Taiwan mulling sanctions against Philippines over shooting: Ma
ROC Central News Agency
2013/05/11 15:41:19
Taipei, May 11 (CNA) Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou on Saturday said his government will consider imposing sanctions against the Philippines if it does not apologize for opening fire on an unarmed fishing boat, which resulted in the death of a Taiwanese fisherman.
He also asked the Philippines to give the assurance that there will be no repeat of such incidents.
The Philippines must apologize, apprehend the killer and offer compensation for the fishermen's death, Ma said at Taichung Harbor, where he was observing a marine security exercise.
The president said he was shocked when he learned that a Taiwanese fisherman had been fatally shot Thursday when the Philippine Coast Guard opened fire on a boat that was fishing in waters north of the Philippine archipelago where the economic zones of the Philippines and Taiwan overlap.
Excessive use of force by law enforcement officers is not allowed in any country, Ma said, adding that the act of opening fire on an unarmed fishing boat was inhuman, brutal and cold-blooded.
While the Philippine government has expressed sympathy to the family of the deceased Taiwanese fisherman, it has not apologized for the shooting, an attitude that has given rise to public indignation in Taiwan, Ma said.
It is absolutely unacceptable for the Philippines to kill someone illegally and then refuse to apologize, the president said.
Meanwhile, Vice President Wu Den-yih said that the Taiwan public should support any move by the government to take a hard line against the Philippines to force an apology, apprehension of the killer and compensation for the fishermen's death.
The people of Taiwan should absolutely not tolerate any repeat incidents, he added.
(By Chen Ching-ping, Hao Hsueh-chin and Y.L. Kao)
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