ALBAWABA - According to a report by the Filipino Military, the Chinese Coast Guard seized guns from Filipino navy boats it boarded in the South China Sea this week.
Rear Admiral Alfonso Torres told the press that the weapons were stored in the boats by Filipino sailors who were under orders not to display their weapons in Monday's confrontation off Second Thomas Shoal.
Rear Admiral Torres said that communication and navigation equipment and an outboard motor were destroyed and the mobile phones of the Filipino crew were taken.
According to the Filipino military, the captured weapons were meant for Filipino troops stationed on the shoal with the BRP Sierra Madre cruiser. According to the report, the crews of the boarded boats were ordered not to display their firearms.
General Romeo Brawner, the commander in chief of the Filipino military, stated that during the confrontation with Second Thomas Shoal, the Chinese border guards were equipped with swords, spears, and knives.
Second Thomas Shoal hosts a tiny Philippine garrison stationed on a deliberately beached old warship. It has been the focus of a series of recent confrontations between Chinese and Filipino forces.
He called the Chinese move "piracy" and insisted on receiving compensation for damaged goods as well as the return of all guns and other equipment that had been seized.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian held a press conference following the incident and stated that "Law enforcement measures taken by the China Coast Guard at the site were professional and restrained,".
