Ho Chi Mhin City – Even as the Philippines attempts to deal with the threat of fish kills reducing aquaculture from "grown milk fish (Bangus) farms’ in recent weeks. The Bureau of Fisheries has to deal with the increased presence of Chinese Patrol craft harassment of Philippine fishing vessels away from traditional fishing grounds within the country’s EEZ – off the coast of Palawan Province. .
In Vietnam, they are using a tool they claim is working versus ‘foreign fishing fleets’ poaching in their waters. Think of it as People Power, we here in the Philippines are well-known for – all over the world, Well, in Vietnam’s case it’s using ‘Pescadore Power’ moving fishing fleets in convoys and forcing Chinese fishing fleets which operate in convoy’s protected by their naval gunboats, frigates, and maritime patrol craft of the PRC fisheries administration.
Vietnam’s www.thanhniennews.com, in news report on the increasing harassment faced by the local fishing patrols of China says that, "In Binh Thuan province (local government) have equipped ICOM radio devices on some 1,400 local boats and established eight communication stations which always keep contact with offshore boats." the plan is in so fishing vessels can come to each others aid when needed. "Huynh Quang Huy, chief of the provincial seafood department, said so far local border guards’ command has established over 400 groups of fishing boats to fish together."
See whets coming, well – in a at sea version of the Tiananmen massacre, or more like EDSA, the Vietnamese vessels are quickly called in to coordinate efforts versus poachers. "Group members are big boats, supporting one another in terms of information, rescues in case of bad weather, and “especially they lean on one another whenever a foreign boat attacks them,” Huy stressed in the report on the website.
The story goes on to say that, "Nguyen Van Ca, a 47-year-old fisherman from Tuy Phong District, says With group members’ supports, finally foreign boats had to run away from our waters.- There’s no way we have to be afraid of them when we fish right in our country’s waters.” in other words with radios, coordination, and, cooperation they are able to fend off in numbers attempts by China to bully them off fishing grounds they control.
But, while the idea seems something capable for Vietnam whose fishing vessels once accosted can call for help. Vietnam has the third largest air force in the Asia, and its second largest military. But, a small naval fleet that is not much unlike the vessels of the Philippine navy. Many are old – and – its coast guard is largely made up of hand me down craft from the Soviet era. – Hence – it uses ‘Pescadore Power ‘to deal, with any threat.
Mindful, the incidents involving China’s naval forces and it’s maritime patrol – is not limited to the disputed Spartly islands of which Vietnam also lays claim to – it also has been having trouble just off its coast line where the numbers can for now it seems keep the PRC fishing fleets and patrols at bay.
Dangerous Ground: Very Dangerous for Vietnam’s vessels incidents of PRC vessels firing on fishermen
The Vietnamese web site went on to report, while there has been success in the waters off of Vietnams coastline – in areas it claims near the Philippine island of Palawan.
[]… Captain Le Van Giup, 49, said over the past 20 days his boat has fished tuna some five nautical miles from the Da Dong Island (East London Reef), which is part of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago, off Khanh Hoa province.
But recently many Chinese fishing boats have showed up in the waters together with three Chinese navy ships which are numbered 989, 27 and 28, all painted in white and equipped with many weapons,
Chinese ships approached his boat, kept disturbing them and firing on the water near them. His boat was forced to run 20 miles away from the island. The Chinese fishing boats, meanwhile, kept staying next to Giup’s boat, and “not allowing us to fish,” he said.
Nguyen Dung, 40, from Binh Dinh province, also told Thanh Nien via radio that when he was offshore, many of his peers informed one another that a fishing boat from Quang Ngai province was shot when it was moving near the Chu Thap (Cross) Island, also part of Truong Sa.
“Another boat from Binh Dinh was also chased away,” Dung said, adding that on his way to Ninh Thuan province from Truong Sa, he saw many Chinese boats operating just over 100 sea miles from the province’s coast. – www.thanhniennews.com …[]
While the Philippines, files its protests and attempts to deal with the problem – much of it speculated in part as a rush by China to move into areas quickly before the Philippines can implement the deployment of newly acquired vessel from the United States.
Headed by a large former US Coast Guard Cutter the Hamilton – which while not as well armed as many of the Chinese vessels deployed will be a greater deterrent to poachers and naval and maritime patrols of the PRC.
Most of the Chinese fisheries patrol vessels seem wary to challenge naval vessels. Knowing all too well that in past incidents even small Philippine vessels ‘shoot back’, when fired upon. Bully’s it seems run away when challenged – even big ones mostly because- if they fight a weaker enemy the world at large wouldn’t stand for it.
One can say Vietnam’s ‘Pescadore Power’ plan is working along its coast as reports claim. But, people power – invented here – might work just as well at sea