Philippines might send envoy to Taiwan to settle diplomatic row

Taipei, Feb. 10 (CNA) The Philippines might send a special envoy to Taiwan to try to resolve the diplomatic row between the two countries over the deportation of 14 Taiwanese suspects to China, the Philippines representative to Taiwan told CNA Thursday.

"There is an ongoing discussion about sending a special envoy to deal with the incident, " said Antonio Basilio, managing director of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) -- the Philippines' representative office in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.

A tense dispute between the two countries erupted Feb. 2 after the Philippines deported 14 Taiwanese and 10 Chinese fraud suspects to China in spite of demands from Taipei that the Taiwanese nationals be sent back to Taiwan.

Basilio's comments came hours after Philippines President Benigno Aquino said in an interview with a Philippine media outlet that he might send an emissary to Taiwan to discuss the issue.

The envoy will likely be a high-ranking ex-representative or ex-president, Basilio said, adding that a number of candidates are being considered.

Former President Fidel Ramos, who is scheduled to visit Taiwan in early March, could be one of the candidates, Basilio said, adding that once confirmed, Ramos' visit to Taiwan could be expedited.

The move appeared to be an attempt to ease the tension, escalated by Taiwan's punitive measures, including recalling its representative in Manila and tightening its screening regulations for Philippine nationals seeking to work in Taiwan.

The diplomat urged both sides to "tone down the rhetoric" and move forward, adding that the Philippines is ready to cooperate with Taiwan to establish a mechanism to fight transnational crime in the future and to explore the feasibility of a Free Trade Agreement and a visa-waiver program.

Taiwan and the Philippines are hopeful of speeding up the pace of a mutual legal assistance agreement based on current discussions of a memorandum of understanding on combating transnational crime in addition to existing agreements on the prevention of money laundering and drug trafficking.

The current dispute "certainly got the attention of the policymakers in the Philippines, " Basilio said, adding that the incident might actually end up speeding up bilateral exchanges on various fronts. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan threatens further action against Philippines in deportation row

Taipei, Feb. 10 (CNA) Taiwan threatened Thursday to implement a second wave of punitive actions against the Philippines, saying that the Southeast Asian country had made an inaccurate statement in explaining its decision to deport 14 Taiwan nationals to China last week.

The Philippines classification of the 14 Taiwanese suspects in a fraud case as "undocumented" was inaccurate because their passports had been confiscated and Taiwan's representative office in Manila had provided the Philippine authorities with new identification documents, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman James Chang said in a press briefing.

"We are considering taking further action against the Philippines if it does not recognize its wrongdoing in the incident," Chang said, but did not specify what measures were being considered.

Furthermore, the case should have been handled based on the Philippines' domestic laws rather than its one-China policy, Chang said.

Philippine Presidential Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said in a radio interview Wednesday that the decision to deport all of the fraud suspects -- 14 Taiwanese and 10 Chinese -- to China was an observance of the Philippines respect for the "one China policy."

Later in the day, Philippines' Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the government stood by the explanation given by Ochoa.

The row broke out Feb. 2 when the Philippines deported to China the 24 suspects who had been arrested late last year on charges of cross-border fraud against Chinese nationals.

Taiwan, which had been trying to have the 14 Taiwanese in the case repatriated, said the Philippines had acted inappropriately.

The issue escalated during the past week as officials on both sides exchanged tough talk.

Taiwan announced Monday that it would recall its envoy in Manila, tighten visa regulations for Philippine nationals seeking to work in Taiwan and cancel visa privileges for some Philippine citizens.

Philippines Minister of Justice Leila De Lima told Taiwan's representative to Manila Donald Lee that certain actions by the Bureau of Immigration before the deportation were regrettable, according to Chang.

However, Taiwan expects the Philippines to show "more goodwill" to resolve the diplomatic stalemate, Chang said.

Taiwan will continue to plan its moves based on the Philippines' actions, he said. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Jurisdiction key in Taiwan-Philippines deportation row: official

Taipei, Feb. 8 (CNA) Arguments on the jurisdiction over international crime syndicates will only increase in the future and it is an issue on which Taiwan needs to work, a senior diplomatic official said Tuesday amid the latest controversy between Taiwan and the Philippines.

"The competition of jurisdiction will definitely increase in a rapidly globalizing world. This case is a perfect example, " Matthew Lee, director-general of the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said in a press briefing.

Lee's remark referred to the dispute between Taiwan and the Philippines, which ignored Taiwan's demands and on Feb. 2 deported to China 14 Taiwanese and 10 Chinese suspects -- all of whom were arrested Dec. 27 last year on charges of cross-border fraud against Chinese nationals.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said after its efforts to have the Taiwanese suspects repatriated were rebuffed that Manila's handling of the cross-border fraud case was a "violation of the jurisdiction principle of nationality and its own legal procedures."

China had demanded that all 24 suspects in the case be deported to China because all their victims were Chinese.

The jurisdiction principle of nationality that Taiwan claimed is only one of many theories of jurisdiction in international law, as authorities can also claim jurisdiction based on the nationality of the victims, the country in which the crime took place, or mutual agreements to combat serious crime, Lee said.

Taiwan did not have a say in the case because it did not participate in the investigation, which was jointly carried out by China and the Philippines, Lee said.

However, Lee cited a similar case late last year in which none of the 18 Taiwanese suspects arrested Dec. 22 were deported to China because the case was a cooperative effort between the police authorities of Taiwan and the Philippines.

There was no dispute over jurisdiction in the Dec. 22 case because the Chinese authorities were not involved, he said.

The more recent case might have a positive effect in that it could set a precedent for future cases, he said. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Australia, Malaysia to grant Taiwan visa privileges soon: MOFA

Taipei, Feb. 8 (CNA) Taiwan passport holders are expected to face simpler procedures to travel to Australia and Malaysia by the end of the first half of this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.

Malaysia is likely to grant Taiwanese travelers visa-free treatment by the end of March, and Australia is likely to offer electronic travel authority (ETA) services online by the end of June, said Matthew Lee, director-general of the MOFA's Department of East Asian & Pacific Affairs.

In the case of Australia, Taiwanese passport holders are currently eligible to apply for an ETA, which is the equivalent of a visa and issued electronically by Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

But they must do so manually rather than online, and in the future, Australia is expected to provide the more convenient online service to Taiwan passport holders with registered permanent residence, Lee said at a press briefing.

It will hold off, however, on discussing granting the privilege to the group that gives it the most concern -- passport holders who do not have registered permanent residence -- Lee added.

The Malaysian Cabinet has reached a consensus to grant Taiwanese visitors visa-free treatment, and an official announcement could be made in the first quarter, according to Lee.

Malaysia canceled visas on arrival for all countries on Aug. 15 last year, claiming that many visitors had abused the privilege and overstayed the visas they received. Taiwan has allowed Malaysians to visit Taiwan without a visa since 2002. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Taiwan sends strong message to Philippines in deportation row

Taipei, Feb. 8 (CNA) Taiwan's response to the Philippines' recent deportation of 14 Taiwanese to China sent a message to the Southeast Asian country to "take Taiwan seriously" on the diplomatic front, Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang said Tuesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced Monday that it will recall Donald Lee, its envoy in Manila, and will implement stricter screening of applications by Philippine nationals seeking to work in Taiwan.

The measures were announced after the Philippines ignored Taiwan's requests and on Feb. 2 deported 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China.

The 14 Taiwan nationals, along with 10 Chinese suspects, were arrested in the Philippines late last year on charges of cross-border fraud against Chinese nationals.

"The impact of these measures may be limited, but we're sending a strong message to the Philippines that it should take Taiwan seriously and positively," Yang said.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan -- the Philippines representative office -- issued a statement Monday, saying that the suspects were deported to China because "all the victims are Chinese, all the accomplices are Chinese and the results can be best settled in China."

The office further said that it "deeply regrets" the involvement of Taiwanese nationals in the case.

But Yang said that while Taiwan recognized the "goodwill and regret" in the MECO statement, the Philippines has damaged its relations with Taiwan because of its handling of the case.

The fact that the Philippine side did not offer Taiwan direct communication channels to the relevant government agencies, such as the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Justice, throughout the whole incident was "unacceptable," Yang said.

"All we could do was to communicate through the MECO, and that was not enough, " he said.

Yang also said that the Philippine authorities refused to grant Taiwanese officials access to a meeting on Feb. 1 to discuss the deportation issue, neither did they inform the Taiwan side of the results of another closed-door meeting until the afternoon of Feb. 2, when the Taiwanese suspects had already been deported.

That was why Taiwan decided to take countermeasures against its southern neighbor, which has around 77,000 workers in Taiwan who remit approximately US$600 million to the Philippines annually, Yang said.

Taiwan welcomed the Philippines' offer in its statement to establish a mechanism to avoid such incidents in the future, he added. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Taiwan recalls envoy over deportation row with Philippines (update)

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) Taiwan recalled its representative to the Philippines Monday over the "inappropriate" deportation of Taiwanese fraud suspects to China, shortly after Manila issued a statement asking for the "warmth and kinship" between the two sides not to be affected by the incident.

Taiwan made the decision to recall Donald Lee and to more strictly screen applications from Philippine nationals wishing to work in Taiwan, Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang said later that day.

The recall added a new element to the tense dispute between Taiwan and the Philippines, which ignored Taiwan's demands and on Feb. 2 deported to China 14 Taiwanese and 10 Chinese suspects -- all of whom were arrested late last year on charges of cross-border fraud against Chinese nationals.

Taiwan will also cancel visa-free privileges for Philippine passport holders who possess visas to the United States, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the Schengen Area, the ministry stated in a press release issued Monday evening, adding that the strict visa application measures will not prevent those who have already obtained work permits in Taiwan from returning to the Philippines for vacations or emergency visits.

The MOFA, which had said Taiwan's reaction would depend on the response from Manila, recognized the "goodwill and regret" its Southeast Asian neighbor showed in the statement, but was apparently nevertheless unhappy with the outcome and said the Philippines has harmed its relations with Taiwan because of its handling of the case.

"In order to uphold the integrity of Taiwan's sovereignty and express our discontent to the government of the Philippines, we made the decision to take the above-mentioned measures. We will also cautiously examine the goodwill demonstrated by the Philippines in the future as the basis of a re-examination of our bilateral relations, " the ministry said.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the Philippines' representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official bilateral ties, issued a statement earlier in the day saying that the Philippines "deeply regrets" the involvement of Taiwanese nationals in the case, as well as "the reactions of the Taiwanese authorities and the public's feelings over the actions taken."

MECO explained in a statement for which the Taiwanese authorities had been waiting for several days that the actions "were taken considering that all the victims are Chinese, all the accomplices are Chinese and the results can be best settled in China."

It did not offer the apology the government had been expecting.

"It should be noted that there exists an extradition treaty between the People's Republic of China and the Philippines. We also note that there is an agreement between Taiwan and mainland China on anti-crime efforts and judicial assistance under which both sides can cooperate in this case," said the statement.

The dispute prompted strong protests from Taiwan during the six-day Lunar New Year holiday, with lawmakers urging the government to recall Taiwan's representative to the Philippines in retaliation for that country's disrespect to Taiwan's sovereignty.

On the cross-Taiwan Strait front, the government's position on the case has been clear, Liu Te-hsun, vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) -- Taiwan's top China policy-making agency -- said Monday, adding that Taiwan hopes that the 14 Taiwanese suspects' legal rights will be well protected and their families will be able to visit them in China as soon as possible.

Liu said the Chinese side has already said that legal processes, including investigation, interrogation and confrontation, will have to be completed before the suspects can be repatriated to Taiwan.

It remained unclear whether China will repatriate the 14 Taiwanese after completing its own legal process, Liu said, adding that both sides are still in negotiations on the matter. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan recalls envoy over deportation row with Philippines

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) Taiwan recalled its representative to the Philippines Monday over the "inappropriate" deportation of Taiwanese fraud suspects to China after Manila issued a statement asking for the "warmth and kinship" between the two sides not to be affected by the incident.

Taiwan has made the decision to recall Donald Lee, its envoy in Manila, and to strictly screen the applications of Philippine nationals who wish to work in Taiwan, Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang said in the evening.

The recall added a new element to the tense dispute between Taiwan and the Philippine government, which ignored Taiwan's requests and sent 14 Taiwanese and 10 Chinese suspects -- all of whom were arrested late last year on charges of cross-border fraud against Chinese nationals -- back to China on a charter flight on Feb. 2.

Yang, who had said Taiwan's reaction would depend on the Philippines' response, was apparently not happy with the information he received Monday.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) , the representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official bilateral ties, issued a statement earlier in the day saying that the Philippines "deeply regrets" the involvement of Taiwan nationals in the case and "the reactions of the Taiwanese authorities as well as the public's feelings over the actions taken."

The MECO explained in the long-awaited statement, which had been expected Friday, that the actions "were taken considering that all the victims are Chinese, all the accomplices are Chinese and the results can be best settled in China."

It did not offer an apology that the Taiwan government had expected in the statement.

"It should be noted that there exists an extradition treaty between the People's Republic of China and the Philippines. We also note that there is an agreement between Taiwan and mainland China on Anti-crime Efforts and Judicial Assistance under which both sides can cooperate in this case," said the statement.

"We hope this does not in any way detract from the warmth and kinship that the people of the Philippines have for the people of Taiwan," it added. (By Chris Wang) enditem/jc

Taiwanese fans watch Super Bowl to wrap up New Year break

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) American football fans in Taipei took part in an annual ritual in the wee hours of Monday, getting up early and gathering in a local sports bar to watch the biggest game of the year in the United States-- the Super Bowl.

Around 200 National Football League (NFL) fans spent the morning drinking beer and watching a broadcast of the Green Bay Packers' 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2011 Super Bowl at the Brass Monkey, a restaurant located in downtown Taipei.

The 45th Super Bowl could not have taken place at a better time for local fans, as Monday marked the last day of the six-day Lunar New Year break.

"A Packers' Super Bowl victory! You can't find a better way to start a brand new year! " said Wu Ching-chi, who works in Taipei.

Due to broadcast rights issues, sports channels in Taiwan stopped carrying NFL games four years ago, which means that local fans can only watch NFL playoffs on premium digital channels, said Steve Lin, an anchor and analyst at All Sports Network, which owns the NFL broadcast rights in Taiwan.

On Monday morning, it appeared that most fans in the restaurant were rooting for the Packers, which did not secure victory until the final quarter.

"I would say that the New England Patriots probably have the most fans in Taiwan. But the Patriots were eliminated in the playoffs early this year, so my guess is that there are more fans supporting the tradition-rich Packers in the finals, " Lin said. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

President instructs Cabinet to be on full alert in 2011

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou wasted no time in the young Year of the Rabbit to urge his administration Monday to be "on alert at all times" and to place wealth distribution high on their policy agenda.

Speaking on the last day of the six-day Lunar New Year holiday, Ma addressed a wide range of issues, among them economics, flood control, cross-Taiwan Strait development and public communication, to dozens of high-ranking officials from his administration and the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) , in his first spring tea party since his inauguration in May 2008.

Vice President Vincent Siew, Premier Wu Den-yih, Vice Premier Sean Chen, National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-chen and all the members of the Cabinet attended the closed-door party held at the National Defense University.

Ma told the officials that the government's task in the coming year is not only to maintain the economic recovery, which he said was felt by the public last year, but also improve the distribution of wealth, according to Lo Chih-chiang, spokesman of the Presidential Office.

Public communication will be important for his administration in the new year, Lo quoted Ma as saying, as "press releases by government agencies are sometimes less efficient than public comments and explanations from relevant government officials."

The development of cross-Taiwan Strait relations since Ma's inauguration, including 15 agreements signed between Taiwan and China, has been rapid "because the stagnancy of bilateral relations during the previous administration jeopardized the interests of the people of Taiwan, " Ma was quoted as saying.

Following the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement last June, Ma said, there are still many issues to be resolved this year, including investment protection, a dispute settlement mechanism and agreements on trade in services and goods, according to Lo. (By Garfie Li and Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan protests Philippines' deportation of Taiwanese to China

Taipei, Feb. 2 (CNA) Taiwan is strongly opposed to the Philippine government's decision to deport 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China and will reexamine its relations with the Southeast Asian country, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday.

The Philippines government's handling of a cross-border fraud case was a "violation of the jurisdiction principle of nationality and its own legal procedures," the MOFA said in a press release.

Taiwan expresses "strong protest" and will "seriously reexamine its exchanges, " including its cooperation projects, with the Philippines, the ministry said.

A total of 24 suspects -- 14 Taiwanese and 10 Chinese -- were deported from the Philippines to China Wednesday morning at the request of the Chinese government, despite Taiwan's protests, according to the MOFA.

The suspects had been arrested on charges of cross-border fraud against Chinese nationals and are believed to have netted illegal profits of around NT$600 million (140 million yuan), the MOFA said.

The suspects were arrested by a joint task force from the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation and the Chinese police authority on Dec. 27 last year.

Since then, China had been asking the Philippines to deport all the suspects to China under an extradition agreement between the two countries, while Taiwan had been seeking repatriation of its nationals under the jurisdiction principle of nationality, according to the MOFA.

Taiwan's representative office in the Philippines tried until the last minute to stop the Taiwanese citizens from being sent to China, but the Philippines authorities refused the request, the ministry said.

The ministry said it summoned Antonio Basilio, director of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei -- the Philippines' representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official bilateral diplomatic ties -- and his deputy Carlo Aquino to state its position.

Donald Lee, Taiwan's representative to the Philippines, has written a formal letter of protest to Philippine President Benigno Aquino, according to the MOFA.

In addition, Deputy Foreign Minister Shen Ssu-tsun told MECO deputy director Carlo Aquino in their meeting Wednesday morning that Taiwan will seriously reexamine its relations and exchanges with the Philippines, the MOFA said.

The MOFA said it has also brought the matter to the attention of the Ministry of Justice and the Mainland Affairs Council, in the hope that the 14 suspects could be returned to Taiwan under the framework of the Cross-Strait Agreement on Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance.

The MECO declined Wednesday afternoon to comment on the issue. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc