A Philippine official, who is close to the probe related to the May 9 shooting at a Taiwanese fishing boat by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel, confirmed on Saturday for the first time that the incident took place in the overlapping economic zones between the two countries, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported yesterday.
The daily, which is one of the top three newspapers in the country, said the anonymous source had confirmed Taiwan’s claims that the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 was attacked in the countries’ overlapping territorial waters, although it was “on the Philippine side and not on the Taiwanese side.”
Manila is insisting that the fishing vessel was attacked after it intruded into the Philippines’ territorial waters.
The paper quoted another source — who has seen a video of the incident in which Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成) was killed — telling the newspaper on Saturday that PCG personnel were laughing as they fired at the boat.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted an anonymous source as saying: “The video showed the soldiers acting unprofessionally.”
“It is disturbing and embarrassing for Philippine law enforcers,” the source added.
His statements were confirmed by two other sources who have also seen the video.
According to the PCG report on the incident, Arnold de la Cruz, the commander of the patrol vessel, “ordered his men to fire at the fishing vessel when it did not stop after several warnings.”
Investigators on both sides concluded their probes into the incident on Friday and the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila said its report will be ready in a “day or two,” according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19