MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE – 6:38 p.m.) The Philippine Coast Guard said it was closely watching a North Korean vessel and its 21 crew members Sunday, as officials waited for a response from the United Nations days after the ship was seized in compliance with new sanctions.
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But now, Philippines presidential spokesman Manolo Quezon says the ship will not be allowed to leave port as scheduled, and the crew will be deported.
But the inspectors spotted minor deficiencies, including missing fire hoses, a corroded air vent and electrical switches without insulation.
“We have sent teams to guard the ship until we get the formal order from the government”, said Commander Armand Balilo, coast guard spokesman.
“The US is working hard to turn the Korean Peninsula into the theatre of a war, not content with slapping its unreasonable “sanctions” against the DPRK (North Korea) over its self-defensive H-bomb test and satellite launch for peaceful purposes”, according to a statement by a foreign ministry spokesman.
The resolution came after weeks of negotiations between the USA and China, North Korea’s closest ally and largest trading partner.
The inspection was conducted after the UN Security Council passed the resolution against Pyongyang.
The Security Council announced its toughest sanctions yet to punish the North for its latest nuclear and missile tests in violation of United Nations resolutions. The panel has been looking into another North Korean cargo ship held in Mexico after it ran aground there in July 2014.
The ship, the Jin Teng, arrived on Friday at Subic Bay, a port northwest of Manila.
It also prohibits the supply of all types of aviation fuel, including rocket fuel, to North Korea, and requires all countries to inspect cargo destined for and coming from Pyongyang.
“Pyongyang could go so far as to freeze its United Nations membership, which would let it ignore any other measures by the UNSC”, he said.
“We urge North Korea to refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its worldwide obligations and commitments”, the official said late Thursday. The North makes progress with each new nuclear test – it staged its fourth in January – but many experts say its arsenal may consist only of still-crude nuclear bombs; there’s uncertainty about whether they’ve mastered the miniaturization process needed to mount bombs on warheads and widespread doubt about whether they have a reliable long-range missile that could deliver such a bomb to the USA mainland.
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Belmonte said he did not believe North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would direct any aggressive action toward the Philippines.
