Kuang Ta Hsing Incident: Cause for Celebration, Cause for Regret

Kuang Ta Hsing Incident: Cause for Celebration, Cause for Regret
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China)
A Translation
August 9, 2013

Summary: The Kuang Ta Hsing incidence is over. This is cause for optimism. But we must not celebrate too soon. Judicial rulings and fisheries negotiations await. They are the key to future ROC-Philippine relations. Only the institutionalization of ROC-Philippine relations can truly assure the rights of our fishermen.

Full text below:

The bloody Kuang Ta Hsing Number 28 fishing vessel incident has come to an end. Foreign Ministry shuttle diplomacy has resulted in the Philippine government agreeing to four ROC government demands, The ROC government lifted 11 economic sanctions on the Philippines. The three month long ROC-Philippines standoff has finally ended, The lengthy quest for legal responsibility however has just begun.

Let us review developments between the ROC and the Philippine to date. They include two causes for celebration, and two causes for regret. One cause for celebration is that negotiations led to concrete and significant breakthroughs. One cause for regret is that domestic factors in the Philippines could still sabotage the final outcome.

Consider another cause for optimism. As Liuchiu County Chief Tsai Tian-yu noted, many fishermen from Taiwan have been shot and killed by Philippines police. This is the first time they have gotten their day in court. In a formal apology, Manila Economic and Cultural Office chief Perez conveyed Philippine President Aquino's official message, including a "touching" personal letter.  The letter offered the Philippines' profoundest apologies to the Hung family. The ROC and the Philippines signed a confidentiality agreement regarding the amount of restitution. But it is rumored that the Philippine government referred to the historic amount as "astronomical." Apparently the Philippine government, which has treated the ROC cavalierly in the past, is now dealing with the problem in earnest.

This is very different from the Philippines' handling of the Hong Kong hostage shooting incident of 2010. During the Kuang Ta Hsing incident, the ROC government obtained concrete commitments from the Philippines government. Take for example, punishment of the murderer. The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation considers the shooting of Hung Shi-cheng by Philippine Coast Guard members accidental and unintentional. Nevertheless it recommended charging eight members of the Coast Guard who opened fire with manslaughter. Take the fisheries agreements. The Philippine government has promised to avoid the future use of force when patroling the seas. The ROC and the Philippines have agreed to begin bilateral fisheries negotiations within the month. In other words, the Philippines justice system initially tried to bury the case. Now it appears determined to investigate.

Based on current developments, the ROC government has made four demands. Its demands for an apology and compensation have been met. Its demands for punishment of the murderer and negotiations on fisheries agreements have yet to be fulfilled. For the Hung family, the Kuang Ta Hsing incident is over. But for the government, systematic negotiations between the two governments have yet to begin.

The ROC government has lifted economic sanctions against the Philippines. The Philippine government has long been unreliable regarding its commitments. Now that sanctions have been lifted, will its judicial system continue to take the ROC-Philippines fisheries dispute seriously? We cannot be certain. Two reasons come to mind.

One. The Philippine judicial system is highly politicized. The Philippine Bureau of Investigation recommended manslaughter charges against the eight Coast Guard members who opened fire. But will their recommendation be adopted by the Philippine courts? That remains to be seen. Consider the Hong Kong hostage incident. The investigation report determined that Manila Deputy Mayor Moreno left the scene at the crucial moment, therefore he should be prosecuted for negligence. But under pressure from the Malacanang Palace, the Philippine courts vetoed it. The ROC government must keep a close eye on the Philippines judiciary, to ensure that the guilty are punished.

Two. The Philippines public is biased in favor of the Coast Guard members. The Philippine Bureau of Investigation report provoked an intense backlash. The public considered the report a serious blow to the morale of Coast Guard members. The Philippine Coast Guard vowed to defend the eight Coast Guard members. Two Philippine university professors offered to defend them, pro bono. President Aquino has long been adept at exploiting public sentiment. Will this become another excuse to delay ROC Philippine fisheries negotiations?

Three months ago the Philippine government treated the case in a cavalier manner. Now however, it has issued a "touching" speech. President Aquino's attitude has undergone drastic change. The eleven economic sanctions the ROC imposed was a factor. Another factor was U.S. government pressure.

The United States has implemented an "Asian rebalancing" policy. The Philippines has regained its strategic status vis a vis the United States. The support of the United States has become Aquino's diplomatic trump card. But increased ROC-Philippines conflict provides Mainland Chinese naval forces an excuse to enter the South China Sea, as well as promote cross-Strait military cooperation. This is what Washington is most unwilling to see. As a result the U.S. intervened, demanding Philippine restraint. Naturally this has let the air out of Aquino's balloon. As we can see, the ROC made good use of foreign policy during the ROC-Philippines incident, It leveraged its power in the best interests of the nation.

The Kuang Ta Hsing incidence is over. This is cause for optimism. But we must not celebrate too soon. Judicial rulings and fisheries negotiations await. They are the key to future ROC-Philippine relations. Only the institutionalization of ROC-Philippine relations can truly assure the rights of our fishermen.

「廣大興」事件落幕的喜與憂
【聯合報╱社論】
2013.08.11 02:46 am

廣大興二十八號喋血事件，在外交部的努力穿梭下，菲律賓政府對我方所提出的四大要求作出善意回應，我國則解除對菲國的十一項經濟制裁。至此，延燒三個多月的台菲事件總算暫告一段落，而漫長的司法究責才要開始。

綜觀台菲事件的發展至今，有兩喜兩憂。喜的是，我們的交涉，取得了較以往更具體且重大的突破；憂的是，菲國內部仍存在一些變數，可能影響最後的結果。

先談可喜的部分。誠如琉球鄉長蔡天裕所說，過去台灣有多少漁民遭到菲律賓軍警射殺，而這是第一次能夠真正討回公道。在正式道歉方面，這次馬尼拉經濟文化辦事處培瑞斯帶著菲律賓總統艾奎諾的正式授權，包括「令人動容」的親筆信，向洪石城家屬表達了菲國最深的歉意。在賠償金方面，台菲雙方雖簽訂保密協議，但據稱菲政府所提的賠償金額堪稱史上「天價」。可見，以往對我抱持敷衍的菲國政府，已展現解決問題的誠意。

與菲國處理二○一○年香港人質射殺事件的不了了之相比，這次的廣大興事件，我國也得到菲國更多的具體承諾。在懲凶方面，雖然菲律賓國家調查局認定菲海巡員槍擊洪石成屬於「意外」，並非有故意殺人之意圖，但仍建議以「一般殺人罪」起訴八名開槍的海巡員。至於在漁業協議方面，菲國政府保證今後將避免在海上執勤使用武力，同時台菲兩國也同意將於一個月內啟動雙邊漁業談判。亦即，先前企圖將此事件輕輕放下的菲國司法單位，似已展現積極調查的決心。

依目前事件的發展，我國政府所要求的四項要件，「道歉」和「賠償」兩項已經完成；至於「懲凶」及「啟動漁業協議談判」，則有待後續觀察和努力。對洪家來說，廣大興事件已經結束；但對政府來說，台菲兩國的制度化談判卻才要開始。

在我國解除對菲經濟制裁之後，態度一向反覆不定的菲國政府，在擺脫制裁之重擔之後，其司法體系是否能夠持續貫徹懲凶的決心，其政府是否有釜底抽薪的誠意談判台菲漁業糾紛問題，仍不容我們掉以輕心。原因有二：

其一，是菲國司法的泛政治化現象。菲調查局雖建議以「殺人罪」起訴八名開槍的海巡人員，但此項「建議」最後是否被菲國法院接受，仍在未定之天。以香港人質事件為例，當時的調查報告認定馬尼拉副市長莫雷諾在槍案關鍵時刻離開現場，應以「怠忽職守」罪起訴；但在馬拉坎南宮的壓力下，最後卻被菲國法院所否決。我政府務必持續關注菲司法部門的行動，以達到嚴懲凶手的目的。

其二，是菲國一般民意傾向偏袒其海巡員。菲調查局的調查報告出爐後，在菲國內引起極大的反彈，認為報告嚴重打擊海巡隊員士氣，菲海防隊也誓言捍衛這八名海防隊員的權益，並有兩位菲大學教授挺身願為他們義務辯護。在這種情況下，一向懂得利用民氣的艾奎諾總統，是否會以其他藉口推遲台菲漁業談判，值得關注。

對照三個月前菲政府對此案表現的輕佻敷衍，如今卻發表「感人肺腑」的言論，艾奎諾總統態度的偌大轉變，除了礙於我方所祭出的十一項經濟制裁外，另一重要因素，是美國政府的壓力。

在美國實施「亞洲再平衡」政策之後，菲律賓的戰略地位重新獲得美國青睞，因此，美國的支持便成為艾奎諾強勢外交的最大倚恃。但在台菲事件衝突升高之際，讓中國大陸海軍的力量找到進入南海的藉口，同時也找到兩岸軍事聯手的理由，這是美國最不願意看到的現象。也因為如此，美國態度轉向介入，要求菲國節制，自然也讓艾奎諾的一身傲氣頓失所倚。由此可見，這次台菲事件是台灣善用外交策略、借力使力爭取國家最大利益的明證。

廣大興事件順利落幕固然可喜，但我們要保持哀矜勿喜，因為後續的司法審判及漁業談判，才是今後台菲關係制度化的關鍵。也唯有落實台菲關係的制度化，政府才能真正成為漁民後盾。