Chinese ships ram Philippine vessel

Chinese coast guard ships fired powerful water cannons Sunday and rammed and slightly damaged an anchored Philippine government vessel off an island inhabited by Filipinos in the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine coast guard said.

- By Jim GOMEZ

Philippine Coast Guard A CHINESE Coast Guard vessel, right, fires its water cannon at a Philippine vessel near Thitu Island.

MANILA - Chinese coast guard ships fired powerful water cannons Sunday and rammed and slightly damaged an anchored Philippine government vessel off an island inhabited by Filipinos in the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine coast guard said.

There were no injuries among Filipino crewmen of the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, part of the fisheries fleet that provides support to Filipino fishermen. The Chinese coast guard targeted Pagbuaya off the Philippineoccupied Thitu Island in the latest flare-up of the longsimmering territorial disputes involving Manila, Beijing and four other governments.

Two other Philippine fisheries vessels were hit with water cannons in Sunday's face-off at least 1.6 nautical miles from Thitu Island. There were no injuries or damage, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a news briefing Monday.