Manila: The Chinese government urged Manila to ensure that the rights of 12 men convicted recently for illegal fishing in Tubbataha are protected as it called on its fishermen to observe laws.

“The Foreign Ministry and Chinese diplomatic missions in the Philippines will continue to provide consular assistance within their remit to the Chinese fishermen and request the Philippine side to guarantee their legitimate rights and interests,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said in excerpt of an interview posted in the ministry’s website.

On August 5, a local court in Puerto Princesa, Palawan sentenced 12 men, including the skipper of the Chinese fishing boat, F/V Min Long Yu, to serve between six and 12 years in jail for illegal entry.

The Min Long Yu had ran aground at Tubbataha on April 8, 2013.

“Ever since the Chinese fishermen were arrested in Philippine waters last April, China has been urging the Philippine side to impartially handle the case in accordance with law and ensure the legitimate rights and interests and humanitarian treatment of the Chinese fishermen,” Hua said.

Likewise, it called on other Chinese fishermen and fishing vessels operating near the area to observe laws.

“We hope that Chinese fishermen working at the sea can abide by laws and carry out normal fishery production,” Hua added.

For its part, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) praised the recent conviction of the 12 Chinese poachers, but added that the offenders should still stand trial for carrying the carcasses of 2,870 pangolins or scaly anteaters found in the Min Long Yu’s cargo hold.

The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) prohibits trade in Asian pangolin species. If the carcasses are determined to be from the Philippines, the poachers can be punished under the Philippine Wildlife Act.

“It is one thing to create laws to protect our waters from environmental criminals, but another to effectively prosecute them,” says Jose Maria Lorenzo-Tan, CEO of WWF-Philippines.

When the Min Long Yu ran aground last April 8, 2013 at Tubbataha’s North Atoll, the incident caused the destruction of 3902 square metres of coral.

The Tubbataha is a Unesco protected area.

The reef, located in Palawan in the Sulu Sea covers 130,028ha, including the North and South Reefs. To preserve the area, it was declared a marine park and is off limits to commercial and military shipping.

“The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park It is a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species; the North Islet serving as a nesting site for birds and marine turtles. The site is an excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100-m perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons and two coral islands,” said a description on the Unesco website.

Aside from being meted 6-12 years in prison, each member of the crew was also fined $100,000 (Dh367,000).