The Ministry of Justice yesterday said it has rejected a request by the Philippines to send investigators to Taiwan to interview the crew of the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 and conduct another autopsy on the body of the fisherman shot dead by Philippine Coast Guard personnel.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) told a press conference that the ministry had received a letter from the Philippines requesting legal assistance from Taiwan for its investigation into the May 9 shooting death of Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成) in waters where the two countries’ exclusive economic zones overlap.
Chen said in the letter the Philippine agreed to allow Taiwanese investigators to board the Philippines vessel where the shots fired at the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 came from and also agreed to allow Taiwanese investigators to inspect the firearms used in the incident and compare ballistics results with those obtained by Philippine investigators.
Photo: AFP
Chen said the ministry saw these offers as a positive development.
However, Manila also expressed the hope that its investigators could meet with the crew of the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, take their statements and conduct another autopsy, he said.
The ministry could not agree to those requests because Manila’s letter did not respond to Taiwan’s earlier requests for Taiwanese investigators to see a video of the incident shot by the Philippine boat and for Taiwanese investigators to interview Philippine Coast Guard officers, Chen said.
The ministry felt that the two sides have not reached consensus and that mutual legal assistance has not been conducted under the principles of equality and reciprocity, he said, so it felt the proposal to send an investigation team to Taiwan should be delayed.
Negotiations are continuing, Chen said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) Chairman Amadeo Perez has clarified media reports that he mentioned the Philippines’ “one China” policy in his public remarks about Hung’s death.
The foreign ministry said in a press release that it received a letter from MECO on Tuesday night saying there had not been any mention of a “one China” policy in Perez’s public statements or interviews with regard to the fatal incident.
However, the foreign ministry declined to disclose the contents of the letter. Spokesperson Anna Kao (高安) said that it was not proper to reveal the contents because the missive was an official letter between MECO and its counterpart, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila.
MECO’s Taipei office confirmed it had received the letter, but also refused to reveal its contents.
The letter was a reply to inquiries made by Taiwan seeking clarification of Perez’s comments on a “one China” policy, the Taipei office said.
Hung’s death led the government to impose 11 sanctions on Manila after it felt dissatisfied with the Philippines’ responses to its four demands.
The first of those demands was “a formal apology from the Philippine government.”
Perez traveled to Taipei last week as Philippine President Benigno Aquino III’s personal representative to convey his deep regrets and apology to the family of Hung and the people of Taiwan over the incident and the “unintended” loss of life.
Taiwan did not accept the apology because Perez described the incident as “unintended.”
An official familiar with the matter said last week that the government had planned to accept the apology made by Aquino through Perez as a formal apology from the Philippine government, but it could not accept his use of the term “unintended.”
After returning to Manila from Taipei, Perez told DZMM radio that Taiwan’s government wanted Aquino to write a personal letter of apology, but this could be considered a violation of the Philippines’ “one China policy, according to an Agence France-Presse report on Sunday.
WHEELING AND DEALING? Hou You-yi, Ko Wen-je, Eric Chu and Ma Ying-jeou are under investigation for allegedly offering bribes for the other side to drop out of the race Taipei prosecutors have started an investigation into allegations that four top politicians involved in attempts to form a “blue-white” presidential ticket have contravened election regulations. Listed as defendants are Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). The case stemmed from judicial complaints filed last month with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office alleging that the KMT (blue) and the TPP (white) had engaged in bribery by offering money or other enticements
COUNTER DISINFORMATION: More engagement and media literacy are needed to push back against misinformation and claims that the US is an unreliable partner, the AIT director said The US is “confident” that Taiwan does not face an imminent threat of a Chinese invasion, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk told a US public radio show, adding that Washington remains committed to defensively arming the nation. She made the comment during an interview on All Things Considered, broadcast on Friday on US-based National Public Radio. “There is an important distinction between making plans and training troops, and getting ready to do something,” Oudkirk said, on whether she thinks Beijing plans to attack Taiwan in the near future. Chinese officials have told Washington that “their preference is for peaceful reunification,
EXPOSED: Some Taipei wardens reported joining the trips out of peer pressure, while others said they were relieved it was made public so they could refuse, a city councilor said Nearly 30 percent of Taipei borough wardens have joined group tours to China that were partially funded by the Chinese government, leading prosecutors probing potential Chinese interference in January’s elections to question local officials, an investigation showed. Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilors Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) and Chen E-jun (陳怡君) have reported cases of Taipei borough wardens inviting residents to join inexpensive privately organized group tours to China that were partially funded by the Chinese government. The six-day trips reportedly cost NT$10,000 to NT$15,000, the councilors said. An investigation by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) showed that nearly 30 percent
ELIGIBLE FOR JANUARY: All presidential candidates and their running mates meet the requirements to run for office, and none hold dual citizenship, the CEC said Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator and vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) is working with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to resolve issues with her financial disclosure statement, a spokesman for the candidate said yesterday, after the commission published the statements of all three presidential candidates and their running mates, while confirming their eligibility to run in the Jan. 13 election. Wu’s office spokesman, Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞), said the candidate encountered unforeseen difficulties disclosing her husband’s finances due to being suddenly thrust into the campaign. She is also the first vice presidential nominee to have a foreign spouse, complicating the reporting of