Taiwan on Wednesday recalled its envoy to the Philippines and announced that it was freezing hiring of Filipino workers in protest against the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard in waters off the country's north last week.
Antonio Basilio, the de facto Philippine Ambassador to Taipei, had apologized over the incident during a closed-door meeting with Taiwanese Foreign Minister David Lin earlier on Wednesday.
But his gesture came after a three-day deadline set by Taiwan for an apology expired on Tuesday midnight. Taiwan had warned that it would conduct a naval drill in waters near the Philippines if Manila fails to apologize by the set deadline.
Basilio told reporters on Wednesday that the Philippine government would soon send its special envoy Amadeo Perez to Taiwan to reiterate his "deep regret and apology from the people of the Philippines" to the people of Taiwan and the fisherman's family. He added that the Philippines would also provide "financial assistance" to the victim's family
However, a statement issued by the Taiwanese President's office announcing the latest decision said: "Due to the Philippines government's insufficient sincerity and its inconsistency, President Ma Ying-jeou expresses strong dissatisfaction and he cannot accept the reckless and perfunctory responses from the Philippines."
Apparently, the Taiwanese government was disappointed by the wordings of the apology, which stated that it was from "the people of Philippines." Experts say Taipei was expecting an apology from the Philippines government instead.
Philippines had admitted earlier that its Coast Guard had opened fire on a Taiwanese fishing vessel on May 9 after it strayed into its waters. Nevertheless, Taiwan insisted that the incident occurred in waters where the two countries' economic zones overlap, and demanded a formal apology and compensation from Manila. Taipei also sent four Coast Guard and naval vessels to protect its fishermen in waters near the Philippines.
Incidentally, the United States has expressed "regret" at the death of the Taiwanese fisherman in the May 9 shooting incident. Washington, however, stopped short of condemning the incident, possibly because the two nations involved in the row are its allies.
"The United States has been in touch with both the Philippine government and the Taiwan authorities regarding this incident. And we welcome the Philippine government's pledge to conduct a full and transparent investigation," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington on Monday.
The incident comes amid ongoing territorial disputes between several nations over parts of the South China Sea. Countries like China, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have all staked claims to parts of the resource-rich sea.
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