Taiwan to escort fishing vessels on regular basis

Taiwan's coast guard will escort fishing ships on regular basis to protect them from harassment by the Philippines, the island's leader Ma Ying-jeou said Wednesday.

Taiwan authorities will not allow the incident, which happened to the fishing vessel Guang Ta Hsin 28, to occur again, said Ma at a meeting of the Kuomintang, the island's ruling party.

Guang Ta Hsin 28 was fired at by Philippine Coast Guard officers on May 9 in a sea area located 160 nautical miles southeast of Taiwan. The attack resulted in the death of a 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman.

The authorities will try their best to protect the rights and interests of local fishermen, Ma said.

Taiwan is still discussing with the Philippines about a joint investigation into the shooting and expects it to be settled as soon as possible, he said.

No matter what the result of the probe is, the Philippine government should appologize to and compensate the victim's family, he said, adding that the lack of an apology is "an attitude problem."