The Philippine military said Chinese coast guard personnel aboard a motorboat repeatedly struck a Filipino sailor on the head with a wooden baton Monday in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, injuring him and damaging his smaller vessel.
The assault was captured on video by other Filipino sailors in the hotly disputed Second Thomas Shoal and set off angry condemnations by Philippine officials. They praised the Filipino navy personnel, saying they did not do anything that could have caused an escalation.
