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Taiwan, Philippines agree to avoid further shootings

ROC Central News Agency

2013/06/15 21:50:00

Taipei, June 15 (CNA) Taiwan and the Philippines have agreed to avoid use of force when policing their fishing grounds to prevent a recurrence of the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine coast guard officers in May, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Saturday.

The agreement was reached at a first preparatory meeting held in Manila a day earlier to pave the way for bilateral fishery talks, the ministry said in a press statement.

The two sides signed the minutes of the preparatory meeting, pledging to avoid the use of force and violence when maintaining order in the overlapping waters of the two countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZs), the statement said.

The meeting took place more than a month after the shooting of Taiwanese fishing boat -- the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 -- by a Philippine government vessel May 9 that resulted in the death of 65-year-old fisherman Hung Shih-cheng.

Both sides agreed that such an incident should never occur again, the statement said.

Participants in the meeting also agreed to jointly work out a mechanism for cooperation in law enforcement in waters between the two countries.

According to the agreement, the proposed mechanism will enable each side to notify the other in the event of fishery incidents and ensure that there is no use of force and violence.

The planned mechanism will facilitate notification about incidents involving chases, boarding and inspections of each other's fishing boats or the arrest and detention of each other's fishermen, the MOFA statement said.

Under the mechanism, it went on, both parties will be required to release detained fishing boats and crew members in a speedy manner, in accordance with general international practice and precedent.

The two sides agreed to meet again in the near future to further discuss detailed provisional regulations on fishing operations as well as protection and conservation of fishery resources in overlapping waters of the two countries' EEZs, the statement said.

They also agreed to sign a fishery pact similar to one signed between Taiwan and Japan earlier this year, the statement added.

Taiwan's Deputy Representative to the Philippines Chang Tai-lai and Antonio Basilio, director of the Taipei office of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, signed the meeting minutes on behalf of the two sides, with Taiwan's Fisheries Agency Deputy Director-General Tsai Jih-yao and Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Director Asis Perez witnessing the ceremony.

Officials from both countries' foreign ministries and coast guard agencies also attended the meeting, according to reports from Manila.

In the wake of the May 9 incident, Taiwan demanded that the Philippines issue a formal apology, compensate Hung's family, punish those responsible for his death and start fishery talks to prevent any recurrence of similar incidents.

Friday's meeting was the first consultation on fishery cooperation since the fatal shooting and could be seen a goodwill response from Manila on Taiwan's demand for fishery talks, political analysts said.

(By Sofia Wu)
ENDITEM/J