Taiwan denies standoff at sea off Batanes | Global News

Taiwan denies standoff at sea off Batanes

Taiwan denied reports of a standoff between its coast guard and that of the Philippines, saying the apprehension of a Taiwanese vessel by the Philippine side occurred in disputed waters and was settled by the two sides amicably.

“The incident happened in the disputed waters of the overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) [of] Taiwan and the Philippines, not inside the Philippine territorial waters,” the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) said in a statement.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo was reported to have said the May 25 incident occurred when the Taiwanese fishing boat was apprehended 12 nautical miles northeast of Batanes.

Article continues after this advertisement

Taiwan said the incident occurred 21.6 nautical miles from Batanes.

FEATURED STORIES

Teco said that, according to international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the boat was apprehended in an area where it was lawful for Taiwanese vessels to fish.

‘Language barriers’

Article continues after this advertisement

“It is not in conformity with the international law for the Philippine agencies to arrest or detain the fishing vessels in the EEZs. Therefore, the Taiwanese Coast Guard is entitled to exercise its rights and … protect Taiwanese fishing vessels,” Teco said.

Article continues after this advertisement

Results of an investigation by the Taiwanese authorities and a video footage showed that the coast guard officers of the two sides were “friendly and amicable with one another,” Teco said.

Article continues after this advertisement

“No Taiwanese personnel ever threatened to shoot the Filipinos,” Teco said. “Actually, they greeted each other in a friendly atmosphere. The allegation was simply attributable to mutual language barriers and miscommunication.”

Taiwan, through Teco, supported the Department of Foreign Affairs’ position that the incident highlighted the need for a bilateral fisheries agreement between Taiwan and the Philippines.

Article continues after this advertisement

Shooting incident

The Philippine and Taiwanese governments have been working on an agreement since a 2013 shooting incident which resulted in the death of a Taiwanese fisherman.

Results of the investigation showed members the Philippine Coast Guard fired at a Taiwanese fishing vessel to defend themselves. The incident sparked outrage in Taiwan.

“Teco appeals to the Philippine government to take concrete actions to expedite the conclusion of [an] agreement, restrain from apprehending Taiwanese fishing vessels in the disputed waters of the overlapping EEZs … [and] work together with Taiwan to prevent the occurrence of similar incidents,” Teco said.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Taiwan authorities said a fisheries agreement would provide a mechanism through which both sides can discuss disputes “in a peaceful manner.”

TAGS: Batanes, coast guard, Philippines, Standoff, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Taiwan, Teco

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.