Philippines pulls vessels from disputed shoal

An aerial view of Pag-asa Island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands, in the South China Sea located off the coast of western Philippines
Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered home its two ships engaged in a maritime stand-off with China over a disputed shoal, citing bad weather, the government said Saturday.

Aquino ordered a coast guard patrol vessel and a fisheries bureau survey ship out of Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Friday night, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said.

“Last night, President Aquino ordered both of our ships to return to port due to increasing bad weather,” del Rosario said in a statement.

Read more