By Benjamin Cuaresma
Foreign Sources
TAIPEI — Taiwan has imposed strict conditions on the Philippines’ use of a donated offshore patrol vessel, including a prohibition against deploying the ship in maritime law-enforcement operations targeting Taiwanese fishers.
The conditions were disclosed during the Taiwan Cabinet’s comprehensive administrative report before the Legislative Yuan after KMT Legislator Hsu Yu-chen questioned the safeguards surrounding the transfer of the vessel to the Philippines.
Hsu raised concerns over the possibility that the ship could be used to harass, drive away or attack Taiwanese fishing crews, citing the 2013 incident in which a Philippine Coast Guard vessel fired on a Taiwanese fishing boat, killing its captain.
Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling said Taipei and Manila had agreed that weapons would not be installed on the donated vessel and that it would be restricted to civilian purposes.
The Philippines also agreed not to use the vessel for maritime law-enforcement missions against Taiwanese fishers. If the ship is used in violation of the agreement, it would have to be returned to Taiwan, Kuan said.
She added that the Ocean Affairs Council would strictly enforce the terms of the agreement with Manila.
Premier Cho Jung-tai said the transfer also forms part of Taiwan’s broader effort to strengthen security cooperation among countries along the First Island Chain and help maintain peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
Cho said Taipei and Manila had signed comprehensive agreements governing the vessel’s use while addressing concerns over the rights and safety of Taiwanese fishers.
The Cabinet is continuing discussions with the Philippine government on specific operational guidelines for the vessel, while also examining plans to repurpose other decommissioned government ships for additional duties in Taiwan’s waters.
Foreign Source: Taipei Times/ ia/xf
