Only inspection of Taiwanese fishing boat lacking in NBI probe—Aquino

President Benigno Aquino III AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino said Tuesday that the National Bureau of Investigation’s probe into the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard earlier this month was complete except for the examination of the fishing boat in Taiwan.

“I talked to Secretary Leila de Lima. She said the investigation is finished except for the physical examination of the subject boat,” he told reporters in an interview in Cavite aired over government radio.

“Since it’s in Taiwan, they’re waiting for the clearance from the team to go there to inspect visually the boat to complete the thorough investigation,” Aquino said.

The President had ordered the NBI to conduct an investigation into the killing Hung Shih-chen by the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard patrol boat in northern Philippine waters May 9. The Coast Guard crew claimed that the fishermen had tried to ram their patrol boat.

Aquino said he was grateful to Taiwanese leaders for appealing to their people to stop attacks on Filipinos in Taiwan.