Philippine officials on Thursday announced six Chinese nationals and one Filipino have been arrested for spying on American and Filipino vessels at the Subic Bay naval base.
The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) launched an investigation after receiving a tip from military intelligence about “foreign nationals suspected of carrying out covert intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations” near Grande Island.
Grande Island is a picturesque tourist resort in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, a special economic zone created around the famous bay to encourage commerce and tourism. Until World War II, the island housed a fortress that protected the strategically vital harbor facilities of Subic Bay. Its location at the entrance to the bay makes it a good location from which to run a covert surveillance operation.
Subic Bay was the location of an important U.S. Navy base until 1992. The Navy’s lease on the property expired in that year and was not renewed, but American ships still operate out of the bay alongside the Philippine Navy.
Ironically, when the Philippine Navy chose to construct a new home port facility in Subic Bay, it was obliged to lease the property from an American hedge fund that had purchased it several years ago. The Philippine Coast Guard and Air Force also have bases in Subic Bay.
The NBI conducted a surveillance operation against the six Chinese suspects identified by military intelligence and concluded they were engaged in “suspicious activities, involving a collection of sensitive data.” The seventh suspect, a Filipino national, was allegedly working as a security guard for the Chinese.
According to the NBI, the suspects attempted to flee when confronted by law enforcement, and were taken into custody after a spirited chase. Their Filipino bodyguard was carrying an unregistered firearm when he was arrested.
“Counter-intelligence efforts disclosed that these individuals were occupying the island under the guise of recreational fishers, frequently lingering at the wharves until the wee hours,” said NBI director Jaime Santiago.
“However, multiple witnesses reported that the group was utilizing drones in the guise of transporting fishing bait – conducting surveillance on naval assets, including those from local forces and allied nations, passing through Grande Island,” he said.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the Chinese suspects operating a drone, supposedly as part of a “fishing game,” but in truth the drone was flying over Philippine and U.S. naval assets to take photos and gather other information about them. NBI said the ersatz fishermen were able to spy on a large number of naval vessels entering and leaving Subic Bay for patrols and exercises.
The NBI said the Chinese group was able to infiltrate Subic Bay International Airport while it was receiving American military equipment intended for use in joint exercises.
The NBI arrested another group of six Chinese nationals in January on somewhat similar charges. The earlier group was accused of conducting surveillance activities in Manila, and on the island of Palawan, which hosts a Philippine Navy base.
The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is reportedly considering canceling contracts with Chinese investment groups, which have investments on Grande Island and other areas around Subic Bay, due to rising tensions with China. The Philippine military has long been worried about security risks from Chinese holdings near sensitive naval facilities.
Read the full article here