Philippines Turns to UN After Boat Collision in South China Sea

  • Embassy asked to appeal to International Maritime Organization
  • Government last week filed a diplomatic protest against China
Rescued Filipino fishermen board a ship as they head back to shore on June 14.Source: AP
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The Philippines has asked the United Nations to make protecting life at sea a priority after the collision this month between a Filipino fishing boat and a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, in a post on his Twitter account, said he authorized the Philippine embassy in London to make an “appeal” to the UN and its International Maritime Organization. He also posted a government statement to the IMO claiming the Filipino boat’s crew “were callously abandoned” and would have “perished” if it not for the assistance from a Vietnamese vessel.