Lawmakers from the two main political parties yesterday urged the US government to provide full compensation to the family of a Taiwanese fishing boat captain killed during a NATO anti-piracy operation earlier this year.
At separate press conferences, lawmakers from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said it was “unacceptable” that a US investigative report into the botched anti-piracy mission failed to mention the matter of compensation.
Wu Lai-yu (吳來于) was killed when a US frigate engaged his ship, the Jih Chun Tsai No. 68, which had been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia and was being used by the pirates as a mothership.
A long-awaited incident report demanded by Taipei was submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Saturday.
The Taiwanese captain was found dead in his sleeping quarters, having been “killed inadvertently” by ordinances fired by the US Navy, the report found.
KMT Legislator Chao Li-yun (趙麗雲) called it a matter of “dignity and respect” that Wu’s family receive compensation from the US government, pressing for the ministry to push forward on talks about the subject.
“The KMT caucus cannot accept only an expression of ‘regret’ as a response,” Chao said, referring to an AIT statement which expressed that sentiment on Sunday. “Although it was an unintended death ... we will still strongly pressure the US to give our fishing community a sense of justice.”
DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) also called on the US government to provide a formal apology to Wu’s family, “notwithstanding the fact that Taiwan and the US are stable allies.”
“The government should launch an official protest against the US. We should also think about filing for a settlement with the international courts when needed,” DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said.
Wu’s wife, Wu Tien-li (吳田麗), has demanded the US government compensate the family for the botched engagement, especially considering that her family had anticipated the captain’s release following the agreement of a ransom payment.
She has not detailed the amount that the family would consider appropriate.
The slain skipper had been the only source of income for the family and the request that the ministry seek payment has been backed by powerful fishing associations, which are expected to launch a protest outside AIT today.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) has called on the US government to offer a reasonable ex gratia payment or compensation to the family.
“The US must make Master Wu [Lai-yu]’s family an ex gratia payment offer or a compensation offer out of humanitarian concern as soon as possible because his family suddenly lost their bread winner,” Yang told AIT Director William Stanton on Saturday.
Stanton told Yang that the US government was actively considering offering an ex gratia payment, the ministry said in a statement.
Yang said the ministry would continue to assist Wu family in negotiations with Washington.
The US report did not say why the news of Wu Lai-yu’s death on May 10 was withheld for 11 days until it was contained in a NATO press release dated May 18, which the ministry noticed on May 21.
Stanton told Yang that the US was aware of its failure to notify Taiwan of the news of Wu Lai-yu’s death promptly and that Washington has asked the relevant agencies to coordinate solutions.
Taiwan and the US have reportedly agreed to enhance cooperation to avoid repeats of such incidents.
A set of proposals aimed at strengthening Taiwan’s anti-piracy capabilities have been put forward at intergovernmental meetings.
Department of North American Affairs Director-General Bruce Linghu (令狐榮達), whose department is in charge of the meetings, said the government was working toward joining international forces to repress piracy and protect the rights of Taiwanese fishermen in international waters.
The nation has expressed its wish to actively participate in international cooperative -counter-piracy mechanisms and the request “has been well received by the US, the EU and NATO,” Linghu said.
The ministry will make its case for membership or observership in the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, a US-led international cooperation mechanism against piracy that consists of about 70 countries, Linghu said.
With direct access to the international mechanism, Taiwan could strengthen ties with other countries in information sharing, training maritime security personnel in anti-piracy maneuvers and taking part in joint anti-piracy maneuvers, he said.
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