Coast guard ships from Taiwan and the Philippines confronted each other in rich fishing waters south of the nation last week, officials from the two sides said.
The incident comes as they are working on a pact to resolve maritime disputes.
In 2013, Taiwan recalled its envoy to the Philippines, froze work permit applications for Filipinos and ordered military exercises in waters between the two nations to press for an apology for the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman in waters where the nations’ exclusive economic zones overlap.
Last week, a patrol vessel moved in “at full speed” to protect a Taiwanese fishing boat and escort it back to safe waters after it had been challenged by a Philippine coast guard vessel, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement.
A Philippine Navy official confirmed the incident and said the Philippine coast guard vessel stopped chasing the fishing boat when the agency’s vessel approached.
The two nations have worked to mend relations strained by the 2013 killing.
They are trying to work out a pact that will formalize how to resolve fishing disputes, including a commitment not to use force, and procedures to govern the detention and release of fishing vessels and their personnel.
Taiwanese navy officials were not available for comment.
Taiwan tends to use its coast guard to protect its maritime interests and the navy maintains a low profile, particularly where sovereignty is disputed.
Tropical Storm Nari is not a threat to Taiwan, based on its positioning and trajectory, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Nari has strengthened from a tropical depression that was positioned south of Japan, it said. The eye of the storm is about 2,100km east of Taipei, with a north-northeast trajectory moving toward the eastern seaboard of Japan, CWA data showed. Based on its current path, the storm would not affect Taiwan, the agency said.
The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in local markets revealed a 25 percent failure rate, with most contraventions involving excessive pesticide residues, while two durians were also found to contain heavy metal cadmium at levels exceeding safety limits. Health Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said the agency routinely conducts inspections of fresh produce sold at traditional markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail outlets and restaurants, testing for pesticide residues and other harmful substances. In its most recent inspection, conducted in May, the department randomly collected 52 samples from various locations, with testing showing
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taiwan is bracing for a political shake-up as a majority of directly elected lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) face the prospect of early removal from office in an unprecedented wave of recall votes slated for July 26 and Aug. 23. The outcome of the public votes targeting 26 KMT lawmakers in the next two months — and potentially five more at later dates — could upend the power structure in the legislature, where the KMT and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) currently hold a combined majority. After denying direct involvement in the recall campaigns for months, the
RSS