Philippines Accuses Chinese Fisheries of Cyanide Poisoning in Strategic Shoal

Manila has accused Chinese fishing vessels of using cyanide to poison waters near the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippine National Security Council (NSC) alleges the activity is a strategic attempt to sabotage Filipino troops by killing local fish stocks—a critical food source for personnel stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era ship deliberately run aground in 1999 to assert the Philippines’ claim over the territory. The alleged use of cyanide