MANILA, Philippines—Facing yet another flashpoint over disputes in
the West Philippine Sea, the country’s top diplomat said Saturday that
the Philippine maritime agencies have initiated an investigation into
the “unfortunate” shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman off Batanes,
maintaining that the incident occurred during lawful operations within
territorial waters.
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Saturday that the
Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
are already looking into the incident Thursday, when PCG officers fired
at a Taiwanese fishing boat in an apparent effort to defend themselves.
Taiwanese Hung Shih-chen, 65, was killed in the incident, raising
a howl in Taiwan and strong demands for an investigation, apology and
compensation.
In a statement on Saturday, Del Rosario said results of the
investigation will soon be released. Notably, he referred to the
shooting as an “unfortunate” incident that ensued amid legitimate
anti-poaching operations of Philippine maritime agencies.
“The PCG and BFAR are now investigating the incident which
resulted in the unfortunate loss of life of a Taiwanese fisherman during
the routine lawful enforcement activities against poaching in
Philippine waters,” said Del Rosario in a brief statement sent via text
message.
“The result of the investigation will be made available in due course,” he added.
Asked whether Manila has already reached
out to Taipei over the incident, Del Rosario said the Manila Economic
and Cultural Office (MECO) “is in communication with the government of
Taiwan.” MECO is the Philippines’ representative office in Taiwan.
The PCG had said its personnel only acted
in self-defense in shooting at Taiwanese fishing vessel Kuang Ta Hsing
No. 28, which at the time was sailing some 80 kilometers off the
Balintang Channel near Batanes.
The vessel, then carrying three Taiwanese and one Indonesian as crew, allegedly tried to ram the Philippine patrol boat.
The Taiwanese side meanwhile alleged that
the ship “came under attack” and that Philippine officers opened fire
without any warning.
The incident happened amid still unresolved
disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), potentially
resource-rich waters contested by the Philippines, Taiwan, China,
Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.
Now the subject of a Philippine plea before
the United Nations arbitral tribunal, China was quick to criticize the
incident, calling it a “barbaric” act.
China recently sent a 30-vessel fishing
fleet into the West Philippine Sea, a move seen to assert its claims
over almost all of the West Philippine Sea amid the Philippines’ move to
halt its string of incursions into established maritime boundaries.
