March 17, 2016
No. 065
The second fisheries Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Philippines under the Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters was held in Taipei on March 15.
The meeting was co-chaired by ROC Representative in the Philippines Dr. Gary Song-huann Lin and MECO Resident Representative Antonio Basilio. Director-general Tsai Tzu-yaw of the ROC Fisheries Agency and Director Asis Perez of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippines were the main negotiators. The relevant competent authorities of both sides exchanged views on matters concerning law enforcement cooperation at the meeting.
The two parties reached two important points of consensus on establishing a hotline in line with the notification procedure laid out in the agreement’s Annex A, as well as on cooperating on fighting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing). Both sides agreed to collect the information of their communication windows and set up a hotline as soon as possible. In the future, when incidents involving fishing vessels occur in the overlapping exclusive economic zones of Taiwan and the Philippines, relevant agencies will be able to immediately learn where the incident occurred, and what happened at the scene, to avoid misjudgments leading to an adverse impact on fishermen’s rights and bilateral relations. As to fighting IUU fishing, the two sides agreed to conduct joint inspections and exchange relevant inspection reports at a designated Philippine fishing port, helping crack down on illegal fishing, protect fisheries resources, and improve the international image of both countries.
Also during the meeting, each side stated its positions on law enforcement in the Philippines’ contiguous zone, and agreed to peacefully resolve fisheries disputes there. As for matters where no points of consensus was reached, the two sides remain open to continued communication and negotiation at future meetings.
Newly amended regulations under Philippine fisheries law state that foreign fishing vessels caught poaching in Philippine waters may be fined between US$600,000 and US$1 million. The Philippine side expressed that because this law has been ratified, the government must enforce it. As such fines are beyond the financial capabilities of our fishermen, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will request that the ROC Fisheries Agency continue to urge the nation’s fishermen to abide by relevant regulations and thus avoid incurring such fines.
The ROC and the Philippines signed the aforementioned agreement in Taipei on November 5, 2015, reaching three important points of consensus on avoiding the use of violence or unnecessary force, establishing an emergency notification system, as well as creating a procedure for prompt release. The first TWG was held the day the agreement was signed, and incorporated the details on the procedures for one-hour prior notification and three-day release into the agreement. However, the two sides had differences on law enforcement in the Philippines’ contiguous zone, and decided to address these issues at the second TWG.
Before a concrete agreement on law enforcement issues in the Philippines’ contiguous zone is reached, the Ministry will urge the ROC Fisheries Agency to increase ROC fishermen’s understanding of the need to remain vigilant when operating in the Philippines’ contiguous zone, and request that our Coast Guard Administration continue to protect our fishermen so as to ensure their fishing rights. Taiwan and the Philippines will continue to negotiate law enforcement cooperation issues at TWG meetings and further boost friendly bilateral relations while securing the rights of fishermen of both nations. (E)