Taipei and Manila have reached a consensus on dealing with fishing disputes in overlapping waters to prevent a repeat of the May 9 incident in which Philippine Coast Guard personnel shot at a Taiwanese boat, killing fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said last night.
Lin told the press that progress had been made at the first preparatory talks held on Friday in Manila toward possible negotiations on a provisional fisheries agreement covering the waters claimed by the two countries.
In the consensus, which was recorded in writing, both sides agreed that their law enforcement officials would refrain from the use of force or violence against fishermen from the other side, Lin said.
Taipei and Manila agreed to establish a mechanism for both sides to notify each other of incidents involving fishing boats and to determine how their respective authorities would handle such cases, the minister said.
In the event that a fishing boat is detained by the other side, the detaining country must abide by international regulations regarding fisheries disputes and release the boat and fishermen as soon as possible, Lin said.
Taiwan froze the hiring of Filipino workers on May 15, as part of a set of 10 sanctions it imposed against the Philippines in response to what Taipei said was Manila’s failure to meet Taipei’s four-demand ultimatum over the May 9 shooting.
The ultimatum sought a formal apology from the Philippine government for Hung’s death, compensation for his family, the launch of an investigation into the incident and the initiation of negotiations on a fisheries agreement.
Lin said that both sides are to meet for a second time in Taipei next month to discuss issues related to a provisional arrangement on fishing rights in the area.
“Our most important goals in the negotiations are to ensure the safety of our fishermen operating in overlapping waters and to prevent incidents like the one on May 9,” Lin said.
The Taiwanese delegation at the meeting was led by Fisheries Agency Deputy Director-General Tsay Tzu-yaw (蔡日耀).
Lin said he expected Manila would release its report on the incident soon because Philippine President Benigno Aquino III had already received the results of the investigation conducted by the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Philippine Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday confirmed a recommendation by the NBI to press charges against some members of the Philippine Coast Guard involved in the incident.
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS