A convoy of boats carrying Philippine civilians bearing supplies for Filipino fishers has abandoned plans to sail closer to a China-held reef off the Southeast Asian country, organizers said Thursday.
The convoy set sail Wednesday to distribute fuel and food to fishers and assert Philippine rights in the disputed South China Sea. The trip comes two weeks after China Coast Guard vessels used water cannon against two Philippine government boats near Scarborough Shoal.
Emman Hizon, a spokesman for Philippine nongovernmental organization Atin Ito, a name that translates to "this is ours", declared "mission accomplished," telling reporters Thursday that an "advance team" had already distributed fuel and other assistance to Filipino fishermen a day earlier about 46-56 kilometers from the disputed shoal.