Taipei and Manila have reached a consensus on initiating a joint investigation into the shooting of Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成) by Philippine Coast Guard personnel and will soon work out how to proceed with the matter, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said yesterday.
Lin saw the agreement a “positive” step toward resolving the diplomatic spat.
Both sides have agreed to arrange for the other side to conduct fact-finding trips in their respective countries to discover the truth behind the fatal shooting and have shown willingness to cooperate with each other during their individual investigations, Lin said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Justice
The bilateral cooperation in the case was termed, both by Lin and Philippine Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, as a “parallel investigation” instead of a “joint investigation” to avoid concerns on both sides of sovereign interference.
A bilateral mechanism to enable cooperation on the case was established when Taiwan’s investigative team visited Manila late last week and both sides have presented their requests to open investigation in writing to each other, Lin said.
“With the consensus, both sides will determine an agenda and items of cooperation for their investigations on the principle of reciprocity to facilitate the uncovering of the truth and subsequent punishment of those responsible,” Lin said.
After a two-day stay in Manila, the Taiwanese team returned home on Saturday “dissatisfied.” During their stay in Manila, several Philippine officials told them that a joint investigation was “out of question.”
An official familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that the rhetoric by both sides came at a time when tensions were at a peak and were uttered as a “political gesture” to show their discontent with each other.
Manila does not have a problem with Taiwan investigating the case in the Philippines, the official said, adding “the tense atmosphere last week was not conducive to negotiation, which was why the investigation team returned on Saturday seemingly empty-handed.”
The ministry added in a press release that Manila Economic and Cultural Office Chairman Amadeo Perez visited Taiwan’s representative office in Manila on Friday to say that a meeting could be set up today for the investigative team to meet with personnel from the Philippines Bureau of National Investigation.
Both sides will allow prosecutors from the other side to “interrogate witnesses” and look into evidence related to the incident, the ministry said, adding that Taiwan will soon send a delegation to the Philippines after personnel with judicial departments of both sides finalize details on how to cooperate with their investigations.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) yesterday said the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 was riddled with 45 inward bullet holes, 24 of which were concentrated on a cabin where the boat’s four crew had been hiding.
The Ministry of Justice also publicized evidence it said indicated that the death of 65-year-old Hung was intentional.
Among the evidence presented by the ministry was a bullet with Hung’s blood on it that was recovered from the boat, two pictures showing fatal bullet wounds on Hung’s neck, pictures of the bullet marks on the cabin and the boat’s Voyage Data Recorder.
The recorder’s data shows the precise location of the boat when the incident took place, which was within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone, Chen said.
“It is a cross-border crime, with evidence such as the suspects, the Philippine Coast Guard and guns in the Philippines, while the victims and the boat are in Taiwan,” he said. “It would be impossible to resolve the case if the two countries did not work together and combine all their evidence.”
Meanwhile, in Manila, Perez said the Philippines is waiting for tempers in Taiwan to cool before settling the dispute.
Issues like Manila’s “one China” policy and comments by Taiwanese investigators branding the incident as “murder” have complicated the situation, Perez said in an interview with DZMM radio.
Additional reporitng by Rich Chang and AFP
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS