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U.S. hopes for resolution of Taiwan-Philippines row

ROC Central News Agency

2013/05/17 13:30:46

Washington, May 16 (CNA) The United States reiterated its call Thursday for Taipei and Manila to work out a resolution to their row over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippines on May 9.

Joseph Yun, U.S. acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said Washington hates to see such a tragic event because both Taiwan and the Philippines are very close allies and close friends of the United States.

"Our heartfelt prayers go out to the family of the gentleman who was killed. We very much would like to see the Philippines and Taiwan work this out and come to some understanding," Yun said during a hearing held by the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific under the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

He expressed the hope that the two sides will reach a resolution on issues such as compensation for the family, an acceptable apology and measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The fisherman, Hung Shih-cheng, died after his fishing boat was strafed by a Philippine government vessel while operating in an area where the exclusive economic zones of the two countries overlap.

Taiwan has demanded that the Philippine government offer an official apology, punish those responsible, compensate the victim's family and open bilateral negotiations on fishing rights.

The Philippines on Wednesday offered an apology in the name of its President Benigno Aquino III, but insisted that the killing was "unintended" and fell short of addressing the three other demands made by Taiwan.

In response, Taiwan said it was not satisfied that the Philippines had dealt with the matter in a sincere manner and it imposed a series of retaliatory measures against the neighboring country the same day.

Taiwan also staged a maritime exercise off its south coast Thursday to show its determination to protect its fishermen.

Asked about the issue, Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for the State Department, urged both sides to exercise restraint and take steps to minimize the likelihood of future confrontations.

"We continue to urge both parties to … work together and to ensure maritime safety, and refrain from actions that could further escalate tensions," Psaki said at a daily news briefing.

"We continue to welcome the Philippine government's pledge to conduct a thorough investigation in this case," she added.

Several members of the U.S. House of Representatives, meanwhile, have expressed their support for Taiwan over the past few days.

Steve Chabot, chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and Pacific Affairs, issued a statement jointly with ranking member Eni Faleomavaega Wednesday, calling the shooting "an act of violence" that was "in violation of international law."

"We call upon the Philippines to promptly and sincerely respond to the requests of the Taiwan government to apologize, punish the perpetrators and provide proper compensation to the victim's family based on humanitarian grounds," they said.

The call was echoed by Matt Salmon, chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

"I urge the Philippine government to fully apologize, provide appropriate compensation for the crewman's family, and conduct a thorough investigation of this matter in order to ensure accountability," Salmon said in a statement Thursday.

"In addition, I hope this unfortunate incident can actually serve as a catalyst to bring the two governments together to negotiate an appropriate fishing contract between the two countries," he added.

(By Tony Liao, Lin Shu-yuan and Y.F. Low)