Philippine Military Rejects Chinese Allegations Sailors Pointed Weapons at a Coast Guard Crew

Statement by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in response to accusations by the China Coast Guard that Filipino sailors pointed weapons at a CCG vessel.

The Philippines Armed Forces (AFP) said its sailors aboard the grounded Sierra Madre warship on the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea reacted professionally but did not point their weapons at an approaching China Coast Guard dinghy.

“Foreign vessels that venture dangerously close to our military vessel and in violation of safe distance protocols necessitate heightened vigilance,” the AFP said in a statement published Tuesday on their X account.

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by Eric Olander

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