I do wish Taiwan wouldn't be quite so harsh with a country that might be needed to host American forces should China attack Taiwan, but there is a dead Taiwanese fisherman. So I understand the anger. But let's not forget who the big bad is in this region.
Taiwan is issuing demands and threats after a Philippines ship fired on a Taiwanese fishing vessel:
President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday called a national security meeting over the recent shooting of a Taiwan fishing boat by the Philippine coast guard. ...
Chen Li-tung, a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University's Insitute of the Law of the Sea, said that under international law it was illegal for the Philippines vessel to shoot on an unarmed boat.
Meanwhile, Hu Nien-tsu, director of National Sun Yat-sen University's Center for Marine Policy Studies, said according to a 1982 UN convention, the Philippines must accept the traditional right of fishermen from neighbouring countries to fish "in certain areas falling within archipelagic waters."
"The Philippines must apologise, find and prosecute those responsible for the brutal killing, and offer compensation for the fisherman's death," Ma said earlier yesterday.
I would have hoped that Taiwan would have handled this in a quieter manner befitting relations between countries that should be on friendly terms given the neighborhood they are in.
But the Philippines really shouldn't have killed a fisherman, if the situation is as presented. Manila should do the right thing for the man. I know, China has been exploiting that unarmed vessel rule by aggressively using unarmed ships as a weapon against the Philippines. But Taiwan isn't China, contrary to Peking's claims.
And in the bigger picture, the Philippines can still come out of this in good shape. Given that the Philippines has asked for a UN tribunal to decide the issue of Scarborough Shoal--and China has bitterly complained about that--the Philippines should apologize for the incident and ask a UN tribunal to investigate and make a decision on the proper outcome of the incident. That would be a nice precedent, don't you think?
Taiwan can gain an advantage, too, apart from justice for the fisherman himself. Surely, Taiwan would enjoy a little time in formal international space as a party in a dispute amongst the members of the international community--which China has bitterly complained about, too.
What's that Chinese saying? In every crisis there is an opportunity? Perhaps Taipei and Manila can make sure the opportunity doesn't benefit Peking, eh?
