Philippine congressman accuses Chinese ship of anchoring near Second Thomas Shoal

A Philippine lawmaker said a Chinese coast guard vessel "dropped anchor" more than a month ago near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.

According to VOA, Congressman Francisco Acedillo said his intelligence sources knew that Chinese coast guard ships were in waters "very close" to the rusty old World War II ship that ran aground on Second Thomas Shoal.

Second Thomas Shoal in Vietnam's Spratly Islands is also a subject of dispute between the Philippines and China.

A Chinese coast guard ship. Photo: news.usni

The BRP Sierra Madre, a 100-meter-long landing tanker, was built for the US Navy during World War II. The Philippine Navy, upon receiving it, deliberately ran it aground on Second Thomas Shoal to demonstrate Manila's presence there. A small group of Filipino soldiers are stationed on the ship.

“It is a big problem for me, because let's say in the event that our eight-man team is forced to leave Ayungin, that would easily allow China to gain a foothold in Ayungin Shoal,” lawmaker Acedillo said, using the Philippine name for Second Thomas Shoal.

Location of Co May Shoal (green dot) on Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago. The small image is a satellite image of the shoal. Graphics: blogspot

He said the Chinese ship anchored more than a month ago and it is unclear whether it is still there. VOA tried to contact several military officials to confirm Acedillo’s information, but officials did not respond. China has also not commented on the ship anchored near the shoal.

According to VNE