Hundreds of fishermen from across the country yesterday staged a protest outside the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, demanding that the Philippines apologize for the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman.
“Admit the mistake! Apologize! We want justice!” the fishermen, representing more than 30 fishermen’s associations across the country, shouted as they threw eggs at the building where the MECO is located amid heavy rain.
“This is very upsetting. The Philippines must pay for what they did,” National Fishermen’s Association Taiwan general manager Lin Chi-chang (林啟滄) told the crowd. “We will not stop until we receive a positive response to our demands from the Philippines.”
Photo: EPA
“A fisherman was killed. The Philippines must say something,” he added.
Tsai Tien-yu (蔡天裕), mayor of Pingtung County’s Liouciou Township (琉球) where the fisherman was from, said that, whatever the reason, shooting an unarmed fisherman cannot be justified.
“The killing happened on Thursday last week, but the Philippines has refused to admit its mistake and apologize. Everyone in this country must stand united,” he said.
A MECO official, Sergio Eulogio, came out from the heavily guarded building to receive a letter from the protesters. However, he quickly had to retreat into the building after several protesters rushed toward him.
Unhappy with Eulogio’s brief appearance, the protesters burned several Philippine flags.
Tsai Fu-jung (蔡富榮), general manager of Taitung County’s Chenggong District Fishermen’s Association, said that last week’s incident was not the first time that a Taiwanese fisherman had been killed by Philippine government personnel.
“Seven years ago, two brothers from Taitung County were also shot by Philippine law enforcement. One was severely injured, while the other died,” Tsai Fu-jung said. “To this day, the Philippines has not said anything about it.”
While fishermen from Hsinchu City have never fallen victim to Philippine government agencies, Hsinchu District Fishermen’s Association general manager Tung Chin-chieh (童錦杰) said that fishermen from Hsinchu had joined the protest to support their fellow fishermen.
“Whatever happens, law enforcement agencies should never use firearms against unarmed fishermen. It’s clear that killing — not expelling — was their aim,” Tung said.
Many passersby stopped to show their support for the fishermen.
Although the protest targeted the actions of the Philippine Coast Guard, it also stirred nationalistic sentiment, with some passersby shouting “expel Filipino workers.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) called the Philippines “a gangster” and “a savage country.”
Prior to the protest, the fishermen also went to the legislature, where they were received by Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and the KMT caucus, who condemned the Philippines and voiced their support for government action.
Earlier in the day, a small group of Taipei City councilors from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and pro-independence organizations held a protest in front of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office.
Meanwhile, both DPP and KMT lawmakers showed their concern about the shooting at a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee, where Coast Guard Administration Minister Wang Jinn-wang (王進旺) made a special presentation on the issue.
Responding to the lawmakers’ questions, Wang said that the Coast Guard would consider extending its temporary enforcement line to better protect fishermen’s rights.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
RSS