President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday stressed the nation’s role as a regional peacemaker amid tensions between Taiwan and the Philippines over a shooting incident, and said the navy and Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) joint patrol in the overlapping waters last week aimed to protect the safety of local fishermen, rather than being a military drill.
The combined exercise of the navy and CGA in waters about 164 nautical miles (304km) southeast of the southernmost tip of Taiwan — where the 15-tonne Taiwanese fishing boat Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 was attacked by a Philippine Coast Guard vessel, leading to the death of fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成) — demonstrated the government’s determination to protect Taiwanese fishermen and allowed the Philippines to understand Taiwan’s stance, he said.
“Although it was a military exercise, we have no intentions of raising the tensions [between Taiwan and the Philippines]. However, our demands for the Philippine government to apologize and compensate will not change,” he said when meeting with Olivier Richard, director of the French Office in Taipei, in the Presidential Office.
Photo: CNA
Ma said the nation’s signing of a fisheries agreement with Japan last month protected the rights of fishermen in both countries and helped ease the tension in the East China Sea. He expected Taiwan and the Philippines to launch negotiations on fishery agreements soon and resolve the shooting incident.
“We’d like to engage in more exchanges with neighboring countries. Our fisheries agreement with Japan is having a positive impact on the East Sea, and the international community is welcoming such agreements,” he said.
Later, in an interview with Chinese-language broadcaster China Television aired yesterday, he said negotiations on a fishery agreement can still begin at any time, as such an agreement would provide fishermen from both sides with more guidelines and protection while operating in disputed waters.
“The incident is still under investigation, and we believe that the incident should be solved very soon,” he said.
When asked to comment on his low approval ratings in his fifth year in office, Ma said he has insisted on long-term reforms that would not receive applauds from the people in the short term, and said his administration will continue with the reform measures, including the government restructuring plans, pension reforms and tax reform for retired veterans, teachers and civil servants.
He acknowledged failing to carry out his “6-3-3” campaign pledge — annual economic growth of 6 percent, annual per capita income of US$30,000 and an unemployment rate of less than 3 percent per year — but said the government would not give up on those goals.
“The government is confronted with great challenges to meet the goals because of continuous global financial crisis. However, we haven’t given up on them, and we will work harder to realize the promise,” he said.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RSS