Taiwan aims to sign fishery pact with Philippines: minister
ROC Central News Agency
2013/06/15 23:32:00
Taipei, June 15 (CNA) Taiwan is aimed at signing a fishery agreement with the Philippines to prevent a recurrence of the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine coast guard officers in May, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin said Saturday.
'We hope a second preparatory meeting for bilateral fishery talks on the signing of such an agreement will take place in the near future,' Lin said.
The minister made the remarks a day after Taiwan and the Philippines held a first preparatory meeting in Manila, during which the two sides reached consensus on four points, including no use of force and violence in policing their fishing grounds.
Lin said the government has pledged to step up protection of Taiwanese fishing boats, especially during peak fishing season.
Before Taiwan and the Philippines strike a permanent deal on fishing rights in overlapping waters of the two countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZs), Lin said, the two sides have agreed to work out provisional regulations on fishing operations in the overlapping region.
Perry Shen, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA's) Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs, said the minutes of the meeting signed after the first preparatory meeting are an official document that is legally binding.
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.
At Taiwan's insistence, Shen said, the words ensuring avoidance of incidents like the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 tragedy were clearly stated in the minutes.
Participants in the meeting also agreed to jointly work out a mechanism for cooperation in law enforcement in overlapping waters of the two countries' EEZs, Shen said.
According to the minutes, 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 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 two sides also agreed to sign a fishery pact similar to one signed between Taiwan and Japan earlier this year.
Benjamin Ho, director-general of the MOFA's Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said the next preparatory meeting for bilateral fishery talks is scheduled to take place in Taipei in July.
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 Rogge Chen and Sofia Wu)
ENDITEM/J/lw/fw
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