1. Presidential Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora said the Chinese fishermen will be released. 2. Philippine officials believe the structures could be used for military purposes, but Beijing insists they are only shelters for Chinese fishermen. 3. Philippine officials say the platforms could be for military use, but the Chinese say they are only shelters for Chinese fishermen. 4. Philippine forces have seized Chinese fishermen for allegedly poaching nearby and have destroyed several Chinese marine markers in the area. 5. Philippine officials immediately said they would ignore the ban but China clarified that the ban applied only to Chinese fishermen. 6. Ramos said the Chinese fishermen, in addition to violating Philippine territory, also were destroying the marine environment in the South China Sea. 7. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the structures, built on stilts, were meant for the safety of Chinese fishermen working in the area. 8. A Chinese fisherman clings to a helicopter rescue line after being pulled from the water outside Hong Kong on Wednesday. 9. A Chinese embassy spokesman in Manila has said these were just shelters for Chinese fishermen. 10. Beijing said the structures are only shelters for Chinese fishermen, but Philippine officials believe they could have military uses. |
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