In the first preparatory meeting for fisheries talks June 14 between the ROC and Philippines, both sides agreed to avoid the use of force in the implementation of fisheries laws and relevant regulations, the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
This will stop a repetition of the Guang Da Xing No. 28 incident in which a Taiwan fisherman was killed May 9 during an attack on the boat by a Philippine government vessel, marking the first concrete step toward establishing a bilateral fisheries mechanism, MOFA Minister David Y. L. Lin said.
Following the incident, the ROC government put forward four demands, including holding of fisheries talks to create a safe environment for Taiwan’s fishermen, to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, and to bring order to the two nations’ fishing industries, Lin added.
Both sides agreed on the need to establish a cooperative mechanism to enforce fishing regulations in their overlapping territorial waters, and to inform the other side of enforcement procedures so there will be no need to use force in the future.
A reporting mechanism will also be established to notify each other without delay whenever hot pursuit, boarding, inspection, arrest, detention or judicial proceedings are carried out against vessels and crews of either side pursuant to the enforcement of their respective fisheries laws and relevant regulations. This is consistent with international practice, so that the side whose boat is affected may more readily offer assistance, Lin said.
The ROC and Philippines also agreed on the establishment of a mechanism for the prompt release of detained fishing vessels and their crews.
Both parties said they would quickly return to talks on provisional arrangements on fisheries cooperation, including management and conservation. The two sides will also refer to the fisheries agreement recently signed between Taiwan and Japan for the resolution of their longstanding dispute, Lin added.
2013 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)