MANILA: The Philippines yesterday rejected Taiwan’s allegations that Filipino coastguards had intentionally murdered a Taiwanese fisherman whose death has triggered a major diplomatic spat.
The 65-year-old fisherman was shot dead by Philippine coastguards who said his vessel intruded into Philippine waters.
Chen Wen-chi, head of the Taiwan team investigating the May 9 incident, said most of the bullets had hit the fishing boat’s cockpit where its crew hid.
“By combining the... evidence, it clearly shows that the Philippine law enforcers were intentionally shooting the Guang Ta Hsin 28 crew members, which indicates their intent of murder,” Chen told a news conference in Manila.
The shooting, which Manila insists occurred inside Philippine territorial waters but which Taipei counters happened within its exclusive economic zone, has led to Taiwanese sanctions against its neighbour.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman Ricky Carandang rejected the murder allegations.
“There is an investigation ongoing so any premature statements that tend to confuse the issues and inflame passions should be avoided,” Carandang said.
De Lima in a separate statement also urged everyone to refrain from making statements “that would further fuel or aggravate the prevailing tension between the Philippines and Taiwan”.
Chen Wen-chi’s comments echoed those made by Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou in Taipei last Friday.
“If (Philippine) civil servants used automatic weapons to fire at unarmed and unprovocative fishing boats, this was not carrying out their job duties. This is cold-blooded murder,” President Ma said.
Aquino made a “personal” apology on Wednesday over the “unintended” death arising from the patrol’s duty of protecting Philippine waters against illegal fishing.
Manila insisted its forces fired in self-defence to disable the boat’s engine and prevent it ramming the patrol craft.
AFP
