answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

There is no country belongs to Spratlys but Spratly is belong to the Philippines as it is within the Philippine Waters

The Philippines is the legal owner of the islands in the Spratlys as it is within 200 Nautical Mile Exclusive Economic Zone said United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

THE PHILIPPINES AND THE ARCHIPELAGIC DOCTRINE

Archipelago is defined as a sea or part of a sea studded with islands, often synonymous with island groups, or as a large group of islands in an extensive body of water, such as sea. (De Leon, 1991)

In various conferences of the United Nations on the Law of the Sea, the Philippines and other archipelago states proposed that an archipelagic state composed of groups of islands forming a state is a single unit, with the islands and the waters within the baselines as internal waters.By this concept (archipelagic doctrine), an archipelago shall be regarded as a single unit, so that the waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, irrespective of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the state, subject to its exclusive sovereignty.

Despite the opposition of maritime powers, the Philippines and four other states (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Bahamas) got the approval in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea held in Jamaica last December 10, 1982. They were qualified as archipelagic states. The archipelagic doctrine is now incorporated in Chapter IV of the said convention. It legalizes the unity of land, water and people into a single entity

The Philippines bolstered the archipelagic principle in defining its territory when it included in Article 1 of the 1987 Constitution the following:

"The national territory comprises the Philippine Archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein xxx"; and

"The waters around, between and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines."

On the strength of these assertions, the Philippines Archipelago is considered as one integrated unit instead of being divided into more than seven thousand islands. The outermost of our archipelago are connected with straight baselines and all waters inside the baselines are considered as internal waters. This makes the large bodies of waters connecting the islands of the archipelago like Mindanao Sea, Sulo Sea and the Sibuyan Sea part of the Philippines as its internal waters, similar to the rivers and lakes found within the islands themselves.

The archipelagic principle however is subject to the following limitations:

a) respect for the right of the ship and other states to pass through the territorial as well as archipelagic waters

b) respect to right of innocent passage

c) respect for passage through archipelagic sea lanes subject to the promulgation by local authorities of pertinent rules and regulations.

The Philippines & the Spratly Islands History

The Philippines as the closest and archipelagic country of the Spratly island with another Five Asian countries claim the Spratly Islands including -- China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. Disputes among these six parties have led to various minor military skirmishes, the detention of fisherfolk and diplomatic rows in the past three decades.

Control of the Spratlys is important since the region is supposed to contain large deposits of oil, gas, hydrocarbon and mineral resources. The islands are also strategically located in the sea lanes for commerce and transport in the South China Sea which is very close to the Palawan Province of the Philippines with a distant less than 200 nautical miles; a bases that Philippines has a legal ground that those islands are part of the Philippines.

The Spratlys consist of about 26 islands and islets and 7 groups of rocks in the South China Sea found approximately between the latitude of 4 degrees to 11 degrees 30'N. and longitude 109 degrees 30'E. They have a maritime area of 160,000 square kilometers and an insular area of about 170 hectares.

The Spratlys are popular among fishermen. However, they are considered dangerous for commercial navigation. Maps from the early part of the last century have advised seamen to avoid passing through them.

Japan explored the Spratlys for military reasons during World War II. The British Admiralty and U.S. Navy have also ordered some top secret missions there. But the U.S. Navy never released the new charts of the Spratlys to civilian authorities. Writer Francois-Xavier Bonnet wonders about the role of the Spratlys during the Vietnam War.

In 1933 a Philippine senator protested the French annexation of the Spratlys. A parliamentary committee studied the issue but the U.S. government, which controlled the Philippines at that time, did not take an interest in the matter.

In 1946 Vice President Elpidio Quirino claimed the Spratlys on behalf of the Philippine government. A year later, the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs declared that the "New Southern Islands" previously occupied by Japan during World War II were part of Philippine territory.

In 1955 the Philippine military reported that the Spratly island group was of "vital proximity" to the country. The following year, Filipino navigator and businessman Tomas Cloma issued a "proclamation to the whole world" claiming ownership and occupation of the Spratlys. Cloma sent six letters to the government about the need to settle the question of ownership of the islands.

The vice president of the Philippines replied in 1957, assuring Cloma that the government "does not regard with indifference the economic exploitation and settlement of these uninhabited and unoccupied islands by Philippine nationals."

According to Filipino law professor Haydee Yorac, the Cloma Proclamation was the first assertion of title to the Spratlys after Japan renounced its ownership of the islands in 1951 and 1952.

In 1978 President Ferdinand Marcos issued a proclamation declaring ownership of most of the islands in the Spratlys. The area was renamed the Kalayaan (Freedom) Island Group. The proclamation laid the following basis for the Philippine claim: "By virtue of their proximity and as part of the continental margin of the Philippine archipelago"; that "they do not legally belong to any state or nation, but by reason of history; indispensable need, and effective occupation and control established in accordance with international law"; and while other states have laid claims to some of these areas, their claims have lapsed by abandonment and cannot prevail over that of the Philippines on legal, historical, and equitable ground."

In 1995 President Fidel Ramos articulated the Philippine position regarding the Spratlys issue. He said "I would like to clarify that the Philippines does not only claim eight islands in the Spratlys but owns all islands and waters in the Spratlys as defined in the presidential decree issued by former President Marcos."

Militarization of the Spratlys started in the 1970s. The Philippines sent a military contingent to occupy some of the islands in 1971. After four years, the Philippines had already established a military presence in six islands. Today, the Philippines occupies eight islands in the area.

User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 12y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 12y ago

There are 3 Reasons why the Spratlys are so important and being contested by a number of surrounding countries in the vicinity:

1. Important Marine Route.

2. Marine Eco-System

3. Untapped vast amounts of Oil & Gas which is extimated to be greater than the total amount of all the Oil Reserves of the Middle-Eastern countries combined.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 12y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: What country belongs the Spratly Islands?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Is Spratly Islands belongs to the Philippines?

No, it belongs to China and Taiwan.


What is the closest country to the Spratly islands?

The closest country to the Spratly Islands is the Philippines. The Philippines is located to the west of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.


What country owns spratly islands?

Spratly Islands (not Spartly) are claimed by Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines and Brunei.One of the Spratly Island known as Spratly Island (proper) or Truong Sa Island is owned by Vietnam.


Why is Spratly Islands important?

Spratlys islands has a lot of oil. And it has a lot of natural resources. That is why china wants is so badly,they are selfish and they want to own something eventhough it belongs to someone, they will force it. China is a big bully compared to the other countries.. the spratly islands really belongs to philippines...


What country deserves to own the spratly Islands?

Philippines since it is very near to Philippines


What are spratly and sabah islands?

Spratly and Sabah Islands are two territories claimed by Philippines. Spratly is a group of 52 Islands of which only seven are occupied by Philippines. Sabah islands are a disputed territory between Malaysia and Philippines and are presently occupied by Malaysia.


What country owns the Sabah and Spratly islands?

According to my extensive research, NO ONE own the Spratly Islands, but the Chinese dynasty during year 200 AD claim it and saying those part of the Island are belongs to them. In addition, Chinese dynasty named this island "Nansha Island." This island was not Spratly back since 1791 Captain Spratle name under his name. For sure, China never own Spratley Island, but more relatively (but not really, its close) own Philippine government..


Mga bansang umaangkin ng isla Spratly?

because it is stated in the Philippine map that spratly islands is in the land zone of the Philippines.Tagalog issue in Spratly Islands


What are these countries claiming the spratly island?

The Islands that has been claimed by the Philippines in Spratly Island Group are the Lawak,Patag,Kota,Likas,Parola,Pag-asa,Panata and Rizal


Who is the owner of spratley islands in the Philippines?

The owner of the Spratly Islands is a matter of dispute among several countries, including the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei. These countries all claim parts or all of the Spratly Islands.


Is tenerife a country?

Tenerife is an island in the Canary islands, which belongs to Spain.


The Nicobar islands belongs to which country?

The Nicobar Islands are a group of islands belonging to India, located in the eastern Indian Ocean.