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.
FORCED LABOR: A US court listed three Taiwanese and nine firms based in Taiwan in its indictment, with eight of the companies registered at the same address Nine companies registered in Taiwan, as well as three Taiwanese, on Tuesday were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) as a result of a US federal court indictment. The indictment unsealed at the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, said that Chen Zhi (陳志), a dual Cambodian-British national, is being indicted for fraud conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding Group’s forced-labor scam camps in Cambodia. At its peak, the company allegedly made US$30 million per day, court documents showed. The US government has seized Chen’s noncustodial wallet, which contains
SUPPLY CHAIN: Taiwan’s advantages in the drone industry include rapid production capacity that is independent of Chinese-made parts, the economic ministry said The Executive Yuan yesterday approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion (US$1.44 billion) into domestic production of uncrewed aerial vehicles over the next six years, bringing Taiwan’s output value to more than NT$40 billion by 2030 and making the nation Asia’s democratic hub for the drone supply chain. The proposed budget has NT$33.8 billion in new allocations and NT$10.43 billion in existing funds, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Under the new development program, the public sector would purchase nearly 100,000 drones, of which 50,898 would be for civil and government use, while 48,750 would be for national defense, it said. The Ministry of
SENATE RECOMMENDATION: The National Defense Authorization Act encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s navy to participate in the exercises in Hawaii The US Senate on Thursday last week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, as well as allocating military aid of US$1 billion for Taiwan. The bill, which authorizes appropriations for the military activities of the US Department of Defense, military construction and other purposes, passed with 77 votes in support and 20 against. While the NDAA authorizes about US$925 billion of defense spending, the Central News Agency yesterday reported that an aide of US
NINE-IN-ONE ELECTIONS: Prosecutors’ offices recorded 115 cases of alleged foreign interference in the presidential election campaign from August 2023 to Dec. 13 last year The National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday said that it has begun planning early to counter Chinese interference in next year’s nine-in-one elections as its intelligence shows that Beijing might intensify its tactics, while warning of continued efforts to infiltrate the government and military. The bureau submitted a report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of a meeting today of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. “We will research situations in different localities and keep track of abnormalities to ensure that next year’s elections proceed without disruption,” the bureau said. Although the project is generally launched during election years, reports of alleged Chinese interference
RSS