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Taiwanese fishing boat provoked shooting: Philippines

ROC Central News Agency

2013/05/10 20:12:15

Manila, May 10 (CNA) The Philippines' Presidential Office said Friday that its coast guard officers 'reacted appropriately' in an incident in which a Taiwanese fisherman was shot dead, claiming that the Taiwanese fishing boat 'provoked' the shooting.

Abigail Valte, a spokeswoman at the Presidential Office, said at a press conference that the officers made an 'appropriate response' after they fired into the air as a warning and the Taiwanese fishing boat 'refused to stop.'

'The Taiwanese fishing boat attempted to ram our coast guard ship. It was without a doubt a provocative action,' Valte said. The ship was operated by the coast guard but is technically part of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Valte said the Presidential Office will decide whether to apologize over the incident after the results of an investigation are available.

Earlier in the day, Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Rodolfo D. Isorena said the officers were forced to fire at the unidentified boat when it attempted to ram their patrol vessel.

Asis Perez, director of the Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said the patrol vessel returned to port after two other boats, which did not have any identification flags, came to the rescue of the Taiwanese boat.

He said the coast guard officers were unaware that anyone had been injured or killed.

Perez said the shooting took place between Itbayat Island and Luzon Island. Itbayat Island is one of the Batanes Islands, the northernmost point of the Philippines, and within the Philippines' territorial waters, he said.

The Taiwanese authorities have condemned the Philippines' use of lethal force against the fishing vessel and have demanded that the Philippine government apologize and provide compensation.

The Philippines authorities have suspended 11 law enforcement personnel for their roles in the shooting, pending an investigation, according to Isorena.

Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has dispatched a vessel to tow the fishing boat back to port, as it suffered an engine failure. Some 32 bullet holes were reportedly found on the boat.

The boat was expected to arrive in Pingtung County early Saturday.

(By Emerson Lim and Jamie Wang)
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