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Friday, 5 March 2010
Navy declares war on villagers encroaching on bases
The People’s Liberation Army Navy is facing countless potentially fatal accidents at their bases, where boats and nets are illegally placed by fishermen, the PLA Daily said yesterday.
Navy declares war on villagers encroaching on bases
Minnie Chan in Beijing 04 March 2010
The People’s Liberation Army Navy is facing countless potentially fatal accidents at their bases, where boats and nets are illegally placed by fishermen, the PLA Daily said yesterday.
The PLA newspaper reported the story on the opening day of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the annual convergence of top political advisers in Beijing. The report was immediately carried by the Ministry of National Defence on its website.
It said a PLA submarine had narrowly escaped a potentially fatal accident after the opening valve of a torpedo firing tube became entangled with a fishing net placed by local fishermen in restricted waters. The crew found out only just before they were about to fire a torpedo.
“It was very dangerous. We can’t imagine what would happen if we hadn’t discovered it and just continued the torpedo-firing drill,” the report quoted one of the crew members as saying.
The PLA Daily said such illegal encroachment near military bases had become increasingly commonplace and posed a serious problem. It said CPPCC and NPC delegates from the PLA would raise the issue.
“Besides blocking our military sea routes in our naval bases, we also have problems patrolling our military waters,” the newspaper quoted Wang Zaijie , a submarine captain, as saying.
“For example, there are a lot of high buildings around our military base, where people could have a clear view of our base.”
Wang added that many local villagers slipped into restricted areas to fish and collect shells and crabs.
“Some tourists spend dozens of yuan each to rent a boat to travel in our military waters,” the PLA Daily quoted him as saying.
The newspaper said the blame lay with the failure of local authorities to implement the laws enacted by the central government in 1990 to protect navy waters.
It said the lack of a sense of national security among local people and the blind pursuit of economic interests was the reason behind the problem.
“It is a waste to let such a beautiful harbour be used as a naval base in peace time,” the report quoted a local fisherman as saying. “We will give way to our navy if there is a war.”
The paper said the problem would linger for some time as the navy needed the co-operation of many departments - local public security offices, fishing departments, harbour patrol and marine life offices - to stop the illegal practice.
Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of the Canadian-based Kanwa Defence Review, said the issue was ridiculous, as military authorities in other parts of the world had dealt with such problems long ago.
“In Singapore, all boats, no matter fishing or civil ships, are prohibited from entering military waters,” he said. “But anything can happen in the PLA. I found many naval crew members drying clothes on the decks of their warships few years ago.”
Chang said that it would take time for the PLA to reach international standards.
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Navy declares war on villagers encroaching on bases
Minnie Chan in Beijing
04 March 2010
The People’s Liberation Army Navy is facing countless potentially fatal accidents at their bases, where boats and nets are illegally placed by fishermen, the PLA Daily said yesterday.
The PLA newspaper reported the story on the opening day of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the annual convergence of top political advisers in Beijing. The report was immediately carried by the Ministry of National Defence on its website.
It said a PLA submarine had narrowly escaped a potentially fatal accident after the opening valve of a torpedo firing tube became entangled with a fishing net placed by local fishermen in restricted waters. The crew found out only just before they were about to fire a torpedo.
“It was very dangerous. We can’t imagine what would happen if we hadn’t discovered it and just continued the torpedo-firing drill,” the report quoted one of the crew members as saying.
The PLA Daily said such illegal encroachment near military bases had become increasingly commonplace and posed a serious problem. It said CPPCC and NPC delegates from the PLA would raise the issue.
“Besides blocking our military sea routes in our naval bases, we also have problems patrolling our military waters,” the newspaper quoted Wang Zaijie , a submarine captain, as saying.
“For example, there are a lot of high buildings around our military base, where people could have a clear view of our base.”
Wang added that many local villagers slipped into restricted areas to fish and collect shells and crabs.
“Some tourists spend dozens of yuan each to rent a boat to travel in our military waters,” the PLA Daily quoted him as saying.
The newspaper said the blame lay with the failure of local authorities to implement the laws enacted by the central government in 1990 to protect navy waters.
It said the lack of a sense of national security among local people and the blind pursuit of economic interests was the reason behind the problem.
“It is a waste to let such a beautiful harbour be used as a naval base in peace time,” the report quoted a local fisherman as saying. “We will give way to our navy if there is a war.”
The paper said the problem would linger for some time as the navy needed the co-operation of many departments - local public security offices, fishing departments, harbour patrol and marine life offices - to stop the illegal practice.
Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of the Canadian-based Kanwa Defence Review, said the issue was ridiculous, as military authorities in other parts of the world had dealt with such problems long ago.
“In Singapore, all boats, no matter fishing or civil ships, are prohibited from entering military waters,” he said. “But anything can happen in the PLA. I found many naval crew members drying clothes on the decks of their warships few years ago.”
Chang said that it would take time for the PLA to reach international standards.
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