Fishermen against Philippine-Taiwan sea lane Topic to be discussed when the two countries meet in July Manila: A group of militant fishermen said the proposed expansion of Taiwan-Philippine shared sea-lane, a topic to be discussed in the two countries’ meeting in July, would be disadvantageous to all Filipino fishermen. Very few Philippine fishing boats could explore their country’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, compared with the large and sophisticated Taiwanese fishing fleets that regularly poach inside the country’s territorial waters in the disputed sea lane. To allow a wider Philippine-Taiwan sea lane will only defeat Filipino fishermen, said Salvador Franco, vice- chairman of Pamalakaya (National Federation of Small Fisherfolk Organisation in the Philippines). Noting the impact of a wider shared sea lane where Filipino and Taiwanese fishermen could operate, Franco said: “It is like serving the country’s marine wealth in a silver platter to Taiwanese fishing giants at the expense of the patrimonial, sovereign and territorial rights of nearly 100 million Filipino people.” The proposal will definitely benefit Taiwan, insisted Franco. Article continues below The existing Philippine-Taiwan Sea Lane Accord was already signed in a presidential order by former President Ferdinand Marcos in the 80s. It was firmed up by an executive order that was issued by former President Corazon Aquino in 1991, said Franco. Earlier, Benjamin Ho, director general of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was quoted as telling the China Post that the two countries second meeting in July would include discussions of the designation of areas where Filipino and Taiwanese fishermen could operate in the South China Sea, including the proposed regulations of fishing activities in a shared area. It will also include the establishment of demarcation lines between the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines and Taiwan, said Antonio Basilio, managing director and resident representative to the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan To be able to do this, Philippine authorities will have to consult a technical working group, including the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority and other agencies, said Basilio, adding this process will help resolve the territorial dispute between the Philippines and Taiwan in the South China Sea. The Philippines has diplomatic ties with China and maintains a one-China policy, the reason why it maintains the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan while Taiwan has a diplomatic office, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila. Last June 14, representatives of both countries forged a breakthrough fisheries agreement, their first joint activity following soured ties after the Philippine Coast Guard shot a Taiwanese fishing vessel that also killed a Taiwanese fisherman off Batanese in northern Luzon on May 9. Explaining how the agreement was reached, Amadeo Perez, chairman of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office said that Taiwan requested the initial meeting. “(In the end) we agreed that force or violence will not be used in the apprehension of fishermen in our territorial boundaries and also with Taiwan,” Perez said. “But we (in the Philippines) will not discontinue arresting Taiwanese fishermen who will encroach into our territorial boundaries,” he said, adding that Taiwan can do the same thing. The Philippines could also impose a P2.16-million ($50,000) administrative penalty if no case was filed against the Taiwanese fishermen caught poaching in the waters off Balintang Chanel, said Perez. The fine would apply to poachers caught fishing, not on those caught with contraband in their fishing vessels. It would be paid to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the seized fish caught would be confiscated, said Perez. If Taiwanese poachers resist arrest, Philippine authorities “will have no choice but to use force to impose the law,” explained Perez, adding that both countries are mandated to notify each other of foreign fishermen arrested in their respective territorial waters. In essence, the agreement will make both countries avoid the use of force or violence in the implementation of their respective fisheries laws, Perez said. The May 9 sea incident soured ties between the two countries. Taiwan stopped the hiring of Filipinos in Taiwan and suspended trade and cultural exchanges with the Philippines. Taiwan also demanded apology from the Philippine government, compensation for the family of the slain Taiwanese fisherman, arrest and punishment of the Philippine Coast Guard personnel who were found liable for that death, and the holding of Philippine-Taiwan fishery cooperation talks. The agreement last June 14 was forged after the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation recommended the prosecution of Philippine coast guards who engaged the Taiwanese fishing vessel in the sea off northern Luzon last May 9.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 21:55:47 +0000
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