MANILA: The Philippines accused Chinese fishermen on Monday of pouring cyanide in waters in the Spratly Islands, a flashpoint in the disputed South China Sea that has been the site of violent confrontations with Chinese vessels.
Beijing claims the strategic South China Sea in nearly its entirety, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. The Philippines´ National Security Council (NSC) alleged the poisoning began last year around Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly chain, which sits near vital shipping lanes and is reputedly rich in minerals.
“The use of cyanide on Ayungin Shoal is a term of sabotage that seeks to kill local fish populations, depriving Navy personnel of a vital food source,” NSC assistant director-general Cornelio Valencia told a news conference, using the Philippines´ term for the reef.
These actions also “threaten our Navy personnel” through exposure to contaminated water, eating poisoned fish, as well as eroding corals, Valencia added. Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the hotly contested waterway, including a violent clash in June 2024 in which Chinese coastguard personnel wielding knives, sticks and an axe boarded Philippine Navy boats. China´s foreign ministry branded the fresh accusations a “farce”.
