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BBC News - Philippines sends second ship amid China stand-off

12 April 2012 Last updated at 04:02 GMT

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Philippines sends second ship amid China stand-off

A handout photo shows a Philippines Navy warship docked at the naval headquarters in Manila 11 December, 2011 The Philippines' largest warship is in a stand-off with Chinese vessels in the South China Sea

The Philippines has sent a second ship to a stand-off with two Chinese ships in the South China Sea, even as both sides pledged diplomacy.

A coast guard boat will join the country's largest warship at the Scarborough Shoal, navy commander Vice-Admiral Alexander Pama said.

A foreign affairs spokesman said the Philippines will continue negotiations with China.

Both claim ownership of the shoal off the Philippines' northwestern coast.

"What is important is that we are talking to them to reach a diplomatic solution. The diplomatic solution should be fair and workable," Raul Hernandez of the Philippines' foreign affairs department told reporters.

The Philippines said its warship, the Gregorio Del Pilar, found eight Chinese fishing vessels at the shoal when it was patrolling the area on Sunday.

In a statement, the Philippines said that its navy boarded the ship and found a large amount of illegally-caught fish and coral.

Two Chinese surveillance ships then apparently arrived in the area on Tuesday, placing themselves between the warship and the fishing vessels, preventing the navy from making arrests.

The Philippines summoned Chinese ambassador Ma Keqing on Wednesday to lodge a protest over the incident. However, China maintained it had sovereign rights over the area and asked that the Philippine ship leave the waters.

Disputed seas

The stand-off comes as the Philippines prepares for joint naval exercises with the United States from the 16 to 27 April near the disputed area.

Six countries claim competing sovereignty over areas in the South China Sea, which is believed to contain huge deposits of oil and gas.

Along with China and the Philippines, they are Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China's claim includes almost the entire South China Sea, well into what the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea recognises as the 200-mile-from-shore Exclusive Economic Zones of other claimants.

That has led to occasional flare-ups and to competition to occupy islands, reefs and sandbars.

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Fishing resoures

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Green Tigers had fun with turning used plastic bags into plastic fabric by doing a little bit of research and design. The The students experimented with different temperatures with the irons,and once they got the plastic fusing, they started experimenting with colour and texture. Here are some of the results. They were pretty excited! Next we will start sewing the plastic fabric into reusable shopping bags.

News update from WFFT

RT: Director General arrived, and it seems he is not happy with our work. We are currently surrounded by armed DNP, who will be camping on site for further intimidation. The Director will be returning tomorrow. Tweeted by Edwin Weik WFFT

Latest news from Wildlife Friends of Thailand

According to Tweets from WFFT today Edwin Weik who runs WFFT fears the worst, and that this time the 'bad guys' will win Tonight Edwin will attend hearings in the elephant poaching in the National Parks that sparked all this harassment Today, officials gathered at the village where WFFT is located but at 10:30 they left without twking further action, Edwin wondered if some legal action is starting to have an effect WFFT plan to sue DNP for the illegal removal of the animals. For an empassioned and heartwrenching video of Edwin talking about the events, see the link http://www.wfft.org/wildlife-trade/day-5-dnp-raid/

Monsanto forced out of Costa Rica

COSTA RICA TRANSGENICS ALERT

Central American Alliance for Protection of Biodiversity

Biodiversity Network CR

20 September 2004

Monsanto the company responsible for more than 90% of industrial releases of transgenic organisms in the world has decided to withdraw its request to release genetically modified corn (maiz) in Costa Rica and to pull out of the country. Environmentalists in Costa Rica are still working to strengthen the campaign for an GMO-free country.

Members of the National Commission on Biosafety say that Monsanto s withdrawal is a success for social groups that have been leading a campaign against the expansion of transgenic crops in Costa Rica. Staff of the Biotechnology Department of the State Plant Health Service believe the government can no longer stand up for companies, when faced with the persistent claims and demands of the public that opposes this kind of biotechnology. They say it would be good if the companies responded to the many invitations for an open debate made by numerous social groups.

Isaac Rojas, President of the Costa Rica Federation for Environment Conservation, welcomed the self-criticism of the National Commission on Biosafety. He said the public sector (State) cannot and should not continue to legitimize and defend biotec companies nor transgenic products. It is time that the corporate sector show its face and enter into a process of public debate.

Fabián Pacheco, a spokesman for the Social Ecology Association, said It was to be expected that Monsanto would choose to go to other countries where conditions are less critical and more permissive. and added This kind of evasive attitude shows that the companies do not have technical arguments to prove that GMOs are safe and that the precautionary principle is not being violated.

The Biodiversity Network CR calls on all parts of the ecological movement and peoples organisations of other countries in the region to be alert. Monsanto is leaving Costa Rica, but it will go to other countries where it can sell its transgenic crops without much noise, to avoid polemics and open debate and adverse effects on its economic interests. Beware!


For further information: fabian@cosmovisiones.com, gavitza@racsa.co.cr