A fishing boat carrying a group of Philippine citizens set off for Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, an area of ​​disputed territory between China and the Philippines, on May 15. The shoal is located about 240 km west of the Philippine island of Luzon, but is currently under Chinese effective control, and just two weeks ago, a Philippine patrol boat and other vessels in the nearby waters were attacked with a water cannon by Chinese Coast Guard vessels.

The flotilla, which consisted of four fishing boats and a small outrigger boat with about 100 people on board, set sail from the northern port, according to organizers, accompanied by a Philippine Coast Guard vessel for escort.

“Our mission is peaceful and in accordance with international law and is aimed at asserting sovereignty,” Rafaela David of Atin Ito, a civil society group that campaigns for the protection of interests in the South China Sea, said on the 14th, explaining that it was not intended to provoke.

He added that he would not be deterred by the apparent oversight of Chinese vessels near Scarborough Shoal, and that he plans to drop a buoy bearing the inscription “WPS (the initials of the Philippine name for the South China Sea, West Philippine Sea) is ours.”