People's Republic of China Position on Palau Illegal Fishing Deaths . . . .
Palau urged to handle fishing incident in 'fair and proper way'
Updated: 2012-04-06 08:04
By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
Beijing on Thursday sent diplomats to meet with Chinese citizens detained in Palau for alleged illegal fishing, urging local authorities to handle the incident in a fair and proper way.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei confirmed the incident at a regular news conference on Thursday. Hong said Palau authorities told Beijing that 25 Chinese fishermen are in custody in the Pacific island country. One of the crewmembers was "accidentally" shot dead by local police while they were chasing the Chinese vessel.
"As China has no diplomatic relations with Palau, the Chinese embassy in Micronesia, which is in charge of Palau-related affairs, has immediately launched an emergency system and urged Palau to notify China of details of the case and handle the incident in a fair and proper way," Hong said.
Palau President Johnson Toribiong expressed his regret and conveyed personal condolences to the family of the slain Chinese fisherman. Toribiong told Xinhua: "Let me express my condolences to the family of one of the 25 Chinese who has died from an accidental gunshot which ricocheted - according to the information I have been provided - and struck him in the thigh."
Toribiong said that despite receiving medical treatment the fisherman died from a loss of blood.
The incident marked a tragic week for the pacific island nation of just more than 20,000. A US pilot and two young police officers also went missing during the subsequent search for the fisherman's vessel. The single-engine Cessna aircraft left the Palau National Airport on Sunday, but more than three hours after it was due to return the pilot radioed that his navigational systems had failed and he was running out of fuel. The US Coast Guard and a mega-yacht owned by US billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who happened to be in the area, were also searching for the crew.
Toribiong said the Chinese fishermen are "under protective custody, safe and secure and no harassment or undue action will bear".
Wen Zhencai, a Chinese diplomat due to arrive in Palau on Thursday, told Xinhua that the Chinese government will investigate the incident and make sure Chinese citizens are treated properly in Palau. The embassy has commissioned Palau groups friendly to China to visit the detained Chinese, Hong added.
Palau, located around 800 kilometers east of the Philippines, has diplomatic relations with Taipei, instead of Beijing. Wen said that the Palau government said the fishermen were from Hainan province. He said the explanation of the shooting is just a "one-sided message from Palau". He said the Chinese diplomats will investigate the case with cooperation from Palau authorities and meet the detained citizens "one by one" to learn what happened and offer consular protection if necessary.
The US is currently responsible for the defense of Palau, which gained independence in 1994.
Qu Xing, director of the China Institute of International Studies, said the way the case is handled will be quite complicated given the fact that Beijing has no diplomatic ties with Palau. "Regardless of whether we have a diplomatic relationship, the fishermen have the right to meet representatives sent by the Chinese government and to receive legal assistance and an independent investigation, while the dead should have due compensation," Qu said.
On the other hand, the Chinese fishermen should also be responsible for their actions if the case is confirmed to be illegal fishing, he added.
AFP and Xinhua contributed to this story. lixiaokun@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 04/06/2012 page11)
Updated: 2012-04-06 08:04
By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
Beijing on Thursday sent diplomats to meet with Chinese citizens detained in Palau for alleged illegal fishing, urging local authorities to handle the incident in a fair and proper way.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei confirmed the incident at a regular news conference on Thursday. Hong said Palau authorities told Beijing that 25 Chinese fishermen are in custody in the Pacific island country. One of the crewmembers was "accidentally" shot dead by local police while they were chasing the Chinese vessel.
"As China has no diplomatic relations with Palau, the Chinese embassy in Micronesia, which is in charge of Palau-related affairs, has immediately launched an emergency system and urged Palau to notify China of details of the case and handle the incident in a fair and proper way," Hong said.
Palau President Johnson Toribiong expressed his regret and conveyed personal condolences to the family of the slain Chinese fisherman. Toribiong told Xinhua: "Let me express my condolences to the family of one of the 25 Chinese who has died from an accidental gunshot which ricocheted - according to the information I have been provided - and struck him in the thigh."
Toribiong said that despite receiving medical treatment the fisherman died from a loss of blood.
The incident marked a tragic week for the pacific island nation of just more than 20,000. A US pilot and two young police officers also went missing during the subsequent search for the fisherman's vessel. The single-engine Cessna aircraft left the Palau National Airport on Sunday, but more than three hours after it was due to return the pilot radioed that his navigational systems had failed and he was running out of fuel. The US Coast Guard and a mega-yacht owned by US billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who happened to be in the area, were also searching for the crew.
Toribiong said the Chinese fishermen are "under protective custody, safe and secure and no harassment or undue action will bear".
Wen Zhencai, a Chinese diplomat due to arrive in Palau on Thursday, told Xinhua that the Chinese government will investigate the incident and make sure Chinese citizens are treated properly in Palau. The embassy has commissioned Palau groups friendly to China to visit the detained Chinese, Hong added.
Palau, located around 800 kilometers east of the Philippines, has diplomatic relations with Taipei, instead of Beijing. Wen said that the Palau government said the fishermen were from Hainan province. He said the explanation of the shooting is just a "one-sided message from Palau". He said the Chinese diplomats will investigate the case with cooperation from Palau authorities and meet the detained citizens "one by one" to learn what happened and offer consular protection if necessary.
The US is currently responsible for the defense of Palau, which gained independence in 1994.
Qu Xing, director of the China Institute of International Studies, said the way the case is handled will be quite complicated given the fact that Beijing has no diplomatic ties with Palau. "Regardless of whether we have a diplomatic relationship, the fishermen have the right to meet representatives sent by the Chinese government and to receive legal assistance and an independent investigation, while the dead should have due compensation," Qu said.
On the other hand, the Chinese fishermen should also be responsible for their actions if the case is confirmed to be illegal fishing, he added.
AFP and Xinhua contributed to this story. lixiaokun@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 04/06/2012 page11)