No fishing

 

A complaint against Chinese government has been filed before three bodies of the United Nations (UN) urging direct intervention and investigation of human rights violations.

The violations were committed against Filipino fishermen who had been denied access to their traditional source of livelihood at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal off Masinloc, Zambales because of Chinese occupation.

The 24-page complaint dated September 22, 2015 was filed by 16 fishermen from Pangasinan through their legal counsels.

The complaints specifically urged UN to "direct China and its state agents to respect the human rights—including the right to livelihood, the right to adequate food, and the right to life—of the Filipino fisher folk over their traditional fishing grounds and safe refuge at Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc) in accordance with China's international obligation under (a) the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, (b) the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and (c) customary international law."

The lawyers mentioned as China's state agents its Coast Guard and maritime agencies, in which various reports identified the Chinese Maritime Ships (CMS) involved in confrontation with Filipino vessels and fishing boats.

They stressed that the shoal, which is about 120 nautical miles west of Zambales and well within the country's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), is situated within Philippine territory and, thus, constitute traditional fishing grounds of Filipino fisher folk.

The fishermen said their daily income from fishing was drastically reduced since the Chinese started patrolling and guarding the area, prohibiting them to approach the shoal to fish.

Because of these economic losses, the complainants appealed to the UN bodies to look into their plight caused by China's unilateral and excessive claim using the controversial 9-dash line map of the South China Sea.

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