AFP: China fired warning flares at PH military planes over West PH Sea

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AFP: China fired warning flares at PH military planes over West PH Sea
By: Frances Mangosing - Reporter / @FMangosingINQ
INQUIRER.net / 05:22 PM November 05, 2019

UPDATED 6:24 P.M. / November 05, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — China fired warning flares at Philippine military planes conducting maritime patrols near the artificial islands controlled by China in the West Philippine Sea early this year, the military said Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Reuben Basiao, deputy chief of staff for intelligence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), told lawmakers at a security briefing at the House of Representatives that the flares, which originated from China-held military outposts, were meant to warn Filipino pilots to stay away from the disputed waters.

“China has been deploying its assets to hinder Filipino operations – both patrols and rotation and reprovision missions – in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

China issued the warning flares against Philippine military aircraft flying over the disputed waters for six times in February, based on an AFP report on the West Philippine Sea situation for the first semester.

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Read more: https://globalnation.inquirer.net/181919/afp-china-fired-warning-flares-at-ph-military-planes-over-west-ph-sea#ixzz64QIEbDBi
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Flares fired by China were warning, not threat to PHL planes —Lorenzana
Published November 6, 2019 6:58pm
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday said he considered the flares fired by China against Philippine military planes as a mere warning and not a threat.

"[M]y suspicion is that they are letting our aircraft know where they are lest our aircraft stray over them. It is just a warning to communicate where they are. Nothing more. They were never a direct threat to our aircrafts," Lorenzana said in a statement.

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"None of our aircraft flew over these Islands. Hence, these were not directed against our aircrafts as they are about 5 nautical miles away and at an altitude of 5,000 ft distance from the artificial Islands," he added.

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