Defiant fisherman tells Chinese coast guard to 'go away' from disputed territory amid rising tensions

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A Filipino fisherman defiantly ignored the Chinese coast guard when confronted in the disputed South China Sea, telling the authorities to leave and asserting thePhilippines' right to the territory.

"This is Philippine territory. Go away," Joely Saligan, the captain of a small fishing vessel, told the Chinese coast guard, which tried to drive them away from the Scarborough Shoal near the northwestern Philippines.

Saligan relayed the details of the Jan. 12 confrontation to the Philippine Coast Guard after eventually leaving the area. Commodore Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, said they have validated the written statements and videos submitted by the crew.

Saligan and his men took a small boat and visited a coral outcrop that becomes exposed during low tide. The crew looked to collect seashells and fish from the area but had to cut their excursion short as five Chinese coast guards, three of whom carried steel batons, landed and ordered the boat to leave.

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Both sides tried to document the altercation as the Chinese authorities boarded the ship and got physical, trying to take a cellphone one of the fishermen tried to use.

"They looked angry. They wanted us to return our catch to the sea," Saligan told a group of journalists in Manila.