HONG KONG: Continuous laser attacks targeting Australian military helicopters for a month now is on in the South China Sea. ‘Some helicopter pilots had lasers pointed at them from passing fishing vessels,’ points out Euan Graham of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He saw laser attacks happening himself when he was aboard the warship from which the aircraft were operating.
Australian pilots complained that they were targeted several times by commercial lasers during South China Sea missions.
According to John Marshall, a professor at University College of London’s Institute of Ophthalmology, ‘the dazzle effect can trigger temporary blindness, with catastrophic consequences’. ‘The inappropriate use of lasers would pose a potential safety risk to all those operating in the region,’ the Australian Department of Defense statement raises alert.
No injuries have been reported yet to Australian Navy pilots.
China claims almost the entire 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China aggressively denies any counter claims from other Southeast Asian nations.
Beijing operates militia – a force of fishing vessels under the overall supervision of Chinese navy in this region. (Agencies)
Comment