•Publication Date：03/19/2014
•Source： Taiwan Today
The decision by the Philippine government to charge coast guard personnel involved in the fatal attack last year on Taiwan fishing boat Guang Da Xing No. 28 with homicide and obstruction of justice was welcomed March 18 by the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A total of eight Philippine Coast Guard personnel will be prosecuted for homicide, the MOFA said, adding that two will also be tried for obstruction of justice.
The actions of the Special Prosecution Panel of the Philippine Department of Justice are a victory for justice, the ministry said, adding that it applauds the Philippines for the decision, as well as its determination to punish the perpetrators according to the facts and evidence of the crime.
According to the MOFA, the decision is in line with a report released Aug. 7, 2013, by the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation determining that PCG personnel unlawfully attacked the Guang Da Xing No. 28 resulting in the death of ROC national Hong Shi-cheng. It also recommended charges of homicide and obstruction of justice against those involved.
The Guang Da Xing No. 28 was fired upon May 9, 2013, by PCG personnel aboard a Philippine government vessel in the overlapping exclusive economic zones of the ROC and the Philippines. The ROC government subsequently made four demands of the Philippine government: a formal apology; compensation; an expeditious investigation followed by prosecution of the perpetrators; and the speedy arrangement of negotiations on fisheries matters.
As the four demands have now been met, the MOFA said, Taiwan will continue strengthening bilateral relations and promoting fisheries cooperation between the two countries, while also safeguarding the rights of ROC fishermen.
Since the shooting, the ministry and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines have made it a priority to bring those involved to justice. The MOFA has repeatedly expressed the government’s position to the Philippine representative to Taiwan.
TECO has also been in continual contact with Philippine administrative agencies, the Congress of the Philippines and media outlets in the Southeast Asian nation to ensure Manila charged the coast guards involved in the incident at the earliest possible time, the ministry said.
