President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday expressed his gratitude for the effort Manila has made to settle a row over the deportation of a group of Taiwanese fraud suspects from the Philippines to China early last month.
Unlike Ma’s first meeting with Philippine Senator Manuel Roxas on Feb. 22, when the president voiced his displeasure and demanded that Manila apologize for the deportation, Ma was smiling during his meeting with Roxas at the Presidential Office yesterday morning.
“I know the agreement reached by you and Minister Yang [Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添)] has received much respect from your government,” Ma said. “We are gratified that your government has faithfully realized the agreement. In terms of investigation of the case, your government has showed sincerity by demoting or discharging officials who neglected their duties.”
Photo: CNA
Ma said he noticed that some Philippine lawmakers and newspaper editorials had supported the idea of punishing officials found to have been guilty of dereliction of duty and that he was happy that the Philippine government had reprimanded those involved in such a speedy manner.
“It minimized the impact of the incident,” Ma said. “I’m happy with the goodwill and sincerity extended by your government ... It defused a potential crisis and I hope you will also take home the goodwill of the people of the Republic of China [ROC] to your president. I hope bilateral ties will move forward, despite the incident.”
Ma emphasized that the case had been a problem of judicial jurisdiction and that it concerned the protection of human rights.
“However, it had noting to do with sovereignty,” Ma said. “Some Philippine officials handled the incident improperly, with some violating international laws and practices, as well as Philippine laws. As such, Manila damaged the dignity of the ROC and the interests of its people.”
Looking ahead, Ma said he hoped a similar incident would not occur, and that Taipei and Manila would negotiate the signing of an agreement on bilateral judicial assistance and efforts to combat crime.
He said he would also like to see Taipei and Manila launch a study on the feasibility of inking an economic partnership agreement.
Elsewhere yesterday, the president praised his government’s foreign policy, saying it not only strengthened ties with the country’s diplomatic allies, but that it had also restored mutual trust with high-level US officials.
“The foreign policy of the ROC is to be a peacemaker, a provider of humanitarian assistance, a promoter of cultural exchanges and a creator of new technology and business opportunities,” he said when meeting with Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo at the Presidential Office. “We will not say anything provocative or be an internationally criticized troublemaker.”
Ma said the foreign policy adopted by the former Democratic Progressive Party administration had been much criticized by the US. After Ma took office, he took a different approach, which was highly appreciated by Washington and the international community, he said.
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