No. 114 May 10, 2013
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Y. L. Lin, convenes press conference to strongly protest and condemn the shooting attack on an ROC fishing boat by a Philippine government vessel
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China, David Y. L. Lin, held a press conference on the morning of May 10 regarding the unfortunate incident involving a shooting attack on ROC fishing boat Guang Da Xing No. 28 (廣大興28號) by a Philippine government vessel. During the press conference, Minister Lin, on behalf of the ROC government, strongly protested and condemned the attack. In addition, he stated the ROC government demands that the Philippine government issue an official apology, arrest the perpetrators and offer just compensation, and he added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) had again instructed Ambassador Raymond L. S. Wang, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, to clearly convey the ROC government’s position to the Philippine government. Other ROC government officials attending the press conference included the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of Asia-Pacific affairs, Amb. Ting Joseph Shih, the Deputy Minister of the Coast Guard Administration, Cheng Chang-hsiung, the Deputy Director-General of the Fisheries Agency, Tsay Tzu-yaw, the Director-General of the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at MOFA, Benjamin Ho, and the Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs at MOFA, Perry Shen.
Earlier on May 10, before the press conference, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shih summoned the Representative of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, Antonio Basilio. During their meeting, Deputy Minister Shih solemnly protested and condemned the shooting attack on the ROC fishing boat Guang Da Xing No. 28 (廣大興28號) by the Philippine government vessel, which resulted in the death of ROC crew member Hong Shi-cheng, as well as serious damage to the boat. He also demanded that the Philippines issue an official apology, punish the perpetrators, offer just compensation, and guarantee that these incidents will not occur again in the future. He also urged the Philippines to complete a report on the incident as soon as possible, and he suggested that the Republic of China and the Philippines sign an agreement similar to the recently concluded fisheries agreement between the Republic of China and Japan, so as to resolve conflicts between fishermen of our two countries in overlapping fishing grounds and establish order concerning fishing procedures.
Representative Basilio extended his sincerest condolences and apologies to the family of the killed crew member during the meeting with Deputy Minister Shih, and he added that the Philippines had initiated an internal investigation into this unfortunate incident. According to the initial results of this investigation, the government vessel involved in the incident was a patrol vessel that belonged to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, not the Philippine Navy. He further stated that the Philippines is willing to jointly conduct an investigation with relevant ROC agencies to establish the facts of the incident, and that, if the investigation finds that Philippine nationals violated international law or other relevant laws and regulations, the Philippine government will be willing to take legal action against these people and offer apologies and compensation.
The Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei issued an official statement on the afternoon of May 10, saying that relevant Philippine government agencies are investigating the incident and expressing condolences and regret over the unfortunate death of the ROC crew member Hong Shi-cheng. In the statement, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office also extended its sincerest condolences and apologies to the family of Mr. Hong, and conveyed the Philippine government’s hope that relevant government agencies of the Republic of China and the Philippines can cooperate on the investigation into the incident. The statement went on to say that the Philippines attaches great importance to the long-standing cordial relations between our two countries and that it hopes the incident will not affect bilateral ties.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Wang of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines on May 9 strongly protested and condemned the attack with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and demanded that the Philippines issue an apology, punish the perpetrators and offer just compensation. Rear Admiral Rodolfo D. Isorena, Commanding Officer of the PCG, on May 10 sent a letter to Ambassador Wang, in which he extended his sincere sympathy and condolences to the family of the killed crew member. The PCG also notified the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines that it had identified the government vessel in question and that all crew members on the vessel had been taken into custody, had been suspended, and had been placed under investigation.
MOFA will continue to work closely together with other ROC government agencies in dealing with the aftermath of the shooting attack on the Guang Da Xing No. 28 (廣大興28號) by the Philippine government vessel, aiming to reveal what really happened during the incident and to ensure justice for the family of the killed crew member, as well as the other fishermen on the ROC fishing boat.（E）
