Chinese vessel rams Philippine boat near Scarborough Shoal: Duowei

A Chinese fishing vessel bound for the Scarborough Shoal. (Photo/Xinhua)

A Chinese vessel is said to have "accidentally" rammed a Philippine fishing boat near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, killing one man and leaving four missing, reports Duowei News, a US-based paper that has reported rumors that are difficult to prove.
The Philippine fishing boat set out on June 18 from the northern coastal town of Bolinao in Pangasinan province and sunk two days later, Duowei reported, citing Philippine media.
"Of the eight fishermen aboard, four were plucked out of sea only yesterday, but one of them died in a hospital," said Benito Ramos, the chief of the Philippine Office of Civil Defence. "Four more are still missing."
The fishermen claimed that they were rammed by a boat they believed was Chinese, adding that the people onboard "looked Chinese."
"They did not [help]," Ramos said of the occupants on the other boat. "That's why it's suspicious. If it was accidental, then they should have helped."
Ramos said the incident occurred north of the Scarborough Shoal, an area over which both China and the Philippines claim sovereignty. The two countries have been engaged in a tense standoff since April, when Chinese government vessels blocked Philippine ships from arresting Chinese fishermen near the shoal.
Tensions eased earlier this month after the Philippines ordered two ships to be pulled out from the region due to bad weather and the Chinese responded by saying it would also ask its fishermen to leave the area. As of last week, however, there were still seven Chinese ships at the shoal, according to the Philippines foreign ministry.
A spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said they did not receive any information about a boat collision involving a Chinese vessel near the shoal. The spokesperson said media reports on the incident have yet to be verified, calling for reporters to act more responsibly.
China Newsweek magazine reported that more than 750 Chinese boats were robbed and at least 49 Chinese were injured or killed in the South China Sea between 1989 and 2010.
Several days ago, Chinese academic Lang Xianping wrote on his Sina Weibo microblog that peace and restraint will only make rogue states more aggressive.
"For the lasting peace of the South China Sea, we urgently need a war!" Lang wrote.

Source :http://www.wantchinatimes.com