Philippines says "Sea Pirates" in Spratly Attack

Reported here:

A Philippine military investigation concluded that pirates could be behind the attack, Armed Forces Public Information Office Chief Colonel Tristan Kison told reporters.

The investigators evaluated the depositions of the surviving crew members and established that "there were no [Philippine] military units in the area when that incident happened," Kison added.

"It seems like it's the doing of the pirates,"he said, adding that the probe failed to establish the nationalities of the attackers.

Kison said investigators, led Rear Admiral Tirso Danga, commander of the Western Command (Wescom), took the statements of the Chinese fishermen, which were sent to the Philippine foreign affairs department.

"They also rely on the statements of the Chinese fishermen and they have tried to find out what units were there, it seems like it's the doing of the pirates," Kison said.