Publication Date : 15-05-2013
The untimely death last week of a Taiwanese fisherman at the hands of Philippine coast guards has reopened old wounds of a similar seven-year-old case.
For many, it called to mind the Taiwanese government's ongoing pursuit of two Philippine policemen suspected in the 2005 killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, as well as the injury of another continues to this day.
Prosecutors investigating the case said the two culprits will remain on Taiwan's wanted list until 2044.
Officials at the Taitung District Court said yesterday that Philippine policemen Alejandro R. Fabre and Danilo C. Alasco of Sabtang Police station in Batanes Province used M14 and M16 rifles to shoot at fishing vessel Man Chun Yi of Taitung, killing the captain and harming the chief officer of the same boat.
Captain Chen An-lao, 67, died from bleeding while his younger brother, Chen Ming-de, was injured in the buttocks.
Investigators said the incident took place 500 metres off the Batan Island, the main island of the Batanes Islands, in 2005.
Diplomatic and senior criminal investigation officers of Taiwan and the Philippines had conducted joint probes in both Batanes and Taitung.
But both suspects evaded the hearing and disappeared.
The Taitung District Court subsequently placed the two Philippine policemen on the wanted list subject to arrest and punishment for a period of 37.5 years.
Meanwhile, the recent gunfire that led to the killing of a fisherman aboard the unarmed Taiwanese fishing boat Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 at the hands of Philippine coast guard officers has reinvigorated calls to end the fishery disputes between the two neighboring nations.
Fishermen in Taiwan have intensified pressure on the government to take swift and tougher actions, including sanctions against Manila, to protect their safety in fishing operations and bring the Filipino gunmen - both past and present — to justice in hopes to curtail similar shootings in the future.
The fishermen have chided the government for the insufficient measures taken by successive administrations in recent years that has contributed to a trend of Taiwanese fishermen killed by Philippine officers.
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