring that we are better equipped to address maritime threats”, though the statement made no mention of China.

The training covered safe vessel boarding at sea, maritime law, evidence collection and preservation, safety and risk mitigation and arrest techniques, according to the statement.

The Australian border force joined the coast guard, customs enforcers and fisheries surveillance officials as observers.

China has stepped up expansion of its naval forces in recent years as it seeks to extend its reach in the Pacific and challenge a US-led alliance.

In recent months, China has deployed navy and coast guard vessels to bar the Philippines from strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea.

In October, Hanoi accused Beijing of a “brutal” attack in which it said 10 Vietnamese fishermen were beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars worth of fish and equipment.

In the same month, Indonesia said it drove a Chinese coast guard ship from contested waters in the South China Sea three times in a week.

***

wonder who's the busybody provocateur intruder?