Taiwan’s representative to the Philippines Gary Lin on Saturday said there is no truth to rumors that Taiwan and the Philippines had reached an agreement to allow Taiwanese fishermen to operate in Philippine waters.
Lin urged Taiwanese fishermen not to believe the rumors, warning that they could be detained on suspicion of poaching if they enter Philippine waters.
The Philippine constitution prohibits foreign vessels from fishing in the country’s waters, Lin said, as 10 Taiwanese fishing boats were reportedly preparing to sail into Philippine waters.
A newly amended fisheries law in the Philippines states that foreign vessels caught poaching in Philippine waters can be subject to an administrative fine of between US$600,000 and US$1 million, or a fine of US$1.2 million if convicted. Foreign vessels caught fishing in the country’s internal waters are liable to an additional penalty of six to 26 months in prison.
Repeat offenders risk a fine of up to US$2.4 million and three years in prison, according to the new law.
In November last year, Taiwan and the Philippines signed the Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters, in the wake of an incident in 2013, in which a Philippine Coast Guard vessel opened fire on a Taiwanese fishing boat, killing a Taiwanese fisherman.
The agreement did not include the sharing of fisheries resources, but was instead focused on avoiding the use of violence or unnecessary force in fishery disputes and establishing an emergency notification system and a prompt release mechanism.
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