Following the constructive response of the Philippine government to the shooting incident involving the Taiwan fishing boat Guang Da Xing No. 28, the government of the Republic of China announces that cooperative and friendly relations between the two countries are being restored, effective immediately On August 8, 2013, ROC Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin received Chairman of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) Amadeo R. Perez, Jr., and the Philippine Representative to Taiwan Antonio I. Basilio. With respect to the Philippine government’s formal written response over the shooting of the Taiwan fishing boat Guang Da Xing No. 28 by a Philippine government vessel, Chairman Perez gave the following explanation: 1. The President of the Philippines, Benigno S. Aquino III, authorized MECO Chairman Amadeo R. Perez, Jr., to travel to Taiwan as his representative to express the deep regret and apology of the president and people of the Philippines to the family of crewmember Hong Shi-cheng, the victim of the fatal shooting incident involving a Philippine government vessel, as well as to the people of Taiwan. 2. Under arrangements made by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines and MECO, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office coordinated their respective investigations on this tragic incident. Based on the evidence collected, the Philippine Coast Guard personnel appear to have broken the law. The NBI thus recommended that the perpetrators be charged with homicide and obstruction of justice and have appropriate administrative and disciplinary actions taken against them. Accordingly, the Philippine National Prosecution Service (NPS) will initiate necessary proceedings in accordance with the law. The Philippine Department of Justice has promised to promptly start the prosecution process in accordance with the NBI’s investigation results. 3. In order to prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring, TECO and MECO held the first preparatory meeting on fisheries cooperation on June 14. The two sides agreed that they would refrain from using force or violence when enforcing fisheries laws and regulations. They also agreed to inform each other of their respective procedure of maritime law enforcement and establish a mechanism for prompt notification of the other party when undertaking a law enforcement operation against any fishing vessel or crewmembers of the other party. Moreover, they agreed to set up a mechanism for the prompt release of fishing vessels and their crews that are detained. 4. Attorneys appointed by MECO and Mr. Hong Shi-cheng’s family have reached an agreement to settle the matter. Since the Guang Da Xing No. 28 shooting incident on May 9, the ROC government has made its best efforts to negotiate with the Philippines using a positive, firm, and rational approach. The ultimate goal is to seek justice for the victim’s family, protect the rights of its fishermen, and safeguard the nation’s position and dignity, in the hope that the incident can be resolved properly and peacefully. The Philippine government has responded positively to the four demands proposed by the ROC government as follows: 1. With regards to an official apology, MECO Chairman Amadeo R. Perez, Jr. has been fully authorized to express the deep regret and apology of the president and people of the Philippines to the family of Hong Shi-cheng and the people of Taiwan, and traveled to Xiaoliuqiu on August 8 to publicly apologize to the victim’s family. 2. Attorneys appointed by the victim’s family and attorneys from the Philippine side have reached an agreement on compensation. 3. In terms of promptly and thoroughly investigating the incident and severely punishing those responsible for the killing, the Philippines’ NBI formally unveiled its investigation report at a press conference on August 7, and recommended that eight coast guard personnel be prosecuted for homicide and four for obstruction of justice. The Philippine Department of Justice has promised to file charges against them as soon as possible. 4. With respect to initiating fishery agreement negotiations between the two countries as soon as possible, the first preparatory meeting held between the two sides on June 14 produced some concrete results. A conclusion was signed after the meeting in which the two sides guaranteed that they would refrain from using force or violence to prevent incidents such as the Guang Da Xing No. 28 shooting incident from recurring. After exchanging letters and notifying each other’s relevant authorities, both sides agreed to review maritime law and enforcement procedures in order to put into practice the consensus reached during the meeting. Both sides also agreed to continue negotiating on issues such as conserving fishery resources and managing fishing operations. Given that the Philippines has expressed its good will and apology both in writing and in deed, the ROC government hereby pronounces that all sanctions imposed against the Philippines are lifted as of today. It also demands that the Philippines: (1) promptly prosecute and severely punish the perpetrators; (2) hold the next round of fishery talks so as to strengthen fishery cooperation; (3) continue to enhance the mechanism for strengthening maritime law enforcement without the use of force or violence, and prevent similar tragedies from recurring; and (4) promptly mend the bilateral cooperative relationship, especially in the economy and trade, and promote the signing of an economic cooperation agreement. Furthermore, in order to ensure the fishing operation rights and safety of its fishermen, the ROC government will continue routine patrols of its EEZ to the south. On May 9, the day of the incident, the ROC government immediately lodged a strong protest and expressed its condemnation to the Philippine government. It also requested an official apology, the arrest of the perpetrators, and compensation. Later, on May 11, the ROC issued four demands for: (1) a formal apology; (2) compensation for losses; (3) a prompt and thorough investigation and severe punishment for those responsible; and (4) initiation of fishery agreement negotiations between the two countries. As the Philippines did not respond positively to the demands within the 72-hour deadline, the ROC government imposed a total of 11 sanctions on the Philippines, making its stance explicitly clear and pressing the Philippines to promptly provide a positive and concrete response to its four demands. A mutual judicial assistance process was initiated based on the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters signed by the ROC and the Philippines. The ROC and the Philippines dispatched their respective investigation teams to each other’s country on May 27 to conduct investigations. On June 6 and 7, the two sides jointly verified and compared their findings. On August 7, the Philippines released its completed report. The conclusions of the Philippine investigation and the subsequent decision to prosecute the offenders are generally consistent with those of the ROC. In order to allow the international community to better understand what actually happened in this incident, the ROC government and its 118 overseas missions provided relevant information to all interested parties. Consequently, it garnered support in political and academic circles, as well as from the public, in many countries. To date, nearly a thousand reports worldwide have objectively portrayed the case. In addition, in order to safeguard the safety and rights of Taiwan’s fishermen, the ROC government instructed relevant authorities, such as the Coast Guard Administration, to step up patrols in its EEZ and effectively protect its fishermen. To prevent similar tragedies from happening again, the ROC continued to negotiate with the Philippines through diplomatic channels. On June 14, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Council of Agriculture’s Fisheries Agency, and the Coast Guard Administration traveled to the Philippines to meet with officials from the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture, and the Coast Guard of the Department of Transportation and Communications for the first preparatory meeting on fisheries talks. This produced some concrete results. President Ma Ying-jeou, Premier Jiang Yi-huah, and Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin have, on more than one occasion, called on the Philippines to shoulder its responsibility in this tragedy. To avoid conflicts between the two peoples, they also urged people in Taiwan to be rational and treat Filipinos working and living here with kindness. In addition, the ROC Coast Guard Administration vessel Wei Hsing recently rescued three Filipino fishermen adrift in waters south of Taiwan and arranged their speedy return to the Philippines, demonstrating the country’s spirit of humanitarian assistance. The Republic of China is a peace-loving country. After the incident occurred, the appeals and actions of the ROC government have been consistent with the UN Charter and international laws, the aim being to resolve disputes through peaceful means. The ROC government is grateful for the support of its people, regardless of their political affiliation, in its handling of this case. Given the traditional friendship that exists between both countries, the ROC is willing to take concrete actions to strengthen its cordial and cooperative relations with the Philippines in such fields as trade and economy, science and technology, and culture, so as to further promote substantive bilateral cooperation and exchanges. mofa.gov.tw/EnOfficial/Topics/TopicsDetail/1e5f01fe-1f52-46f4-862d-28b86f193ec4?TopicsUnitLinkId=3f6abead-825c-4419-86c9-0d44218a395e
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 17:57:26 +0000
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