Taipei yesterday once again urged Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli to accept the credentials of Ambassador Diego Chou (周麟), who has not been able to complete the accreditation process five months after assuming the position.
Panamanian Ambassador to Taiwan Jose Antonio Pereziranzo was finally able to present his credentials to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on May 16, said Jaime Wu (吳進木), director-general of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We have held out our hands in good faith and friendship [to Panama],” in the hopes that Chou’s situation in Panama City, which is similar to the dilemma Pereziranzo faced in Taipei, could be resolved “at the earliest possible time,” Wu said in response to media inquiries at a regular news briefing.
Pereziranzo, who was made ambassador in February, was unable to meet with Ma until the ministry arranged for Ma to accept his credentials on May 16.
The delay in the presentation of Pereziranzo’s credentials to Ma, which Wu said was “unusual,” was in response to Martinelli’s delayed acceptance of Chou’s credentials because of discontent over a private meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) and Panamanian Vice President Juan Carlos Varela, leader of the opposition Panamenista Party.
Yang met with Varela when they were in Guatemala for a presidential inauguration in January, causing what the ministry called a “misunderstanding” on the part of Martinelli, who believed that Yang was meddling in Panama’s internal politics.
Wu said the ministry had yet to receive a response by Martinelli to a private letter from Yang explaining the misunderstanding.
Although Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Henriquez has repeatedly dismissed media speculation over problems in Taiwan-Panama bilateral relations, the ministry “has been in active negotiations with Panama” over the matter, Wu said.
According to Article 13 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Chou is technically considered to have taken up his functions because he delivered a copy of his credentials to the receiving country, Wu said.
However, because Chou has been unable to present his credentials to Martinelli, he will be disallowed from attending functions hosted by the president, Wu said.
Yang summoned Pereziranzo two weeks ago to discuss the matter and asked for his help in resolving the misunderstanding, he said.
Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) on Wednesday said decommissioned coast guard vessels were given to the Philippines to enhance regional rescue capacity and would not affect Taiwanese fishers’ rights and benefits. Kuan made the remarks after confirmation on Tuesday that a 500-tonne Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol and rescue vessel would be given to the Philippine Coast Guard. The donation ceremony was reportedly done in Manila, but whether the vessel — previously numbered “CG123” and named Kinmen (金門) — has been handed over has yet to be confirmed. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Wednesday criticized the donation for “taking
The Ministry of Finance today announced the winning numbers for the July-August uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$314,663) special prize is 89996565, while the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 91098182. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 54348835, 44991397 and 06595111. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits qualify for the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers are eligible for the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
The National Police Agency’s Third Special Police Corps yesterday said that from May to July, it intercepted five smuggling operations from China, seizing more than 70,000 counterfeit Beyblades with an estimated infringement value of NT$34.45 million (US$1.08 million). It added that any bootleg unit that reached the local market could present hidden health hazards to players. Beyblades, a line of spinning toy tops used in competitive gaming and developed in Japan by toy company Takara Tomy, have become popular in Taiwan, making them a target for fraudsters. The Third Special Police Corps, dedicated to safeguarding maritime borders and trade lines,
Taiwan has upgraded its maritime patrol capacity around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the disputed South China Sea, including regularly sending larger ships there, the government said on Wednesday, responding to an increase in Chinese activities. Lying roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands are seen by security experts as vulnerable to a Chinese attack due to their distance — more than 400km — from Taiwan. In a statement late on Wednesday, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said its overall patrol and enforcement capacity in Pratas waters has been “comprehensively upgraded.” With the completion of a wharf
RSS