More Chinese ships arrive at Scarborough Shoal

MANILA, Philippines - There's still no end in sight to the Scarborough Shoal standoff, as more Chinese boats have arrived at the disputed territory.

There are now 14 Chinese vessels in the area, which is located just 124 nautical miles off Zambales, according to Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command spokesman Capt. Aurello Kigis.

He said the foreign ships include 3 maritime surveillance ships and a fisheries law enforcement command vessel.

The Philippines has deployed the Coast Guard's BRP Edsa Dos and a ship from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to the area.

There were 6 other Filipino fishing vessels in the area last Sunday, but it is not known how many have remained as of Wednesday.

Kigis said the Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to monitor the area to protect the Philippines' territorial integrity.

He declined to comment on the rising number of Chinese ships at the shoal, which is locally known as Panatag.

May 11 protests

Meanwhile, a Filipino-American leader is urging Filipinos worldwide to join next week's protests against China.

    

For the group US Pinoys for Good Governance, now is the time to stand up to what it calls as China's bullying at Scarborough Shoal.

"I'm calling on the global Pinoys who are concerned about this intrusion of China and who are singing the national anthem, 'Sa manlulupig, di ka pasisiil', let's stand up and show up on Friday, May 11," said the group's leader, Loida Nicolas Lewis.

Filipinos in the US, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, and other countries are expected to launch protests in front of Chinese embassies and consulates, Lewis told ANC on Wednesday.

"The international family of nations should see that this big wannabe worldpower China, is not following international law," she said.

Lewis will lead the protests in New York.

In Manila, the rallies will be spearheaded by partylist group Akbayan.

At the Foreign Affairs Department, officials asserted that the Philippine will stand its ground at Scarborough Shoal.

While the US refuses to take sides in the territorial dispute, the DFA said Manila's key ally will not tolerate the use of force and that it shares the Philippine position that the standoff must be resolved legally and peacefully.

Source: Abs-Cbn News

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Hackers continue attacks on China websites

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino hackers have continued to deface Chinese government websites despite calls from the Philippine government to end the attacks.

On Monday, posts on the "PrivateX," "Anonymous #OccupyPhilippines" and "Anonymous Butuan" Facebook pages reported fresh attacks on websites in China.

The hackers have called their campaign "#OpChinaDown," which is in alleged response to the attacks made by some Chinese hackers on Philippine websites.

The hacking spree is also directly related to the simmering dipsute between Manila and Beijing over ownership of Scarborough Shoal just off Zambales province.

The Chinese websites that fell prey to the latest wave of attacks from the Philippines include:

• http://dwzwgk.shitai.gov.cn/index.htm
• http://www.ycfcglj.gov.cn/Pr1vX.html
• http://www.ygxx.cn/index.html
• http://www.qyrd.gov.cn/index.htm
• http://www.hrbjz.gov.cn/about.html
• http://dwzwgk.shitai.gov.cn/index.htm
• http://info.cdcl.gov.cn/index.htm
• http://www.chengdasteel.com.cn/index.htm
• http://oa.qsgtj.gov.cn/cybercracks.html
• http://cs.qsgtj.gov.cn/welcome/cybercracks.html
• http://yt.qsgtj.gov.cn/cybercracks.html
• http://wh.qsgtj.gov.cn/cybercracks.html
• http://www.gratismp3musik.com/cybercracks.html
• http://www.lsqqby.cn/cybercracks.html
• http://www.hrbjz.gov.cn/about.html

More variety

The defaced Chinese pages now seem to be more varied, with messages behind left by hackers ranging from a mere "aaaaaaaaaa hacker" to several sentences explaining why the website was hacked.

"The recent defacements occurred on certain Chinese websites were just a simple response to what happened to the UP site. You may continue bullying our country's waters but we will not tolerate you from intimidating our own cyber shores," one message said.

"Those defacements are just a mere response to what you have initially started. We are not trying to start anything. We are just trying to tell you that we do not want to be bullied in our own cyberspace too," it added.

"#OpChinaDown is not a threat. It will be a response. A response to future attacks within our cyberspace. We will leave our country's disputes to our government's hands. Yet this does not mean we will not support them. One Truth Prevails, Scarborough Shoal is ours," it said.

Baselines Law

Another defacement, perhaps the latest, says "In 2009, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo enacted the Philippine Baselines Law of 2009 (RA 9522). The new law classifies the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal as a regime of islands under the Republic of the Philippines.  Chinese Government is clearly RETARDED."

A Facebook page administrator at the "PrivateX" hackers group said they have yet to reveal all of the websites that they have attacked. "Sana wala ng magpost ng mga naha-hack ng China baka sabihin ng IBA dyan LLAMADO ang China. Eh nananahimik na nga lang kami. Di pa sila nakakabawi sa dami ng pinost namin at ng mga taong sumuporta at maliban pa sa di namin pinopost. Salamat po."

The "Anonymous Butuan" administror, meanwhile, described the Chinese as "bullies."

"Defacing / hacking into some Chinese website isn't the only way to show our support against the Chinese bullies. Being aware is one of the greatest help we can get. Share the info, be aware, not for ourselves but for our country, the Philippines," said a post on the group's Facebook page.

Philippine science and technology officials earlier disowned the attacks made on Chinese websites, even as they warned that the "skirmishes in cyberspace" may worsen the dispute between Manila and Beijing over the ownership of Scarborough Shoal.

Source: Abs-Cbn News

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