faithfulguy
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Taiwan began military exercises off its southern coast and told people to avoid traveling to the Philippines after rebuffing the Southeast Asian nations offer to apologize for the killing of a fisherman in disputed seas.
The Philippines violated international law in the May 9 shooting by one of its patrol boats, Taiwan Premier Jiang Yi-huah said yesterday in a television address. He said Taiwan couldnt accept that the killing was unintentional because the fishing vessel was riddled with bullet holes.
The Philippines explanation has been inconsistent and lacking sincerity, Jiang said. Philippines officials killed one of our fisherman in our waters. This violates international law, maritime law, and the laws of morality, and yet they are totally devoid of the will to resolve this.
The dispute threatens to disrupt economic ties and stoke tensions in an area rich in natural resources thats beset by competing territorial claims. Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou is battling a 14 percent approval rating, while Philippine President Benigno Aquino must weigh the potential fallout if Filipino workers lose jobs on the island.
Two Mirage 2000 jets and an E-2K Hawkeye early-warning plane took part in the drills today after a Kidd-class destroyer was deployed earlier, said Liu Hsun-chen, a Taiwan defense ministry spokesman. The Coast Guard will send four ships to join the exercise in the Bashi Channel, spokesman Shih Yi-che said by phone yesterday.
Worker Freeze
Earlier yesterday, Ma recalled his representative from the Philippines and froze the hiring of workers from the nation. Additional measures approved last night also include a travel warning and a halt to airspace negotiations and economic exchanges, the Taiwan Cabinet said in a statement.
The U.S., an ally of both Taiwan and the Philippines, is concerned about the escalating tensions, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters in Washington yesterday.
We urge the Philippines and Taiwan to take all appropriate measures to clarify disagreements and prevent recurrence of such tragic events, he said.
Mas actions against the Philippines will prevent about 35,000 Filipino workers a year from finding work, Taiwans Council of Labor Affairs said on its website. About 88,000 Filipinos worked in Taiwan as of end-April, it said.
Group Travel
The Travel Agent Association of R.O.C., the largest in Taiwan, said it would suspend group trips to the Philippines after the government issued a warning against visiting the country. The group agreed to support Mas sanctions against the Philippines, it said in a faxed statement.
About 54,000 Taiwanese traveled to the Philippines in the first three months of the year, the fifth-biggest market representing 4.2 percent of total arrivals, according to the Philippines Department of Tourism.
Ma, re-elected in January 2012 with 52 percent of the vote, had an approval rating of 14 percent in April, down from 15 percent in March, according to a poll by Taipei-based television network TVBS. His approval rating between September and December 2012 stood at a record low of 13 percent.
This is an opportunity for him to shore up some confidence, Alexander Huang, a professor at Tamkang Universitys Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies in Taipei, said of Ma. The general public here demands actions -- they want to see punishments.
Deep Regret
After Mas decision, Aquino spokesman Edwin Lacierda announced that the Philippine leader had appointed an envoy to convey his and the Filipino peoples deep regret and apology to the fishermans family and Taiwans people over the unfortunate and unintended loss of life. The Philippines also planned to compensate the fishermans family.
We certainly would hope that the authorities in Taiwan will see this gesture as a sincere gesture, Lacierda said. We understand the grief and hurt of the family and of the people of Taiwan over this unfortunate loss and we empathize with them.
Aquinos approval rating rose 4 percentage points to 72 percent in March, polling body Pulse Asia Inc. said last month. His allies appeared set to control a majority in the 24-member Senate after legislative elections three days ago.
The last thing Aquino wants to do is come across as weak, especially if ultimately what hes doing is undermining the Philippine claims in that part of the South China Sea, said Ralf Emmers, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. While the apology he offered seems like a good compromise, Ma must have felt that domestic pressure was so big this wasnt good enough, he said.
Separate Disputes
China considers independently-governed Taiwan part of its territory and has separate disputes with the Philippines over disputed maritime areas. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said May 10 that China is deeply concerned about the Philippines repeated shooting at unarmed fishermen.
Taiwan was the eighth largest buyer of Philippine goods last year, according to the Philippines National Statistics Office. Taiwan exported $3.2 billion worth of goods to the Philippines in the first four months of this year, while importing $675 million, Taiwans finance ministry said.
Limits on Filipino workers, the third-largest group of foreign workers in Taiwan, may slow Aquinos push to cut a jobless rate that climbed to 7.1 percent in January, with about 660,000 positions lost since October 2011. The Philippines overseas workforce accounts for about 10 percent of its gross domestic product.
Taiwan Plans Drill After Rebuffing Philippines - Businessweek
The Philippines violated international law in the May 9 shooting by one of its patrol boats, Taiwan Premier Jiang Yi-huah said yesterday in a television address. He said Taiwan couldnt accept that the killing was unintentional because the fishing vessel was riddled with bullet holes.
The Philippines explanation has been inconsistent and lacking sincerity, Jiang said. Philippines officials killed one of our fisherman in our waters. This violates international law, maritime law, and the laws of morality, and yet they are totally devoid of the will to resolve this.
The dispute threatens to disrupt economic ties and stoke tensions in an area rich in natural resources thats beset by competing territorial claims. Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou is battling a 14 percent approval rating, while Philippine President Benigno Aquino must weigh the potential fallout if Filipino workers lose jobs on the island.
Two Mirage 2000 jets and an E-2K Hawkeye early-warning plane took part in the drills today after a Kidd-class destroyer was deployed earlier, said Liu Hsun-chen, a Taiwan defense ministry spokesman. The Coast Guard will send four ships to join the exercise in the Bashi Channel, spokesman Shih Yi-che said by phone yesterday.
Worker Freeze
Earlier yesterday, Ma recalled his representative from the Philippines and froze the hiring of workers from the nation. Additional measures approved last night also include a travel warning and a halt to airspace negotiations and economic exchanges, the Taiwan Cabinet said in a statement.
The U.S., an ally of both Taiwan and the Philippines, is concerned about the escalating tensions, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters in Washington yesterday.
We urge the Philippines and Taiwan to take all appropriate measures to clarify disagreements and prevent recurrence of such tragic events, he said.
Mas actions against the Philippines will prevent about 35,000 Filipino workers a year from finding work, Taiwans Council of Labor Affairs said on its website. About 88,000 Filipinos worked in Taiwan as of end-April, it said.
Group Travel
The Travel Agent Association of R.O.C., the largest in Taiwan, said it would suspend group trips to the Philippines after the government issued a warning against visiting the country. The group agreed to support Mas sanctions against the Philippines, it said in a faxed statement.
About 54,000 Taiwanese traveled to the Philippines in the first three months of the year, the fifth-biggest market representing 4.2 percent of total arrivals, according to the Philippines Department of Tourism.
Ma, re-elected in January 2012 with 52 percent of the vote, had an approval rating of 14 percent in April, down from 15 percent in March, according to a poll by Taipei-based television network TVBS. His approval rating between September and December 2012 stood at a record low of 13 percent.
This is an opportunity for him to shore up some confidence, Alexander Huang, a professor at Tamkang Universitys Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies in Taipei, said of Ma. The general public here demands actions -- they want to see punishments.
Deep Regret
After Mas decision, Aquino spokesman Edwin Lacierda announced that the Philippine leader had appointed an envoy to convey his and the Filipino peoples deep regret and apology to the fishermans family and Taiwans people over the unfortunate and unintended loss of life. The Philippines also planned to compensate the fishermans family.
We certainly would hope that the authorities in Taiwan will see this gesture as a sincere gesture, Lacierda said. We understand the grief and hurt of the family and of the people of Taiwan over this unfortunate loss and we empathize with them.
Aquinos approval rating rose 4 percentage points to 72 percent in March, polling body Pulse Asia Inc. said last month. His allies appeared set to control a majority in the 24-member Senate after legislative elections three days ago.
The last thing Aquino wants to do is come across as weak, especially if ultimately what hes doing is undermining the Philippine claims in that part of the South China Sea, said Ralf Emmers, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. While the apology he offered seems like a good compromise, Ma must have felt that domestic pressure was so big this wasnt good enough, he said.
Separate Disputes
China considers independently-governed Taiwan part of its territory and has separate disputes with the Philippines over disputed maritime areas. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said May 10 that China is deeply concerned about the Philippines repeated shooting at unarmed fishermen.
Taiwan was the eighth largest buyer of Philippine goods last year, according to the Philippines National Statistics Office. Taiwan exported $3.2 billion worth of goods to the Philippines in the first four months of this year, while importing $675 million, Taiwans finance ministry said.
Limits on Filipino workers, the third-largest group of foreign workers in Taiwan, may slow Aquinos push to cut a jobless rate that climbed to 7.1 percent in January, with about 660,000 positions lost since October 2011. The Philippines overseas workforce accounts for about 10 percent of its gross domestic product.
Taiwan Plans Drill After Rebuffing Philippines - Businessweek
philipine is truly a banana republic lol
