Manila: The Philippine government refused to show to Taiwanese prosecutors the video of the Philippine Coast Guard which recorded a sea incident that killed a Taiwanese fisherman in the South China Sea off northern Luzon on May 9.
Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima will allow the Taiwanese investigators, as soon as they arrive in Manila, to see the video that was taken by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) when it fired at the Taiwanese fishing vessel Guang Ta Hsin 28, at the Balintang Channel in the South China Sea, off the northernmost part of Luzon on May 9, said Amadeo Perez, head of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO).
Secretary de Lima did not allow the Taiwanese prosecutors who requested to view PCG’s video ahead of the arrival of the Taiwanese investigators, said Perez. He did not say if the Taiwanese prosecutors will still be allowed to view the video together with the Taiwanese investigators.
De Lima was quoted as saying that the Philippine government has finalised a partial report of the incident, based on PCG’s video clip.
Other sources earlier said that PCG’s video has shown that the Taiwanese fishing vessel was on the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea when confronted by the PCG.
On Tuesday, Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency released a satellite record of the route of the Taiwanese vessel, showing it was on Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea when shot at by the Philippine Coast Guard on May 9.
Meanwhile, a new batch of Taiwanese investigators will arrive in the Philippines to conduct its parallel probe on the incident, said Perez, the MECO head. He did not give the date of their arrival.
An eight-man investigating team of the Philippine government’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is also ready to depart for Taiwan, but it is still waiting for De Lima’s approval for their departure, said Perez.
The visa applications of the Filipino investigators have been approved, allowing them to go to Taiwan, said Perez.
He denied reports that Taiwan denied the visa applications of the Filipino investigators because of the Philippine government’s alleged refusal to show the PCG’s video to the Taiwanese prosecutors who have been in Manila since last week.
As agreed upon by the two countries, a parallel and simultaneous probe of the sea incident will be undertaken by investigators from Taiwan and the Philippines starting Thursday or Friday.
The Taiwanese investigators will inspect the PCG vessel and its surveillance vessel that apprehended the Taiwanese fishing vessel and its crewmen off Balintang Island; and the Philippine investigators will also inspect the Guang Ta Hsin 28, the Taiwanese fishing vessel — and interview the surviving crewmembers.
The crewmen of Guang Ta Hsin 28 could give details on how Hung Shih Chen, 65, died following PCG’s assault.
The Philippine government has also called on the Taiwanese government and the family of the slain fisherman, for a re-autopsy of his body.
The death of the 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman from PCG’s attack had triggered public outrage in Taiwan and had forced Taiwan to impose sanctions against the Philippines, including a freeze on the hiring of overseas Filipino workers. Taiwanese tourists were not yet told not to go to the Philippines.
The Philippine government has diplomatic relations with China, and it observes one-China policy that prevents it from having a “joint probe” of the incident with Taiwan.
