NBI recommends homicide raps vs Coast Guard men in Taiwanese fisher's killing

From InterAksyon (Aug 7): NBI recommends homicide raps vs Coast Guard men in Taiwanese fisher's killing

The National Bureau of Investigation Wednesday recommended the filing of homicide charges against eight members of the Philippine Coast Guard who shot dead a Taiwanese fisherman off Balintang Channel last May, saying the PCG could not justify it as an act of self-defense.

The revelation came two days after the daughter of the slain fisherman said they got word Manila will send a special envoy to officially apologize for his shooting by the PCG, which had insisted that the man's boat tried to ram theirs, prompting them to open fire.

The shooting had unleashed protests in Taiwan and prompted the government there to impose a hiring freeze on new Philippine workers despite the high demand for their skills, especially in the island's robust manufacturing sector.

At a press conference Wednesday, however, NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas said the Coast Guard men failed to justify the need to use self-defense; and to prove there was an attempt by the Taiwanese fishermen to ram their boat.

Rojas noted that seven PCG personnel admitted firing direct shots at the fishing boat, a "collective act" that "gives rise to conspiracy."

The homicide case will be filed at the Department of Justice's National Prosecution Service. A separate charge of obstruction of justice will also be filed against four other Coast Guard men who allegedly tampered with the evidence during the investigation, which saw two teams from Manila and Taipei conducting parallel examinations and interviews in the two cities.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/68141/nbi-recommends-homicide-raps-vs-coast-guard-men-in-taiwanese-fishers-killling