Death on the High Seas: Ma issues ultimatum over fisherman’s death
72 HOURS:The government will freeze Filipino workers’ applications and recall its envoy if Manila fails to respond to Taiwan’s demand for a formal apology and arrest of the suspect in a fisherman’s death
By Mo Yan-chih
Taipei Times
Taipei Times
Coast guards free “hostages” from a simulated hijacked vessel during a Coast Guard Administration drill in Taichung Port yesterday aimed at demonstrating the coast guard’s ability to protect the nation’s sovereignty, maintain security and enforce the law. (Photo: CNA)
The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday gave the Philippines 72 hours to arrest those responsible for the death of a Taiwanese fisherman, issue a formal apology and compensate the victim’s family.
If Manila failed to respond to these demands within 72 hours, the government will freeze Philippine worker applications, recall the Republic of China (ROC) representative in Manila and ask the Philippine representative to return to Manila to help in the investigation, Presidential Office spokesperson Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏) told a news conference last night following a national security meeting presided over by Ma.
The 72-hour deadline started from “12am on May 12,” Lee said.
The meeting, attended by top officials including Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) and Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱), lasted about two hours from 7pm to 9pm in the Presidential Office.
The incident took place on Thursday, when a Philippine Coast Guard vessel opened fire on the Pingtung-based fishing boat Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 in waters 164 nautical miles (304km) southeast of Taiwan’s southernmost tip, killing 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成).
The boat was fishing in waters in which the exclusive economic zones of Taiwan and the Philippines overlap.
“The Philippine government’s attitude is outrageous and unacceptable,” Ma said earlier yesterday while inspecting a coastguard drill at Taichung Harbor.
He also instructed the Coast Guard Administration to dispatch ships to the exclusive economic zone and increase patrols over territorial waters to protect Taiwanese fishermen.
“The Philippines shot at an unarmed fishing boat. This violates international safety regulations. Firing 40 to 50 shots at the boat is brutal and cold-blooded,” the president said.
The Ma administration has come under pressure from the public and lawmakers across party lines to take a tougher stand on the incident.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday also urged the Ma administration to initiate action against Manila, such as suspending all exchanges with the Philippines and banning the recruitment of Filipino workers.
He also proposed sending naval ships and extending their patrol scope beyond the exclusive economic zone to better protect Taiwanese fishermen.
“Only by doing this can we better protect our fishermen’s rights and defend our national dignity. We should take a hardline approach in handling this incident,” he said at Taipei City Hall.
Hau added that the Taipei City Government would retract its invitation to the Philippines to attend the Dragon Boat Festival next month.
“The Taipei City Government stands behind Taiwanese fishermen. Unless the Philippine government brings the killers to justice and compensates [the victim’s family], we will stop inviting the [Philippines’] dragon boat team to this year’s festival,” he said.
Taipei will also suspend all exchanges with Manila and Quezon City — both sister cities of Taipei — as well as the city government’s plan to donate two ambulances to the Philippines.
The Philippines has sent dragon boat teams to compete in the city’s annual dragon boat race for the past two years. Taipei City’s Department of Sports said it would cancel this year’s invitation tomorrow.
New Taipei City (新北市) Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) also condemned the shooting and said that the city would suspend exchanges with Manila until the Philippine government offers an apology, compensate the victim’s family and apprehends the perpetrators.
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RELATED STORY:
Taiwan threatens sanctions over Philippines shooting
Source: Channel News Asia
President Ma Ying-jeou said Saturday that Taiwan would consider sanctions against the Philippines amid widespread public outrage at Manila over the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman.
President Ma Ying-jeou said Saturday that Taiwan would consider sanctions against the Philippines amid widespread public outrage at Manila over the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman.
Relatives of Hung Shih-cheng crying next to his body bag at Liuqiu harbor, Pingtung county early May 11, 2013 after he was killed when the Philippine coastguard fired at his fishing boat the day before. (AFP)
TAIPEI: President Ma Ying-jeou said Saturday Taiwan would consider sanctions against the Philippines amid widespread public outrage at Manila over the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman.
“We will definitely seek justice for our fisherman. We will not rule out the possibility of taking any kind of sanctions” against the Philippines, Ma said while inspecting a coastguard drill in central Taiwan.
“The Philippines shot an unarmed fishing boat. This is very brutal and cold-blooded,” he said, reiterating Taipei’s demand for Manila to apologise, apprehend the killer and compensate.
Some Taiwanese lawmakers urged the government to freeze the hiring of Philippine workers to protest after the Philippines admitted its coastguard had fired at a Taiwanese fishing boat.
Taiwanese authorities said 65-year-old fisherman Hung Shih-cheng was killed during Thursday’s incident, which also left the boat riddled with more than 50 bullet holes.
Abigail Valte, a spokeswoman for Philippine President Benigno Aquino, told a government radio station that authorities had launched a “transparent and impartial investigation” into the incident.
She expressed hopes that economic ties with Taipei will not be affected and added that the coastguard crew involved in the incident have been temporarily suspended to ensure a fair probe.
“Let’s wait for the investigation,” Aquino’s spokesman Ricky Carandang told AFP when asked to comment on Taiwan’s sanctions threat.
Ma’s government has come under pressure from the opposition and the media to take action, with the Philippines refusing to apologise and saying the coastguard was tackling illegal fishing.
Philippine coastguard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said Friday the incident took place in Philippine waters and the Filipino personnel had been properly carrying out their duties to stop illegal fishing.
“If somebody died, they deserve our sympathy but not an apology,” Balilo told reporters.
Hung’s son has insisted that the boat did not cross into Philippine waters.
The Taipei-based China Times called the incident a “criminal case” and demanded Manila shoulder the full responsibility.
“The Philippines’ uncivilised action apparently violated maritime convention, the Taiwan government must take strong counter moves to defend our fishermen’s rights and prevent similar tragedy,” it said in an editorial.
The Apple Daily newspaper called the shooting “an act of brigands” and said Taiwanese people “angrily demand the blood debt be paid”.
Some Taiwanese Internet users allegedly attacked and temporarily paralysed several Philippine government websites Friday night, according to Apple Daily.
The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions around the region over rival claims to the nearby South China Sea.
China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have competing claims to parts of the sea.
- AFP/al/fl
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