Philippines accuses China of using cyanide to poison South China Sea atoll

Officials warn cyanide could harm marine life and weaken the reef supporting a grounded warship.The Philippines says it has discovered cyanide on Chinese boats near a disputed China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea atoll, warning the substance could be used for “sabotage” against local fish populations.Security officials from the Philippines said on Monday that laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the toxic substance in bottles seized by the Philippine navy last year at Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands of the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Philippine president declares energy emergency as impact of Iran war feltlist 2 of 4Philippines farmers feeling the pinch of the war on Iranlist 3 of 4Photos: Manila’s streets empty as fuel prices surge amid Hormuz crisislist 4 of 4Philippine transport strikers say Marcos Jr failing to control oil pricesend of listThe officials warned that the cyanide could have had serious consequences for marine life and weakened the reef supporting a warship that Manila grounded on the atoll to reinforce its maritime claim.“We wish to underscore that the use of cyanide in Ayungin ‌Shoal is a form of sabotage that seeks to kill local fish populations, depriving navy personnel of a vital food source,” Cornelio Valencia, National Security Council spokesperson, told a news conference, using the Philippines’ name for the atoll.Valencia added that cyanide could damage the reef and “ultimately compromise” the warship’s stability.The Foreign Ministry of China rejected the Philippines’ assertions, calling them a “stunt”.“The Philippine side illegally harassed the Chinese fishing boats conducting normal fishing, grabbed the fishermen’s living supplies, and staged this so-called cyanide stunt. There is no credibility whatsoever to their story,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.The Philippines has accused China of disrupting resupply missions to ⁠troops on the vessel, including a June 17, 2024, incident that ⁠turned violent and resulted in a Filipino sailor losing a finger.