Filipinos in Taiwan told to avoid public places

Manila: Filipinos in Taiwan have been advised by the presidential palace to avoid venturing outside their homes amid reports of attacks being carried out by irate mobs.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in an interview over state run radio station dzRB on Sunday, said Philippine representative to Taiwan Antonio Basilio had already conveyed Manila’s concern over the safety of Filipinos in Taiwan.

Valte said Filipino workers in Taiwan had been advised to go straight to their homes from work and refrain from going out to public places like restaurants to ensure their safety.

Valte made the statement against the backdrop of worsening conditions for Philippines nationals in the island.

There was also a report of a mob attacking a dormitory of Filipino workers in Csinchu, Taiwan, on Saturday evening. A radio report by Bombo Radyo in southern Philippines’ Koronadal City said six Taiwanese carrying baseball bats attacked a group of Filipino men while the latter group were having their dinner.

The report added that a Filipino worker named Joel de Leon suffered injuries in the body while another compatriot was hit by a baseball bat in the face. Both have been taken to the hospital.

Separately, MECO Chairman Amadeo Perez Jr said two Filipinos were confirmed injured during the mob attacks.

The attacks came after several days after the May 9 shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman near the sea border between Taiwan and the Philippines by members of the coast guard. Manila had already issued an apology in connection with the incident, but the Taiwanese leadership had refused to accept this.

The palace in Manila on Saturday said the Philippines’ de facto embassy in Taiwan, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), has organised a team that will document reports of harassment and assaults against Filipinos.

Earlier, the palace ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a probe into the incident as Manila refused to accept a proposal by Taiwan to hold a joint examination into the matter.

In an apparent show of force, Taiwan had conducted military exercises several days ago in the border area.

Intrusions by Taiwanese and Chinese fishermen into bodies of water claimed by the Philippines as part of its territory had long been a problem. Experts had said that overlapping territorial claims between countries in Southeast Asia and North Asia could spark armed conflict.

Although there are an estimated 90,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan, the Philippines has no formal diplomatic relations with the territory which is regarded by China as a renegade province.