Philippines rejects Taiwan accusations of 'murder'

From InterAksyon (May 18): Philippines rejects Taiwan accusations of 'murder'

The Philippines on Saturday rejected Taiwan's allegations that its coastguards had intentionally murdered a Taiwanese fisherman whose death has triggered a major diplomatic spat.

Manila reacted even as Taiwanese officials pressed their call for a joint investigation by both governments, and the Philippine vice president, who also serves as presidential adviser on migrant workers' concerns, asked Taipei to guarantee the safety of Filipinos amid reports of OFWs being attacked by mobs.

The 65-year-old fisherman was shot dead by Philippine coastguards who said his vessel intruded into Philippine waters.

Chen Wen-chi, head of the Taiwan team investigating the May 9 incident, said most of the bullets had hit the fishing boat's cockpit where its crew hid.

"By combining the... evidence, it clearly shows that the Philippine law enforcers were intentionally shooting the Guang Ta Hsin 28 crew members, which indicates their intent of murder," Chen told a news conference in Manila.

The shooting, which Manila insists occurred inside Philippine territorial waters but which Taipei counters happened within its exclusive economic zone, has led to Taiwanese sanctions against its neighbour.

President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Ricky Carandang rejected the murder allegations.

"There is an investigation ongoing so any premature statements that tend to confuse the issues and inflame passions should be avoided," Carandang told AFP.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima in a separate statement also urged everyone to refrain from making statements "that would further fuel or aggravate the prevailing tension between the Philippines and Taiwan".

Manila has warned its 87,000 nationals who work in Taiwan to stay indoors after a Filipino man was allegedly hospitalised in a baseball bat attack in Kaohsiung city.
Chen's comments echoed those made by Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou in Taipei on Friday.

"If (Philippine) civil servants used automatic weapons to fire at unarmed and provocative fishing boats, this was not carrying out their job duties. This is cold-blooded murder," Ma said.

Aquino made a "personal" apology on Wednesday over the "unintended" death arising from the patrol's duty of protecting Philippine waters against illegal fishing.

Taiwan has rejected the apology. It recalled its de facto envoy, banned the hiring of new Philippine workers and staged a military drill in waters off the northern Philippines earlier this week.

The Philippines officially recognizes Beijing over Taipei but maintains trade ties with the island.

Chen, of the Taiwan justice ministry's department of international and cross-strait legal affairs, said her team was flying back to Taiwan immediately because their Filipino counterparts showed a "lack of sincerity and credibility".

The Philippines officially recognizes Beijing over Taipei but maintains trade ties with the island, which employs about 87,000 Filipinos.

Binay: protect Filipino workers

Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay Saturday urged Taiwan to ensure the safety of Filipino workers following reports of attacks by angry Taiwanese.

"We heard and we read in the papers that they have been hit by bats and four have been hospitalized," Binay told reporters, according to an official transcript released by his office.

"We are appealing to the Taiwanese people to spare our overseas Filipino workers from conflict," he added.

Taiwanese media reported that a Filipino was treated in hospital after being attacked by a gang of youths.

"We've seen reports that their leaders have assured the safety of our people there. We expect them to act on these reports (of attacks)," Aquino spokeswoman Abigail Valte said.

Nearly 10 million Filipinos live or work abroad, and the tens of billions of dollars in earnings that they send home every year help prop up the Philippine economy.

Leftist group backs joint probe

Taiwan’s call for a joint inquiry was endorsed Saturday by the left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya).

In a press statement, Pamalakaya vice chair Salvador France said leaders of Manila and Taiwan should jointly agree to investigate the incident that would lead to the establishment of truth, delivery of justice and promotion of foreign relations based on the collective interest of the Taiwanese and Filipino people.

"President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and his extraordinary war freaks in Malacanang should know that foreign diplomacy is not all about arrogance and sheer puppetry to US. It is all about mutual respect, political humility and strong sense of patriotism and independence which are gravely lacking from the current leadership in Malacanang," France said.

He described Taipei’s proposal as "politically sound and morally correct.” Another option is for both sides to agree to “an independent probe to be sanctioned by the United Nations or by the governments themselves," the Pamalakaya official said.

But Pamalakaya appealed to the Taiwanese government to spare Filipinos in Taiwan. "You can drag Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and the members of the trigger happy Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to hell, but please spare the Filipino people, including the 42,000 migrant workers working in Taiwan. We too are victims of this puppet state of Washington in Manila."

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/62058/philippines-rejects-taiwan-accusations-of-murder