Philippines renews demand Beijing pay US$1 million for South China Sea clash damages

China has yet to respond to the call, which includes payment for two damaged boats and the return of rifles seized during the June 17 stand-off

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Chinese coastguard personnel during a confrontation with the Philippine navy in the disputed South China Sea in June. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:33am, 5 Nov 2024

The Philippine military chief has reiterated calls for Beijing to compensate for damages and return rifles seized during a violent confrontation in the disputed South China Sea that left a Filipino sailor with a severed thumb.

General Romeo Brawner Jnr said his side was demanding payment for two inflatable boats damaged by Chinese forces in the encounter on June 17 when the Filipino navy was delivering supplies to troops stationed at a military outpost in the waterway.

“We demanded the Chinese to pay us P60 million (US$1.02 million) for the damage and for the return of our firearms. That is on top of the injury that was caused on one navy sailor who lost his thumb … China has yet to respond,” Brawner told reporters on Monday.

He added that doctors had managed to reattach the severed thumb of Seaman First Class Underwater Operator Jeffrey Facundo.

Beijing has been accused of employing aggressive tactics against Philippine ships in the South China Sea, such as firing water cannons and using high-intensity lasers, in a bid to assert its territorial claims in the contested waters.

The economic giant claims most of the South China Sea, rejecting rival claims from other countries, including the Philippines, and a 2016 international ruling that its assertion over the waterway has no legal basis.