By Thai Newsroom Reporters
CHINA AND VIETNAM are advised to stop dredging and landfill work on submerged coral reefs of Spratly Islands in the South China Sea to help preserve the otherwise deteriorated ecological systems.
Researchers at the Centre For Strategic And International Studies have recently cautioned that the Chinese, the Vietnamese and others claiming contradictory territorial integrity over Spratly Islands discontinue the dredging and landfilling under their respective construction projects to build artificial atolls for the sake of the regional ecological systems.
The Washington-based researchers cited satellite images as manifesting the Chinese have built artificial atolls at 19 locations in the disputed islands whilst the Vietnamese have built ones in 20 locations. The Philippines and Malaysia have done so at five locations each.
The Chinese and Vietnamese are not only making footholds of their own on the disputed islands but sending personnel and military gear to be stationed on their artificial atolls.
An estimated 6,500 aquatic species are being imperilled and food security for countries dependent on marine resources in the South China Sea adversely affected by the ongoing construction of artificial atolls, they said.
Tensions in the South China Sea have escalated between Chinese naval forces and the Philippine navy over the last few months since both engaged in maritime provocations and standoffs with mutually contradictory claims of sovereignty over territorial waters of Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal, among other coral reefs in the Spratly Islands area.
Highlighting the maritime dispute was the recent event in which Chinese Coast Guard ships fired high-pressure water cannons at Philippine Coast Guard vessels off Scarborough Shoal.
The US Carrier Strike Group One led by USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) aircraft carrier has continued to make its presence felt, albeit in deterrent fashion, amidst sustained maritime confrontations between the Chinese and Philippine navies.
The USS Carl Vinson accompanied by USS Princeton (CG-59) cruiser and USS Kidd (DDG-100) and USS Sterett (DDG-104) destroyers has recently departed Singapore after a one-week visit and headed back for the South China Sea.
In another development, Singapore plans to use Guam as a flight training, maintenance and logistic support ground for its McDonnell Douglas F-15SG Eagle fighters by 2027.
Facilities at Andersen air base in the US territory of Guam will be upgraded and expanded in service for the F-15SG jets flying across the Pacific Ocean to and from Singapore.
Given limited airspace over the island republic, the Singaporean air force is temporarily given airspace elsewhere in fellow Southeast Asian countries including Thailand.
Squadrons of the Singaporean air force’s General Dynamics F-16C/D Fighting Falcon fighters and F-15SG jets have taken part in tactical air training courses and joint air exercises with the Thai air force’s Northrop F-5TH Super Tigris fighters, Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet light attack jets and F-16s at Wing 23 in Udon Thani.
Singapore currently deploys 40 F-15SG jets and 60 F-16C/D jets and has already placed a purchase order for a dozen of Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Buildings and structures are seen on the artificial island built by China on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands, which are known in China as the Nansha Islands. Photo: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images and published by Yahoo!Finance
Insert: Spratly Islands map by VOA
Front Page: An aerial view of Southwest Cay, also known as Pugad Island, controlled by Vietnam and part of the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea, on April 21, 2017. File photo: Reuters and published by VOA
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