Taiwan sends ships near PH waters

Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng’s boat, the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, is checked by Taiwanese officers after arriving at Liuqiu port in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, Saturday, May 11, 2013. Taiwan dispatched four coast guard and naval vessels to beef up patrols in waters near the Philippines on Sunday following President Ma Ying-jeou’s ultimatum to Manila to respond to demands regarding the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard. AP PHOTO

Taiwan dispatched four coast guard and naval vessels to beef up patrols in waters near the Philippines on Sunday following President Ma Ying-jeou’s ultimatum to Manila to respond to demands regarding the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard.

“The government is determined to protect our fishermen,” cabinet spokesperson Cheng Li-wen said in a statement as a Lafayette-class naval frigate and coast guard vessels set sail for waters near northern Philippines where the fishing boat “Guang Ta Hsin 28?” was shot at by the Philippine Coast Guard last Thursday, killing 65-year-old fisherman Hung Shih-cheng.

Ma on Saturday gave the Philippines 72 hours to respond to Taiwan’s demands that Manila apologize, arrest the killers and pay compensation to Hung’s family, or face the consequences.

“The Philippines must apologize, find and prosecute those responsible for the brutal killing, and offer compensation for the fisherman’s death,” Ma said.

If the Philippines fails to do this and does not provide assurance that similar incidents will not happen again, Taiwan will consider imposing sanctions against the country, Ma said.

The retaliation would include a freeze on all applications of Filipino overseas workers, the recall of Taiwan’s representative in Manila, and the expulsion of the Philippine representative in Taipei, presidential office spokesperson Garfie Li said.

The Philippines and Taiwan have no official diplomatic relations. But they maintain economic cultural offices in each other’s capitals, with representatives acting as de facto ambassadors.

No comment

The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had no comment Sunday on Ma’s ultimatum.

But Abigail Valte, President Aquino’s deputy spokesperson, offered “sincere and deepest sympathies and condolences” to the family of Hung and gave assurance that the Philippine government was investigating the incident.

“The Philippine Coast Guard, together with other agencies, assures everyone that this investigation will be conducted in an impartial, transparent and expeditious manner,” Valte said.

“Moving forward, relevant agencies will look into ways to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future,” she said.

Ma called a national security meeting late Saturday over the incident.

The meeting, attended by Foreign Minister David Lin, Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu and other officials, signified an official upgrade of the case.

A former high-ranking security official reportedly said that sanctions against the Philippines would not have a great effect.

The official said Ma should set up a task force and bring the Philippine suspects to Taiwan for trial on murder charges.

In the event of an arrest at sea, if the suspects resist, the Taiwanese Navy and coast guard should open fire and shoot to kill, the official said.

The Philippine Coast Guard admitted last Friday that its personnel fired on the Taiwanese fishing boat, which it said tried to ram a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel in the Balintang Channel, 80 kilometers off Batanes.

But the agency refused to apologize for the fisherman’s death, saying the coastguards aboard the BFAR vessel acted in self-defense. They were also on duty, trying to stop poaching and illegal fishing in Philippine waters, the Coast Guard said.

Rear Adm. Rodolfo Isorena, Coast Guard commandant, ordered an investigation and relieved 11 coastguards involved in the incident.

Two BFAR employees who were on the vessel, the 30-meter-long patrol boat MCS 3001, at the time of the incident  were also relieved for the duration of the investigation.

Footage of the event was brought back by a Coast Guard officer involved in the incident. The video, which will be given to investigators, will not be released for the time being.

The Philippines’ representative to Taiwan, Antonio Basilio, apologized and offered sympathies to the family of Hung last Friday and gave assurance that Philippine authorities were investigating the incident.

Government apology

“Should the investigation show that there was a violation of international law and practice… as well as our domestic law, we will let the law take its course so that justice will be served,” Basilio said.

But Ma said the Philippine government should also apologize for the use of force that led to Hung’s death.

It is “absolutely unacceptable” for the Philippines to illegally kill someone and then refuse to apologize, Ma said.

Ma noted that the tragedy once again highlights the issue of safety for Taiwanese fishing vessels operating on the high seas.

Taiwan’s coast guard must beef up its operations in the South China Sea, he added.

Chen Li-tung, a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University’s Institute of the Law of the Sea, said that under international law it was illegal to shoot an unarmed vessel.

Hu Nien-tsu, director of National Sun Yat-sen University’s Center for Marine Policy Studies, said that according to a 1982 United Nations convention, the Philippines must accept the traditional right of fishermen from neighboring countries to fish “in certain areas falling within archipelagic waters.”—Reports from TJ Burgonio, AFP and China Post/Asia News Network