Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Action needed on Philippines

Taipei Times Editorial

Public outrage over the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by a Philippine government vessel last week is more than a national sentiment. The tragic event is a reminder of the dangerous situation Taiwanese fishermen have faced over the years operating in disputed waters, and adds a new incident in ongoing conflicts over the South China Sea. President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration must take a tough stance to protect our fishermen’s rights and resolve fishing disputes between the two countries.

Lawmakers call for tough response to ‘pirate’ attack

Taipei Times

Members of the Democratic Progressive Party caucus talk during a press conference at the legislature yesterday about the Taiwanese fisherman who was killed on Thursday when a Philippine government vessel fired at a Taiwanese fishing boat.
Photo: CNA

Lawmakers across party lines said yesterday that the government should stand tough in dealing with a Philippine attack on a Taiwanese fishing vessel and provide better protection for the country’s fishing boats.

Fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成), 65, was shot dead on Thursday after a Philippine Coast Guard vessel fired at the fishing boat he was working on about 164 nautical miles (304km) off the southern coast of Taiwan.

‘Without independence Tibet will be annihilated,’ a self-immolator’s last words

Phayul.com

Tibetan self-immolator Phagmo Dhondup in an undated photo.

DHARAMSHALA, May 9: More than two months after Tibetan self-immolator Phagmo Dhondup set himself on fire, details of a conversation he had with a friend before he set himself on fire, has come out.

According to Kunsang Rinzin, a Tibetan living in south India, Phagmo Dhondup went to a restaurant with a friend before his self-immolation protest and left a message for Tibet’s independence and freedom.

Judiciary inventive on corruption

Lin Yu-hsiung 林鈺雄

In response to public anger about the sentence given to former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世) for graft, the Taipei District Court collegiate bench called on people to set aside politics and focus instead on the law — but can the law be trusted?

The issue involves what is officially referred to as the action of an official in the discharge of their public duties and powers. In Taiwan, the convention had been to adhere strictly to the legal definition of public duties and powers, but during the Longtan corruption case involving former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), the Supreme Court judges devised a new interpretation: “presumed actual influence.”

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