Non-military encounters in South China Sea to intensify if Philippines implements maritime militia plan, say observers

Name: Philippine President Duterte raises 2016 South China Sea tribunal win at United Nations
Uploaded: 2020-10-24T10:00:19.000Z
Duration: 1 min 33 s
Description: Philippine President Duterte raises 2016 South China Sea tribunal win at United Nations

Manila’s navy chief announced last week that about 240 militiamen would be deployed to the contested waters of the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands

Implementation of the plan remains unclear as the nation’s defence secretary says there is currently no government budget for it

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China coastguard vessels are pictured at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in 2017. Photo: Reuters

Liu Zhenin Beijing

Published: 6:00pm, 24 Oct 2020Updated: 10:46am, 26 Oct 2020

The risk of close encounters between non-military forces in the disputed South China Sea is likely to intensify if the plan by the Philippines to deploy maritime militia is implemented, observers said.

Manila’s navy chief Giovanni Carlo Bacordo announced last week that about 240 militiamen would be deployed to the contested waters of the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands – recruiting fishermen and organising them into seaborne militia units to counter China’s growing presence in the disputed waters.

The implementation of the plan remained unclear as the nation’s Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said there was no government budget for it.

Chen Xiangmiao, an associate researcher with the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said the Philippine plan might be a reaction to tension in the region over the past year or two and domestic pressure to protect fishermen.

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Philippine President Duterte raises 2016 South China Sea tribunal win at United Nations

Last year reportedly at least 100 Chinese fishing boats, organised like militia, gathered near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island.