Filipino Soldiers Fought Off Axe-Wielding Chinese Coast Guard 'With Bare Hands'

"Dramatic new video shows the latest ramming incident between Chinese and Philippine vessels in a contested area of the South China Sea, and it reveals clear escalation which involved the Chinese side clearly brandishing weapons.

The incident happened near the Second Thomas Shoal on Monday, where the Philippine military has troops stationed as part of its claim on the Spratly Islands (also claimed by Beijing). Manilla officials said their military vessels were en route there on a normal 'humanitarian resupply' mission when the boats were deliberately rammed and boxed in by Chinese coast guard ships. The video shows Chinese crew hacking at inflatable vessels with axes and knives. The melee at sea left one Filipino soldier severely injured (he lost his thumb, official statements say), which is a rarity for such encounters. The event has been denounced as 'piracy' after Philippine soldiers fought off the armed Chinese sailors with "bare hands"." ZH