Malacañang rejects Taiwan ‘murder’ claims
The Philippines Saturday rejected Taiwan’s allegations that its coast guards had intentionally murdered a Taiwanese fisherman whose death has triggered a major diplomatic spat.
The Philippines Saturday rejected Taiwan’s allegations that its coast guards had intentionally murdered a Taiwanese fisherman whose death has triggered a major diplomatic spat.
The mayor of Kalayaan town in Palawan, along with around 200 people, were harassed by two unidentified vessels while they were traveling by sea before midnight Thursday, the local official said.
Taiwan held a military exercise Thursday in waters near the northern Philippines in response to the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, after rejecting repeated apologies from Manila.
President Benigno Aquino apologized Wednesday for the killing by the Filipino coastguard of a Taiwanese fisherman, and appealed for calm amid deepening outrage in Taiwan, his spokesman said.
Taiwan Sunday dispatched four coastguard and naval vessels to beef up patrols in waters near the Philippines following public outrage over the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Filipino coastguards.
Facing yet another flashpoint over disputes in the West Philippine Sea, the country’s top diplomat said Saturday that the Philippine maritime agencies have initiated an investigation into the “unfortunate” shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman off Batanes, maintaining that the incident occurred during lawful operations within territorial waters.
The shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard has become the latest incident to roil tensions over territorial disputes in and around the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), with Taipei calling Friday for Manila to apologize for the shooting.
The Western Command is monitoring the presence of two Chinese military surveillance vessels that were reported to be on a stationary position since Tuesday afternoon near the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Shoal in the disputed Spratly’s region.
The Philippine military has intensified its monitoring activities after China sent one of its largest fishing fleets to disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea.
Notwithstanding territorial disputes, Philippines and China discussed “evolving regional security situation” and bilateral defense relations among others in its talks recently.
The first Chinese tour ship to visit disputed South China Sea islands set sail on Sunday, state media reported, a move likely to stoke a long-running territorial row between Beijing and its neighbors.
The Aquino administration on Saturday said it sought United Nations arbitration as a “last resort” because China had refused to withdraw its ships from Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), which the country insists is within Philippine territory.
