Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel
Vessels of the ROC Navy and Coast Guard conduct a drill at sea Thursday.
The front page of all local newspapers Friday were again dominated by the dispute with the Philippines over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman, with one of the main emphases being the show of force by Taiwan’s Navy warships, Coast Guard cutters and Air Force fighter jets in or over waters near where the May 9 incident occurred.
The reports also focused on the treatment of an envoy sent by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and the reception of a team of Taiwan investigators in the Philippines.
The following are excerpts from the major newspapers’ coverage of the latest developments in the standoff:
Liberty Times:
To demonstrate Taiwan’s anger, part of a fleet of seven vessels sailed into waters south of the 20 degrees north latitude line, while other ships got as close as 35 miles to Batan Island in the northern Philippines.
The military did not rule out stepping up pressure on the Philippines by staging a drill with live ammunition if Manila continued to reject Taiwan’s demands.
In order to strengthen Taiwan’s hand in its negotiations with the Philippines, the Navy is understood to have drafted several contingency plans. In addition to adjusting the scale of protection given to Taiwan’s fishing operations, a plan on the demonstration of fire power is ready to be implemented.
According to the military, such a demonstration can take place in case of an emergency, without having to give the standard 15-day prior notice to other nations. The Navy is ready, and all that is required is an order from the top, according to the military.
Concerned about tensions between Taiwan and the Philippines, Patrick Ventrell, acting deputy spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, said Wednesday that Washington urged the two countries to take all appropriate measures to clarify disagreements and prevent the recurrence of the tragic incident.
The United States also continues to urge both parties to ensure maritime safety and to refrain from actions that could further escalate tensions in the region and undermine the prospects for a rapid and effective resolution of differences, said Ventrell at a daily press briefing.
United Daily News:
Taiwan’s team of investigators ran into a brick wall Thursday after they arrived in Manila. Edwin Lacierda, the Philippine presidential spokesman, said he was not aware of an approval for the 17-member team to take part in the investigation into the shooting.
After their arrival around midday, the investigators, led by senior officials from the foreign and justice ministries, holed up at Taiwan’s representative office in Manila and “made preparations for their investigation.”
Lacierda said that for Taiwanese investigators to come to the Philippines, Taiwan’s representative office in Manila needed to make a request through the Philippine representative office in Taipei according to an agreement on mutual legal assistance signed in April.
In Taipei, Vice Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang denied that the investigators were obstructed, adding that a request for Philippine assistance was made May 12 through Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, under which Taiwan’s representative office in Manila operates.
At a regular Cabinet meeting on Thursday, meanwhile, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said that sanctions on the Philippines could be in place for quite some time and warned relevant ministries to be prepared accordingly.
Foreign Minister David Lin was absent from the meeting, feeding speculation that he may be replaced for his handling of the shooting incident. A presidential spokesperson said, however, that there is currently no plan to make any ministerial changes.
As for the exercise in waters between Taiwan and the Philippines Thursday morning, a vessel was spotted near the Ma Kong, a U.S-made Kidd-class destroyer. It was later identified as the USNS Observation Island, a ship normally tasked with monitoring missile firings.
China Times:
Amadeo Perez Jr., the chairman of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) who was sent to Taiwan by President Aquino to convey his apology over the incident, was rejected almost everywhere he went during his two-day visit in Taipei.
He was unable to get a meeting with Taiwan’s foreign minister and had to settle for talks with the ministry’s director-general for Asia Pacific affairs.
Perez’s request for a meeting with the Hung family was turned down, and he was also turned away when trying to check into a hotel in Taipei after arriving on Wednesday.
During his stay, he said he was here to offer an apology to the Hung family and the people of Taiwan on behalf of the Philippine president.
A senior military officer said, meanwhile, that the military drill in waters near Batan Island not only demonstrated the Taiwan government’s determination to protect its fishermen but also had some strategic significance.
The officer (not identified by the paper) said that the dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands gave the Chinese Navy an excuse to send ships to waters near those islands, and it was now trying to take advantage of the dispute with the Philippines in the same way.
Since the May 9 shooting incident, which caused the death of a Taiwanese fisherman, warships belonging to Beijing’s East China Sea fleet have transited the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.
If Taiwan had not sent ships as it did Thursday, the Chinese Navy ships would likely have a free rein in the area. It would have meant a regular Chinese naval presence both to the north and south of Taiwan on a regular basis, the officer said.
One accidental star emerging from the incident, meanwhile, is the oldest daughter of the 65-year-old fisherman killed by the crew of the Philippine coast guard surveillance boat.
Others in the family are all deferring to Hung Tse-chien and even reporters who descended on the tiny island of Siaoliouchiou off southern Taiwan respect her role as the spokesperson for the victim’s family.
One on-line post said: “So far in the incident, none of the officials in the government has done a better job (with the media) than Hung Tse-chien.” (May 17, 2013)
(By Jay Chen)
ENDITEM/ls
ENDITEM/ls
No comments:
Post a Comment