The pan-green camp yesterday reiterated its support of the government’s tough stance and sanctions against the Philippines over the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, but said that the inconsistent position of the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in bilateral negotiations has been questionable.
The government recognized the Philippines’ “positive response” at a press conference called at 1am yesterday morning after five hours of negotiation, but subsequently changed its rhetoric, saying that Manila’s response was insincere as it announced a series of sanctions at 10am and 6pm yesterday.
The about-face within the span of several hours was puzzling and showed the differences between and the chaotic decisionmaking process of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Department of International Affairs director Liu Shih-chung (劉世忠).
The remarks of Philippine Representative to Taiwan Antonio Basilio, who said the people of the Philippines — rather than the Philippine government — expressed deep regret and apologized for the unfortunate event, was unacceptable, Liu said, adding that the appearance of Basilio and Foreign Minister David Lin (林永樂) did indicate a reciprocal response.
If Taiwan was not satisfied with the results of the negotiations, it should have immediately terminated the talks, Liu said.
Manila has neither offered a formal and official apology, nor has it provided a definite date to complete the investigation into the incident and identify the perpetrators, he added.
“We are not satisfied with and will not accept [Manila’s response], and we will not compromise,” Liu said yesterday morning about the bilateral negotiations.
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) added that Taiwan’s outrage should be directed at the Philippine government rather than Philippine migrant workers in Taiwan because the fisherman was shot dead by Philippine civil servants.
At a separate press conference, DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) blasted Lin for “serving as a translator for Basilio and trying to find an excuse for the Philippines” at the 1am press conference.
The DPP legislative caucus also urged Taiwanese to refrain from venting their anger at Philippine workers in Taiwan and called for the government to maintain its strong stance by regularly sending naval vessels to escort Taiwanese fishing boats in the Bashi Channel and by expanding the navy’s and the coast guard’s patrol area beyond the current temporary enforcement line.
DPP lawmakers Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) and Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), meanwhile, said that Taipei’s sanctions against Manila, which include freezing the hiring of Philippine workers and suspending bilateral tourism, trade and technology exchanges, would be meaningful.
Separately, Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) condemned Manila for citing the so-called “one China” policy as its guideline for handling the diplomatic row.
The “one China” policy was why Manila chose to apologize to Taiwanese rather than the government, Hsu said.
Manila has never offered concrete pledges on a bilateral fisheries negotiation and its lack of sincerity toward the victim’s family was demonstrated by its offer of compensation from private donations rather than the Philippine government, the lawmaker said.
‘ASSERTIVE STEPS’: The report says that the US should enable Taiwan to construct asymmetric defense capabilities that would allow it to engage China on its own terms US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday declassified a report that casts the defense of Taiwan as critical to the Indo-Pacific strategy of checking China’s ascent, Bloomberg reported yesterday. “US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific” has governed the US’ strategic response to China since Trump approved it in February 2018, Bloomberg reported, citing a statement by US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien. “Beijing is increasingly pressuring Indo-Pacific nations to subordinate their freedom and sovereignty to a ‘common destiny’ envisioned by the Chinese Communist Party [CCP],” O’Brien was cited as saying. The report assumes that China would “take increasingly assertive steps to compel unification
SECRET OUT: Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung yesterday accidentally revealed that the infections occurred at the ministry’s Taoyuan General Hospital The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported the fifth COVID-19 case in a cluster infection at a Taoyuan hospital, where four other medical workers were confirmed to have been infected over the past week. The latest case is a nurse who had tested negative on Tuesday last week, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, told a news conference. However, on Thursday, she developed symptoms, such as nasal congestion and a cough, and a second test yesterday found that she was infected, Chen said. She is the head nurse of a ward where two
PILLARS OF DEMOCRACY: US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft posted online after the virtual meeting that Taiwan should be able to share its successes in global venues President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft yesterday held a virtual meeting, during which Tsai described Taiwan as a “force for good” that deserves a place on the world stage, while Craft reaffirmed Washington’s support for Taiwan’s international participation. The virtual talk was held at about 11am, after Craft’s trip to Taiwan was abruptly canceled. She had been scheduled to meet with Tsai in person at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday morning as part of a three-day visit to Taiwan. On Tuesday, the US Department of State canceled all of its planned trips, citing a need
‘CONTAINED’: The CECC is not considering locking down the hospital where the infections were detected, as their source has been found, Chen Shih-chung said The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported one new domestic COVID-19 case, a doctor at a hospital in northern Taiwan where three other medical workers were confirmed to have the disease over the past week. The new case — No. 856 — is a doctor who had treated a COVID-19 patient together with case No. 838, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center. Case No. 838, confirmed as a locally infected COVID-19 case on Tuesday, was the first case in the hospital cluster, and later infected his partner, who is a nurse at the same
RSS