MANILA, Philippines- Mayroong “dramatic shift” ng maritime militia deployment ng China sa Mischief Reef o Panganiban Reef noong July 2023 kung saan nasa 180 vessels ang namataan sa exclusive economic zone (EEZ) ng Pilipinas, ayon sa ulat ng isang Washington-based think tank.
Sa ulat na inilathala noong Feb. 28, sinabi ng Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) ng Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) na sa buong 2023, natukoy nito ang Chinese ships sa South China Sea gamit ang satellite imagery, partikular sa sumusunof na features: Fiery Cross Reef, Hughes Reef, Iroquois Reef, Subi Reef, Thitu Reefs/Sandy Cay, Whitsun Reef, Gaven Reef, and Philippine maritime features Mischief Reef (Panganiban), Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), at Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin).
Iniulat nito na may average na 195 Chinese militia vessels, na may sukat na 45 hanggang 65 meters, na naobserbahan sa mga lokasyong ito noong nakaraang taon.
Sinabi nito na may kabuuang 183 barko ang namataang nagkukumpulan sa Mischief Reef noong Hulyo.
“The data shows that China’s militia is as active as ever. An average of 195 militia ships were seen across these features on any given day in 2023, an increase of 35 percent from AMTI’s last observation of the militia over a 12-month period in 2021-2022,” saad sa ulat.
“This overall increase was accompanied by a dramatic shift in vessels to Mischief Reef in the summer of 2023: over 180 militia ships were observed gathered in imagery from July after only a minimal presence in the months prior, a number confirmed by Philippine authorities in reporting at the time,” dagdag nito.
Base sa AMTI hindi malinaw ang dahilan ng mas maigting na presensya ng Chinese vessels sa Mischief Reef mula sa peak na 37 vessels noong October 2021.
Samantala, nakita naman ang pinakamalaking consistent groupings ng militia vessels, sa Hughes Reef at Whitsun Reef.
Mayroon ding “persistent militia presence” malapit sa outpost ng China sa Gaven Reef, at mas maliliit na bangka sa reefs sa silangan ng Thitu Reef at ng Iroquois Reef.
“While it is true that the militia vessels seen active at Second Thomas Shoal typically operate out of Mischief, deploying to Second Thomas in response to Philippine resupply missions, the summer surge at Mischief appears mostly unrelated to those efforts,” ayon pa sa ulat.
“Satellite imagery suggests that only a minority of the boats at Mischief were the professional type seen supporting Chinese blockade efforts at Second Thomas, and the peak occurred months before militia counts during those missions began to rise.” RNT/SA
