Many of the Chinese fishing vessels around the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the Spratlys archipelago are manned by militia and soldiers disguised as fishermen, a defense department insider said yesterday. “We know for a fact that PLAN has been sending and funding their maritime militia aboard dozens upon dozens of civilian ships in the region disguised as fishermen,” the official said. PLAN stands for People’s Liberation Army-Navy. The official, who requested anonymity, said deploying dozens of supposedly fishing vessels in or near the exclusive economic zones of Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines is China’s way of boosting its presence and projecting power in the region.

Laude, J. (2019, January 13). 'Chinese fishing vessels manned by military'. The Philippine Star, p. 4.