Southwest Cay

This article is about the island in the South China Sea. For the islet in the Caribbean Sea, see Serrana Bank.

"Pugad Island" redirects here. For the island in Manila Bay, see Pugad Island (Bulacan).

Southwest Cay

Disputed island
Southwest Cay
Southwest Cay
Other names	Đảo Song Tử Tây (Vietnamese) Pugad Island (Philippine English) Pulo ng Pugad (Filipino) 南子島 / 南子岛 Nánzi Dǎo (Chinese)
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	11°25′46″N 114°19′53″E
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Administration
Vietnam
District	Trường Sa District, Khánh Hòa
Commune	Song Tử Tây Commune
Claimed by
China
Philippines
Taiwan
Vietnam
Demographics
Population	32

Landsat 7 image (2000)

Nautical chart (1911)

Southwest Cay, also known as Vietnamese: Đảo Song Tử Tây; Pugad Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Pugad, lit. 'Island of Nest'); Mandarin Chinese: 南子島/南子岛; pinyin: Nánzi Dǎo, is an island on the northwestern edge of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. It is part of the atoll North Danger Reef, and just 1.75 miles (2.82 km) southwest of Northeast Cay. With an area of 12 hectares (30 acres), it is the sixth largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands, and the second largest of the Vietnamese-occupied islands. Southwest Cay has the archipelago's highest point, at 4 meters above sea level. It was once a breeding place for birds, and was covered with trees and guano; export of guano had been carried out "on a considerable scale".

The island is also claimed by China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), and the Philippines.

History

1933 – French possession

In 1933, the French Government took possession of the Spratly Islands including Southwest Cay and Northeast Cay. Three ships, the Alerte, the Astrolabe and the De Lanessan took part in the expedition. The following quotations are from an account given by H. Cucherousset in L'Eveil economique de l'Indochine (No. 790 of May 28, 1933):

"Further north still, at the level of Nha Trang, is the atoll named "North Danger", the Alerte took possession of two sandy islands (cayes) where it found some Japanese fishing. The De Lanessan went there too and explored the little island. The latter is perceptibly higher than the others, the highest point reaching 5 metres. The phosphate beds are considerable and were much exploited by the Japanese."

After possession had been taken, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs published the following notice in the French Journal Officiel dated 26 July 1933 (page 7837):

"Notice concerning the occupation of certain islands by French naval units.

The French government has caused the under mentioned isles and islets to be occupied by French naval units:

Group of two islands situated at latitude 111°29' north and longitude 114°21' east of Greenwich, with their dependent isles (36) (Possession taken April 10, 1933).

The above-mentioned isles and islets henceforward come under French sovereignty (this notice cancels the previous notice inserted in the Official Journal dated July 25, 1933, page 7784)."

1939–1945 – Japanese occupation

In 1939, Japan occupied the islands and remained there until the end of World War II.

1956 – Transfer to South Vietnam

Territorial monument (stele), 1956.

In 1956, France transferred the islands to South Vietnam.

In 1959, the South Vietnamese Government renamed the Song Tử islands (meaning twins after their resemblance to each other) "Tây" (meaning West) and "Đông" (meaning East) respectively. They were annexed to Phước Tuy Province, South Vietnam.

In 1961, the two South Vietnam Navy cruisers, the Van Kiep and the Van Don, landed on the islands of Song Tử Tây (Southwest Cay).

On May 24, 1963, the sovereignty steles were rebuilt on Song Tử Đông (Northeast Cay) and Song Tử Tây (Southwest Cay) by crew members of the three vessels Huong Giang, Chi Lang and Ky Hoa of South Vietnam.

1968 – Philippine occupation

In 1968, Filipino troops occupied Song Tử Đông (Northeast Cay, Parola) and Song Tử Tây (Southwest Cay, Pugad). "As this relates to Cloma, no official act by the Philippine government could be found which contemporaneously and specifically ratified his declaration. However, in 1968 the Philippine government began sending troops to occupy the area and in 1971 made an official announcement that the Philippines were occupying several of the features in KIG for “reasons of national security and to “protect the interests of the state and its citizens.”

1975 – Fall of Saigon

A few months later, the recently unified Vietnam (after North Vietnam won over South Vietnam, the North Vietnam task force occupied the island) decided to remove all remaining South Vietnamese troops in the Spratly Islands and establish military control among the features. It was reported that dozens of South Vietnamese soldiers in Southwest Cay (Song Tử Tây) swam all the way to Northeast Cay (Parola) just to avoid being captured by North Vietnamese forces. It was then when Malacañang officials, headed by President Ferdinand Marcos, discussed how the Philippines would reclaim the island. It had been apparent that most of the officials, who considered the North Vietnamese communists to be a threat to Filipino national security, wanted to attack Southwest Cay (Pugad) to reclaim it. However, after an intelligence report came stating that the unified Vietnam (Socialist Republic of Vietnam) had already built a huge concrete garrison within a few weeks, the officials dropped the plan and tried to resolve the issue diplomatically. However, this approach eventually died along the process making Southwest Cay (Song Tử Tây) a Vietnamese-occupied island up to this day. This incident was confirmed in interviews with soldiers involved in an episode of the defunct Magandang Gabi, Bayan of ABS-CBN.

Although Vietnam, China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), and the Philippines all claim the island, no clashes have been reported since 1975. The island currently hosts periodic joint exercises and sporting activities between the Vietnamese and Philippine militaries.

See also

• Spratly Islands dispute
• List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands

External links

• Maritime Transparency Initiative Island Tracker
• Google map of Southwest and Northeast Cays
• Doyo, Ma. Ceres P. (2008-03-13). "Spratlys on my mind". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Manila. Archived from the original on 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
• Bordadora, Norman; TJ Burgonio (2008-03-11). "Lawmaker fears RP will lose out in race for Spratlys oil". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Manila. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
• Burgonio, TJ (2008-03-10). "Palace should explain Spratlys seismic survey—Golez". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Manila. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
• Dancel, Joshua (2002-08-31). "Viets not in RP part of Spratlys, says NSC chief" (PDF). Manila Times. Manila. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
• Bondoc, Jarius (2005-07-06). "Kalayaan: Where have all the soldiers gone?". Philippine Star. Manila. Archived from the original on 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2008-03-20.