No response from Manila on Taiping visit invitation
ROC Central News Agency
2016/03/24 13:51:45
Manila, March 24 (CNA) The Philippine government had not responded as of Thursday noon to an invitation extended by Republic of China President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) a day earlier for Philippine lawyers and international arbitrators working on a South China Sea case to visit Taiping Island in the South China Sea, which Taiwan claims as its territory.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged for a group of local and international journalists and experts to travel a day earlier to Taiping, which lies about 1,600 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.
The trip and related news was widely covered by Philippine media, including the invitation extended by Ma to Philippine representatives.
ABS-CBN News, the Philippines' leading television network, released on its website several news stories Wednesday citing AFP and Reuters on the issue under the headlines: "Taiwan says Itu Aba is only real island in disputed Spratlys" and "Taiwan argues Philippines' sea dispute case is far from watertight."
The stories were shared by Internet users in the Philippines on Facebook.
Also citing foreign wire service news, the official website of GMA Network also released a report titled "Taiwan president invites Philippines, tribunal officials to disputed isle."
The official websites of other major Philippine English-language newspapers, including the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Manila Bulletin, also cited AP reports on the trip.
In observance of Holy Week, government offices, schools and most major establishments in the Philippine are closed from Maundy Thursday (March 24) to Easter Sunday (March 27).
The 0.51-square kilometer Taiping Island is inhabited by some 200 Taiwan coast guard and military personnel and a civilian medical staff.
(By Emerson Lim and Evelyn Kao)
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