The Philippines charged nine Chinese fishermen today with poaching more than 500 endangered sea turtles at a disputed South China Sea shoal despite China's demand for them to be immediately freed.
Prosecutor Allen Ross Rodriguez said two other arrested Chinese were minors and would be sent home. The nine Chinese have been charged with violating two provisions of the Philippine fisheries code, including illegally harvesting 555 endangered turtles, before a special environmental court in western Palawan province.
Police arrested the fishermen and seized the boat that was allegedly laden with the giant turtles, most of them dead, last week at the disputed Half Moon Shoal.
China has pressed the Philippine government to free the fishermen and the boat, saying they were apprehended in Chinese territorial waters. Beijing warned Manila not to take any more "provocative actions so as to avoid further damage to bilateral relations."
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila reiterated today that the Chinese were arrested within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, the 370 kilometre stretch of sea where the country has exclusive right to fish and exploit undersea gas and oil deposits under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Five Filipino fishermen were caught separately near Half Moon Shoal, about 110 kilometres from Palawan province, with about 70 turtles in their boat. Criminal complaints have also been filed against them for illegally catching the turtles.
Unlike the Chinese, the Filipino defendants sought the services of Filipino lawyers and were not immediately indicted.
The fishermen face up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to USD 2,300 each. They can post bail but cannot leave the country because of immigration law violations after failing to show travel documents.
Washington has urged China and the Philippines to resolve the rift diplomatically and voiced concern that the vessels appeared to have been catching endangered species.
