Regional & Palau News: Truce in South China Sea? Chinese Palau Work Permit Used Fake Filipino Docs;
China and the Philippines strike a deal to end clashes at disputed shoal in South China Sea
by Island Times
July 23, 2024
In short: (ABC-Australia) China and the Philippines have agreed to end fiery clashes in the South China Sea with a new deal.
The Second Thomas Shoal has been the site of increasingly hostile confrontations between the two nations, including the ramming of ships and the use of water cannon.
What’s next?
The details of the deal have not yet been disclosed but it’s understood that neither side will make any territorial concessions. China and the Philippines have reached a deal they hope will end confrontations at the most fiercely disputed shoal in the South China Sea, according to the Philippine government.
The Philippines occupies Second Thomas Shoal but China also claims it, and increasingly hostile clashes at sea have sparked fears of larger conflicts that could involve the United States.
The crucial deal was reached on Sunday, after a series of meetings between Philippine and Chinese diplomats in Manila and exchanges of diplomatic notes that aimed to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement at the shoal without conceding either side’s territorial claims.
Two Philippine officials with knowledge of the negotiations, confirmed the deal on condition of anonymity and the government later issued a brief statement announcing the deal without providing details. “Both sides continue to recognise the need to deescalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation and agree that the agreement will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea,” the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said.
Neither side has yet released the text of the agreement.
China has disputes with several governments over land and sea borders, many of them in the South China Sea. The rare deal with the Philippines could spark hope that similar arrangements could be forged between Beijing and other rival countries to avoid clashes while thorny territorial issues remain unresolved. It remains to be seen, however, if the deal could be implemented successfully and how long it will last.
Fiery clashes
The Philippines says a sailor sustained a serious injury in the South China Sea incident.
The Chinese coast guard and other forces have used powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking manoeuvres to prevent food and other supplies from reaching Filipino navy personnel at Manila’s outpost at the shoal.
The years-long stand-off has flared repeatedly since last year between Chinese ships and Philippine coast guard-escorted navy boats transporting food, water and fresh navy and marine personnel to an outpost on a long-grounded and rusting warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.
In the worst confrontation, Chinese forces on motorboats repeatedly rammed and then boarded two Philippine navy boats on June 17 to prevent Filipino personnel from transferring food and other supplies including firearms to the ship outpost in the shallows of the shoal, according to the Philippine government.
After repeated ramming, the Chinese seized the Philippine navy boats and damaged them with machetes and improvised spears. They also seized seven M4 rifles, which were packed in cases, and other supplies. The violent face-off wounded several Filipino navy personnel, including one who lost his thumb, in a chaotic skirmish that was captured in video and photos that were later made public by Philippine officials.
China and the Philippines blamed each other for the confrontation and each asserted their own sovereign rights over the shoal, which Filipinos call Ayungin and the Chinese call Ren’ai Jiao.
The United States and its key Asian and Western allies, including Japan and Australia, condemned the Chinese acts at the shoal and called for the rule of law and freedom of navigation to be upheld in the South China Sea, a key global trade route with rich fishing areas and undersea gas deposits.
Implications for other nations
In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been locked in separate but increasingly tense territorial disputes in the waterway, which is regarded as a potential flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the US-China regional rivalry.
The US military has deployed navy ships and fighter jets for decades in what it calls freedom of navigation and overflight patrols, which China has opposed and regards as a threat to regional stability.
Washington has no territorial claims in the disputed waters but has repeatedly warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
One of the two Philippine officials said the June 17 confrontation prompted Beijing and Manila to hasten on-and-off talks on an arrangement that would prevent confrontations at Second Thomas Shoal.
During final meetings in the last four days, two Chinese demands that had been key sticking points were removed from the draft deal.
China had previously said it would allow food, water and other basic supplies to be transported by the Philippines to its forces in the shoal if Manila agreed not to bring construction materials to fortify the crumbling ship, and to give China advance notice and the right to inspect the ships for those materials, the officials said.
The Philippines rejected those conditions, and the final deal did not include them, according to the Philippine official.
AP -- https://islandtimes.org/china-and-the-philippines-strike-a-deal-to-end-clashes-at-disputed-shoal-in-south-china-sea/
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Chinese worker’s entry visa to Palau revoked, permits rejected
by Island Times
August 6, 2024
The entry visa of the Chinese worker who obtained a work visa by submitting a Philippines passport was revoked. In a letter to Vance Polycarp, DBA HK Lucky Restaurant, the employer of William Estacio Lim, Division of Employment Service Director Terralyn Nabeyama stated that the entry and work permit of Lim has been revoked.
Earlier last week, the Bureau of Immigration had put out wanted posters against Lim after the National Security Office found that Lim have submitted a counterfeit Philippine passport as a supporting document in his work permit application.
Nabeyama, in the division’s letter to Polycarp, stated that the employment of Lim “ is no longer in the best interest of the Republic.”
As of press time, it is not known whether Immigration has located Lim after issuing a wanted poster last week.
Lim reportedly arrived in Palau as a tourist on December 23 and applied for and applied for a worker’s permit under HK Lucky Restaurant on January 2024. Lim obtained a worker’s permit on February 20, 2024, despite the pending result of the background check.
In May, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in its diplomatic note to the NSO confirmed that Lim’s Philippine passport was a fake. It further added that the passport of Lim will not be honored by the Philippine government.
In a related matter, the Division of Employment Services rejected the work visas of 15 Chinese nationals due to fraudulent documents.
The employment permit applications of at least 15 Chinese nationals were rejected by the Division of Employment Services for reportedly submitting fraudulent documents to gain work in the island nation.
The Division in its letters to various employers of the Chinese nationals said that the supporting documents of the workers were “deemed fraudulent in nature,” and that their applications were rejected because of this.
According to the Division, several of the supporting documents including criminal records, work records, and Physical examination records provided by the employers for the Chinese nationals were allegedly falsified. The Division said they have found enough evidence of “willful furnishing of false, incomplete, or misleading information in the application for entry permit. “
The letters were provided to the following employers, Drafting and Designs Company, Trim Inc. Sunshine Palau Tour, Oceanic Assets Management Company, and Galaxy Builder Company. (By: Bernadette Carreon)
https://islandtimes.org/chinese-workers-entry-visa-to-palau-revoked-permits-rejected/
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Chinese worker wanted for using fake Philippine passport
by Island Times
August 2, 2024
A Chinese citizen is wanted in Palau for allegedly using a fake Philippine passport to obtain a worker’s permit.
The Bureau of Immigration had put out wanted posters against William Lim aka William Estacio Lim. It is unknown if charges have been filed against him nor whether Immigration has revoked the national’s entry visa. Lim was found to have submitted a counterfeit Philippine passport upon due diligence check from the government.
According to documents provided to Island Times, Lim reportedly arrived in Palau as a tourist in December 2023 and applied for and applied for a worker’s permit under HK Lucky Restaurant in January 2024.
Lim obtained a worker’s permit on February 20, 2024, despite the pending result of the background check.
The Division of Employment Service upon receiving LIm’s permit application in January requested assistance from the Palau National Security Office (NSO) for a background check of the national.
NSO sent Lim’s passport to the Philippine government for further analysis. In May, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in its diplomatic note to the NSO confirmed that Lim’s Philippine passport was a fake. “The passport was secured through fraud and misinterpretation, or that it has been tampered with subsequent to its release or issuance to its holder,” the diplomatic note from the Department of Foreign Affairs stated. It added that Lim’s passport would not be honored by the Philippine government.
The Division then alerted the Bureau of Immigration that Lim’s worker’s permit had been canceled. (By: Bernadette Carreon)
https://islandtimes.org/chinese-worker-wanted-for-using-fake-philippine-passport/
by Island Times
July 23, 2024
In short: (ABC-Australia) China and the Philippines have agreed to end fiery clashes in the South China Sea with a new deal.
The Second Thomas Shoal has been the site of increasingly hostile confrontations between the two nations, including the ramming of ships and the use of water cannon.
What’s next?
The details of the deal have not yet been disclosed but it’s understood that neither side will make any territorial concessions. China and the Philippines have reached a deal they hope will end confrontations at the most fiercely disputed shoal in the South China Sea, according to the Philippine government.
The Philippines occupies Second Thomas Shoal but China also claims it, and increasingly hostile clashes at sea have sparked fears of larger conflicts that could involve the United States.
The crucial deal was reached on Sunday, after a series of meetings between Philippine and Chinese diplomats in Manila and exchanges of diplomatic notes that aimed to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement at the shoal without conceding either side’s territorial claims.
Two Philippine officials with knowledge of the negotiations, confirmed the deal on condition of anonymity and the government later issued a brief statement announcing the deal without providing details. “Both sides continue to recognise the need to deescalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation and agree that the agreement will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea,” the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said.
Neither side has yet released the text of the agreement.
China has disputes with several governments over land and sea borders, many of them in the South China Sea. The rare deal with the Philippines could spark hope that similar arrangements could be forged between Beijing and other rival countries to avoid clashes while thorny territorial issues remain unresolved. It remains to be seen, however, if the deal could be implemented successfully and how long it will last.
Fiery clashes
The Philippines says a sailor sustained a serious injury in the South China Sea incident.
The Chinese coast guard and other forces have used powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking manoeuvres to prevent food and other supplies from reaching Filipino navy personnel at Manila’s outpost at the shoal.
The years-long stand-off has flared repeatedly since last year between Chinese ships and Philippine coast guard-escorted navy boats transporting food, water and fresh navy and marine personnel to an outpost on a long-grounded and rusting warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.
In the worst confrontation, Chinese forces on motorboats repeatedly rammed and then boarded two Philippine navy boats on June 17 to prevent Filipino personnel from transferring food and other supplies including firearms to the ship outpost in the shallows of the shoal, according to the Philippine government.
After repeated ramming, the Chinese seized the Philippine navy boats and damaged them with machetes and improvised spears. They also seized seven M4 rifles, which were packed in cases, and other supplies. The violent face-off wounded several Filipino navy personnel, including one who lost his thumb, in a chaotic skirmish that was captured in video and photos that were later made public by Philippine officials.
China and the Philippines blamed each other for the confrontation and each asserted their own sovereign rights over the shoal, which Filipinos call Ayungin and the Chinese call Ren’ai Jiao.
The United States and its key Asian and Western allies, including Japan and Australia, condemned the Chinese acts at the shoal and called for the rule of law and freedom of navigation to be upheld in the South China Sea, a key global trade route with rich fishing areas and undersea gas deposits.
Implications for other nations
In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been locked in separate but increasingly tense territorial disputes in the waterway, which is regarded as a potential flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the US-China regional rivalry.
The US military has deployed navy ships and fighter jets for decades in what it calls freedom of navigation and overflight patrols, which China has opposed and regards as a threat to regional stability.
Washington has no territorial claims in the disputed waters but has repeatedly warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
One of the two Philippine officials said the June 17 confrontation prompted Beijing and Manila to hasten on-and-off talks on an arrangement that would prevent confrontations at Second Thomas Shoal.
During final meetings in the last four days, two Chinese demands that had been key sticking points were removed from the draft deal.
China had previously said it would allow food, water and other basic supplies to be transported by the Philippines to its forces in the shoal if Manila agreed not to bring construction materials to fortify the crumbling ship, and to give China advance notice and the right to inspect the ships for those materials, the officials said.
The Philippines rejected those conditions, and the final deal did not include them, according to the Philippine official.
AP -- https://islandtimes.org/china-and-the-philippines-strike-a-deal-to-end-clashes-at-disputed-shoal-in-south-china-sea/
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Chinese worker’s entry visa to Palau revoked, permits rejected
by Island Times
August 6, 2024
The entry visa of the Chinese worker who obtained a work visa by submitting a Philippines passport was revoked. In a letter to Vance Polycarp, DBA HK Lucky Restaurant, the employer of William Estacio Lim, Division of Employment Service Director Terralyn Nabeyama stated that the entry and work permit of Lim has been revoked.
Earlier last week, the Bureau of Immigration had put out wanted posters against Lim after the National Security Office found that Lim have submitted a counterfeit Philippine passport as a supporting document in his work permit application.
Nabeyama, in the division’s letter to Polycarp, stated that the employment of Lim “ is no longer in the best interest of the Republic.”
As of press time, it is not known whether Immigration has located Lim after issuing a wanted poster last week.
Lim reportedly arrived in Palau as a tourist on December 23 and applied for and applied for a worker’s permit under HK Lucky Restaurant on January 2024. Lim obtained a worker’s permit on February 20, 2024, despite the pending result of the background check.
In May, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in its diplomatic note to the NSO confirmed that Lim’s Philippine passport was a fake. It further added that the passport of Lim will not be honored by the Philippine government.
In a related matter, the Division of Employment Services rejected the work visas of 15 Chinese nationals due to fraudulent documents.
The employment permit applications of at least 15 Chinese nationals were rejected by the Division of Employment Services for reportedly submitting fraudulent documents to gain work in the island nation.
The Division in its letters to various employers of the Chinese nationals said that the supporting documents of the workers were “deemed fraudulent in nature,” and that their applications were rejected because of this.
According to the Division, several of the supporting documents including criminal records, work records, and Physical examination records provided by the employers for the Chinese nationals were allegedly falsified. The Division said they have found enough evidence of “willful furnishing of false, incomplete, or misleading information in the application for entry permit. “
The letters were provided to the following employers, Drafting and Designs Company, Trim Inc. Sunshine Palau Tour, Oceanic Assets Management Company, and Galaxy Builder Company. (By: Bernadette Carreon)
https://islandtimes.org/chinese-workers-entry-visa-to-palau-revoked-permits-rejected/
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Chinese worker wanted for using fake Philippine passport
by Island Times
August 2, 2024
A Chinese citizen is wanted in Palau for allegedly using a fake Philippine passport to obtain a worker’s permit.
The Bureau of Immigration had put out wanted posters against William Lim aka William Estacio Lim. It is unknown if charges have been filed against him nor whether Immigration has revoked the national’s entry visa. Lim was found to have submitted a counterfeit Philippine passport upon due diligence check from the government.
According to documents provided to Island Times, Lim reportedly arrived in Palau as a tourist in December 2023 and applied for and applied for a worker’s permit under HK Lucky Restaurant in January 2024.
Lim obtained a worker’s permit on February 20, 2024, despite the pending result of the background check.
The Division of Employment Service upon receiving LIm’s permit application in January requested assistance from the Palau National Security Office (NSO) for a background check of the national.
NSO sent Lim’s passport to the Philippine government for further analysis. In May, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in its diplomatic note to the NSO confirmed that Lim’s Philippine passport was a fake. “The passport was secured through fraud and misinterpretation, or that it has been tampered with subsequent to its release or issuance to its holder,” the diplomatic note from the Department of Foreign Affairs stated. It added that Lim’s passport would not be honored by the Philippine government.
The Division then alerted the Bureau of Immigration that Lim’s worker’s permit had been canceled. (By: Bernadette Carreon)
https://islandtimes.org/chinese-worker-wanted-for-using-fake-philippine-passport/