Taiwan Rejects Philippines Apology, Recalls Envoy, Freezes Hiring Of Filipinos Over Fisherman’s Shooting

Taiwan on Wednesday recalled its envoy to the Philippines and suspended recruitment process for Filipino workers over Manila's handling of the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippines coast guard last Thursday.

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou's office expressed "strong dissatisfaction" over an apology issued by the Philippines representative in Taipei, saying the Philippines government lacked sincerity and was offering "reckless and perfunctory responses,"

Taiwan's Premier Jiang Yi-huah also registered displeasure over the apology, saying Taipei wants to be informed about whether the culprit will be charged, jailed or dismissed.

"The shooting was conducted by one of its civil servants, and its government could not evade the responsibility," the premier said adding Taiwan will not accept anything short of a Philippines government apology.

Jiang said the Taiwanese navy and coast guard will stage a two-day military drill in the disputed Bashi Strait to showcase the country's naval strength.

The incident early reported by China websites showing a map in Balintang Channel but the late report claimed to be Bashi Channel, a waterway passage in between Y'ami Island of the Philippines and Orchid Island controlled by Taiwan which also claimed by the Philippines.

Taipei has also demanded compensation for the victim's family and the commencement of bilateral fishing talks which the Philippines earlier admit to compensate the victim.

Early on Wednesday, Antonio Basilio, head of the Philippines Representative Office in Taiwan, apologized over the incident, after a three-day deadline set by Taiwan for an apology expired, the BBC reported.

Basilio said Manila had agreed to compensate the fisherman's family and conduct a joint investigation into the incident.

Earlier Reported by Chinese News that the Incident happened in "Balintang Channel" a place near Babuyan Island which is not disputed by any countries.  Going North to Taiwan from Luzon Islands would be Basco Batanes, Itbayat Island, North island and Y'ami island. in 2006 China listed 2 Filipino Police who shoot and killed Taiwanese Fishermen fishing 500 Meters from the shore near Basco Batanes. 

"The Filipino people and the government understand the hurt and grief that the Taiwanese people have felt as result of the death of one of their own fellow citizens," Basilio said.

Philippines coast guard personnel opened fire on the Taiwanese boat, the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, from a vessel that belonged to the fisheries division of the Philippines Department of Agriculture, in the disputed Bashi Strait, between Taiwan and the northern Philippines, last Thursday.

Previously, Philippines officials said the shooting was in self-defense because the Taiwanese boat was about to ram BFAR a Philippines ship.

China has sought to show common cause with Taiwan on the issue since Beijing regards Taiwan as a rebel region that needs to be reunited with the mainland, although Taiwan gained independence in 1950.

Approximately 87,000 Filipinos work in Taiwan, many are employed as domestic workers and also in the manufacturing sector.

The South China Sea and West Philippine Sea region has long been a bone of contention among several South East Asian nations, with overlapping territorial claims by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei leading to tensions in recent months.

With report from International Business Times

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Japan Said – WWII Sex Slaves from South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, and China ' were 'necessary'

Toru Hashimoto said former comfort women should be offered "kind words"

 Japan WWII 'comfort women' were 'necessary' - Hashimoto

A prominent Japanese politician has described as "necessary" the system by which women were forced to become prostitutes for World War II troops.

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto said on Monday that the "comfort women" gave Japanese soldiers a chance "to rest".

On Tuesday, Japanese ministers tried to distance themselves from his remarks.

Some 200,000 women in territories occupied by Japan during WWII are estimated to have been forced to become sex slaves for troops.

Many of the women came from China and South Korea, but also from the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan.

Japan's treatment of its wartime role has been a frequent source of tension with its neighbors, and South Korea expressed "deep disappointment" at Mr. Hashimoto's words.

"There is a worldwide recognition... that the issue of comfort women amounts to a war-time rape committed by Japan during its past imperial period in a serious breach of human rights," a South Korean foreign ministry spokesman told news agency AFP.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei expressed shock and indignation at the mayor's comments.

"The conscription of sex slaves was a grave crime committed by the Japanese military," he said. "We are shocked and indignant at the Japanese politician's remarks, as they flagrantly challenge historical justice."

Mr. Hashimoto is the co-founder of the nationalist Japanese Restoration Party, which has a small presence in parliament and is not part of the government.

He was the youngest governor in Japanese history before becoming mayor of Osaka, and last year said Japan needed "a dictatorship".

In his latest comments, quoted by Japanese media, he said: "In the circumstances in which bullets are flying like rain and wind, the soldiers are running around at the risk of losing their lives,"

"If you want them to have a rest in such a situation, a comfort women system is necessary. Anyone can understand that."

He acknowledged that the women had been acting "against their will". He also claimed that Japan was not the only country to use the system, though it was responsible for its actions.

He said he backed a 1995 statement by Japan's then-PM Tomiichi Murayama, in which he apologised for war-time actions in Asia.

"It is a result of the tragedy of the war that they became comfort women against their will. The responsibility for the war also lies with Japan. We have to politely offer kind words to [former] comfort women."

'Historic given'

Recent visits to Japan's war-linked Yasukuni shrine sparked protests in South Korea

Recent visits to Japan's war-linked Yasukuni shrine sparked protests in South Korea

On Tuesday Japan's Cabinet Minister Yoshihide Suga declined to comment directly on Mr. Hashimoto's remarks but reiterated the government's existing stance on comfort women.

He said the government felt "pains towards people who experienced hardships that are beyond description".

In 1993, Japan issued an apology for the "immeasurable pain and suffering" inflicted on comfort women. In 1995, it also apologised for its war-time aggression.

Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura also expressed concerns over Mr. Hashimoto's remarks.

"A series of remarks related to our interpretation of (wartime) history have been already misunderstood," he told reporters. "In that sense, Mr. Hashimoto's remark came at a bad time."

Last month, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe angered China and South Korea when he suggested he may no longer stand by the wording of Japan's 1995 apology, saying the definition of "aggression" was hard to establish.

Japanese ministers later sought to play down his remarks, amid anger across the region.

Japan's neighbors also objected to visits in April by several cabinet members and 170 MPs to Japan's Yasukuni shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including war criminals.

BBC News

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