South China Sea Fishermen Fined For Poaching Turtles

Nine Chinese fishermen were convicted by a Philippine court Monday of poaching endangered turtles, local media reported, in the latest dispute over territorial rights over the South China Sea.



The fishermen were detained in May when police found more than 500 green sea turtles aboard their ship.



Following a three-month trial, a court in Puerto Princesa City, on the island province of Palawan, fined the men $102,000 dollars each, the equivalent of 4.5 million Philippine pesos, for poaching and 120,000 pesos ($2,700) for taking a threatened species, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.



The poaching fine can be replaced with a six-month jail term if the men are unable to pay, Prosecutor Allen Ross Rodriguez said. The crew has been held in custody since May, meaning they could potentially be released immediately.



The South China Sea, also known as the West Philippines Sea, is one of the most hotly contested stretches of water in the world and a leading security issue in southeast Asia. The Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all claim parts of it, with the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands the most disputed.



China claims most of the sea, potentially rich in oil and gas reseveres and minerals and an abundant fishing ground. The crew, from Hainan, claimed they were in Chinese territorial waters when they were arrested off the Spratly's Half-Moon shoal.



After their arrest, China demanded their release and a guarantee from the Philippines that such an incident would not happen again. It referred to the arrests as a "provocation" and threatened retribution.



Despite efforts to resolve territorial disputes in ther waters, such as a Chinese plan announced last week to set up defense hotlines between the countries concerned, regular incidents involving fishing vessels heighten tension.



China and Vietnam fought brief conflicts over the Paracels and Spratlys in 1974 and 1988 respectively and the Philippines has been involved in minor skirmishes with Chinese, Vietnamese and Malaysian forces.



The Philippines has accused China of building its military presence in the Spratlys and last week a leading defense publication claimed satellite images showed China is building what could be an offshore airstrip in the Spratlys.



In January last year, Manila filed a case against China's maritime claims in the South China Sea under the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea but China has refused to take part.



In August, the same Philippines court gave 12 Chinese fishermen jail sentences ranging from six to 12 years for poaching.



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