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Taiwan demands Filipino apology for fisherman's death
Updated: 2013-05-13 00:35 By ZHAO SHENGNAN and PU ZHENDONG ( China Daily)
Taipei said on Sunday it is "determined" to protect its fishermen by beefing up patrols in waters near the Philippines amid widespread public outrage over the fatal shooting of a fisherman from Taiwan by Filipino coast guard officers.
An official waving his cap as a fleet of naval and coast guard frigates set sail from Taiwan's southern port of Kaohsiung. Taiwan on Sunday dispatched four coast guard and naval vessels to beef up patrols in waters near the Philippines following public outrage over the shooting of a fisherman by Filipino coast guards. TAIWAN'S COAST GUARD via Agence France-Presse
Four coast guard and naval vessels set sail for the area where the 65-year-old fisherman was killed on Thursday morning, according to a statement from authorities in Taiwan, following an exercise held by the island's coast guard on Saturday.
The move also came shortly after Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou pledged that if Manila had not responded to Taipei's demands regarding the shooting within 72 hours, Taiwan would retaliate.
According to a statement released on Saturday, Ma demanded that the Philippines apologize, give a true account of the event, punish those responsible, compensate the fisherman's family and for the damage to the boat and start negotiations with Taiwan on a fishery agreement as soon as possible.
Manila also expressed its sympathies over the "unfortunate situation".
"Mr Antonio Basilio, Resident Representative of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan, has visited the family of the victim and extended condolences and offered his apologies," Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.
Valte said an inquiry into the matter has already started, adding that the investigation will be "impartial and transparent".
She also said the commander and crew of the Philippine vessel in question have already been relieved of their duties.
"The Philippine Coast Guard, together with other agencies, assures everyone that this investigation will be conducted in an impartial, transparent and expeditious manner. Moving forward, relevant agencies will look into ways to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future," she said.
A response from Manila will come after the ongoing investigation is completed, Taiwan's Central News Agency quoted Valte as saying.
Observers said the Philippines has violated international law and called for strengthened and coordinated law enforcement from Beijing and Taipei to protect their fishermen's legitimate rights.
Hung Shih-cheng, the skipper of the 15-ton, 13-meter Guang Ta Hsin 28, was killed during the incident, which also left the boat riddled with more than 50 bullet holes. Hung's body was taken back to Taiwan on Saturday morning.
His death highlights the tension between Taiwan and the Philippines. Recently, people from both sides have been accused of hacking each other's government websites.
Manila admitted on Friday that its coast guard had fired on the boat from Taiwan, but said the action took place inside its territorial waters. "If somebody died, they deserve our sympathy but not an apology," Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo said.
Gong Yingchun, an expert on international law at China Foreign Affairs University, said competitive law enforcement in this area will lead to more tension, but "based on international law, the use of weapons in such scenarios is only applicable to stop vessels for security checks when forced to, not to kill people".
"Manila's brutal and excessive actions go beyond the scope of law enforcement and they therefore have to be held responsible for the damage caused," she said.
Fired on without warning
Hung Shih-cheng's son, who was with his father and two other sailors on the boat when the shooting took place, insisted they did not cross into Philippine waters and that the Philippine vessel opened fire without warning.
According to Taiwan authorities, the shooting happened 164 nautical miles southeast of the southernmost tip of Taiwan. Manila claimed that the location is in its "exclusive economic zone". But Taipei said the site is in an overlapping area of the two sides' exclusive economic zones and no bilateral fishing arrangement has been reached.
Taiwan gives Philippines ultimatum after fatal shooting of fisherman
TAIPEI | Mon May 13, 2013 1:55am EDT
(Reuters) - Taiwan has issued an ultimatum to the Philippines to make an official apology to the family of a Taiwanese fisherman who died in a fatal shooting by the Philippine Coast Guard in waters off the northern Philippines or pay a price.
The Philippines and Taiwan, as well as China, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam, are embroiled in diplomatic rows over territory in the South China Sea, potentially rich in oil and gas and criss-crossed by crucial shipping lanes. The disputes have sometimes escalated to confrontation between vessels.
The Philippines and Taiwan have overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in waters in the Philippine north.
A Philippines fisheries official said one of its vessels, acting under the threat of being rammed, opened fire last Thursday on a Taiwanese fishing boat about 170 nautical miles southeast of Taiwan, killing one person on board.
Philippines presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said on Sunday the head of the de facto Philippine embassy in Taiwan had apologized and offered his condolences to the family.
Asked if the apology was an acknowledgement that the Philippines authorities made a mistake, Valte said it was more of an "expression of heartfelt sorrow at the unfortunate incident," stressing that investigations are ongoing and it would be better to wait for the results of the probe.
But Taiwan is not satisfied with the Philippines actions.
"If the Philippines presidential office continues to respond to our request in such an attitude... They will have to pay a price," according to a statement from Taiwan's presidential office.
Taiwan will freeze all new applications of Filipinos to work on the island, local media reported. There are currently 80,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan.
(This story has been refiled to clarify in the first paragraph to show the location of shooting was in waters off northern Philippines)
(Reporting by Faith Hung in TAIPEI and Manuel Mogato in PHILIPPINES; Editing by Michael Perry)
Taiwan to sanction Philippines, send naval ships in fishing spat
Antonio Basilio (R), the Philippines' representative to Taiwan, speaks during a joint news conference as Taiwan Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (L) gestures to him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei May 15, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Pichi Chuang
TAIPEI | Wed May 15, 2013 12:50am EDT
(Reuters) - Taiwan on Wednesday recalled its envoy to the Philippines, froze applications for work permits and ordered military exercises in waters between the two sides to press its demand for an apology for the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman.
Taiwan earlier had issued an ultimatum to the Philippines to apologize to the family of the fisherman who died in a shooting last week by the Philippine Coast Guard in waters off the northern Philippines.
"Due to the Philippines government's insufficient ... sincerity and its inconsistency, President Ma Ying-jeou expresses strong dissatisfactions and he cannot accept the reckless and perfunctory responses from the Philippines," the Presidential Office said in a statement.
After a high-level meeting, it added, Taiwan decided to immediately impose sanctions, including the recall of its envoy and a freeze on work permit applications.
More than 85,000 Filipinos work in Taiwan, many as domestic workers.
Further measures could also be imposed, Premier Jiang Yi-huah told reporters, including an end to visa-free access to Taiwan for Philippine nationals and stopping economic exchanges.
Separately, a Taiwan Defence Ministry official said military vessels and aircraft would be dispatched to the Bashi Channel, which divides Taiwan and the Philippines, to carry out a two-day military drill.
The Philippines and Taiwan, as well as China, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam, are embroiled in diplomatic rows over territory in the nearby South China Sea, potentially rich in oil and gas and criss-crossed by crucial shipping lanes.
The disputes have sometimes escalated to confrontation between vessels. The Philippines and Taiwan have overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in waters to the Philippines north.
A Philippines fisheries official said one of its vessels, acting under the threat of being rammed, opened fire last Thursday on a Taiwanese fishing boat about 170 nautical miles southeast of Taiwan, killing one person on board.
The Philippines has expressed sympathy over what it called an "unfortunate" incident and promised to conduct an investigation, but has stopped short of an official apology.
(Reporting by Clare Jim and Christine Lu; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Ron Popeski)
