"Landep News"
Spratly Island Chain
A flareup sparked between China and the Philippine islands, as five members of the Philippine parliament flew to an island in the Spratly chain on Wednesday defying the warning of China that such an act would destabilize the region and would damage ties between the states.
The lawmakers, accompanied by a military detail, local officials and journalists arrived on Thitu island on two private planes, and raised the flag of Philippine on a governmental building of that island.
One legislator told the press that the delegation came to that island to promote a peaceful solution for that territorial dispute, but added that the Filipinos are ready to defend their territory.
He said that the foreign powers should bare in mind that if the situation imposed it, the Filipinos would defend their island they call Pag-asa. He added that Filipinos were born to resist and to defend their soil.
People Protesting for Regional Peace
This visit to the Spratly chain comes at a time when this territory in the South China Sea has been claimed totally or partially by many states in the region: China, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Thitu is the largest island occupied by Philippines in the Spratly chain, which is considered to be very rich in oil and gas. Different shipping lanes also go through this territory.
Southeast Asian governments voiced serious concern over this territorial dispute in Bali, the Indonesian resort, where they met this week.
China forces are said to have opened fire on Filipinos fishermen, and to have watched closely an oil exploration Filipino vessel.
China refers to Thitu as Zhongye Dao, and on Wednesday expressed strong protest over the visit of the members of the parliament.
The Chinese embassy in Manila, the capital of Philippines, said that the trip of the lawmakers served no other purpose than the undermining of stability in the region, and the sabotage of China-Philippines relations.
The Filipinos lawmakers replied to these accusations by saying that maybe Chinese were not used to democratic procedures.
Filipinos, Chinese and Vietnamese keep their islands in the region and sometimes they fire warning fires if approached. Locals say that in spite of the tensions the chain sparks in the capitals, they get along just fine.
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