“Philippines tells China it will not abandon post in disputed reef”, Thejakartapost, August 7, 2023:
The Philippines told China it will not abandon a disputed shoal in the South China Sea after it accused China’s coast guard of using water cannons and “dangerous” moves to prevent Manila from sending supplies to its troops occupying the reef.
Likening the Aug. 5 incident to a “David vs Goliath situation”, Jonathan Malaya, a senior Philippine National Security Council (NSC) official said China’s increased presence at the Second Thomas Shoal will not deter the Philippines’ resolve to protect its position there.
“We will never abandon Ayungin Shoal,” Malaya said, using its local name, as he dismissed China’s call for Manila to remove its warship from the atoll, which was intentionally grounded in 1999 to reinforce the Philippines’ sovereignty claims.
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