Philippine Military Demands $1M in Reparations From China After Maritime Clash

The Philippine military has demanded that China pay the country 60 million pesos (around $1 million) in reparations following a violent confrontation at a disputed shoal last month. Gen. Romeo Brawner, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), told reporters in a briefing that the demand will cover damages to a boat and communications equipment that were damaged in the June 17 clash. “I demanded the return of seven firearms that were taken by the Chinese coast guard,” Brawner said during the briefing. “They destroyed our equipment and when we estimated the cost of the damage, it’s 60 million pesos.” The clash, which the AFP later likened to “an act of piracy,” ensued when China Coast Guard personnel on motorboats repeatedly rammed and then boarded two Philippine rigid-hulled inflatable boats that were delivering supplies, including firearms, to the Philippine garrison at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. In the ensuing melee, a number of Filipino navy personnel were wounded, including one who reportedly lost his right thumb. Two days after that incident, Brawner demanded that Beijing return “our weapons and equipment” and pay for damages. He added that the compensation does not include the surgery...