Remember the Maine Incident of 1898? The USS Maine sank off Havana after an explosion and two crew members were killed. An anti-Spanish press enflamed American public opinion to a war-fevered pitch. Congress clamored for action. President William McKinley reluctantly succumbed and asked Congress to declare war. Congress did, of course. The Spanish-American War was brief, and the US acquired the Philippines as a colony, which it called a territory. Is there a parallel to Taiwan now?

A Taiwan fishing boat, the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, was shot at by an official Philippine vessel in waters 43 nautical miles east of Balintang Island in the Bashi Channel, which Manila claims as its territory. The spot is 165 nautical miles south of Taiwan’s Cape Eluanbi. A crew member of the tuna boat was killed. An anti-Philippines press here started enflaming public opinion to a jingoist pitch.

As Manila dillydallied in its response, Premier Jiang Yi-huah imposed sanctions after President Ma Ying-jeou’s demands of a public apology, compensation, a full investigation and punishment of the perpetrators, and negotiations for a fishery agreement were not met.

Ma asked for a satisfactory reply within 72 hours. The ultranationalist press termed Ma’s demands an “ultimatum,” which it wasn’t really. International law forbids the outbreak of hostilities without a warning. As reasons for a declaration of war are necessarily in the nature of an ultimatum, the ultimatum, which means the last one (in negotiations) in Latin, is now regarded as an indispensable formality preceding the outbreak of hostilities. Perhaps the reporters were ignorant, or perhaps they were hoping there would be a brief war?

Taiwan’s fair and just demands shocked Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and disabled him from duly and properly managing the crisis. But he complied and asked his representative in Taipei, Antonio Basilio, to talk with Foreign Minister David Lin about the demands and about sending a special envoy, Chairman Amadeo Perez of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, to Taipei to convey regret and an apology to the bereaved family. After marathon talks, Lin announced the Philippine response was “positive” but needed “clarity.”

Lin did his job, but that wasn’t good enough for the jingoist press. Ma, under pressure from the ultranationalist public opinion the media fanned up, overruled Lin and ordered more sanctions if Manila could not come up with a better response. Perez came on schedule, but the Foreign Ministry, fearful of press criticism, did not let him formally convey regret and apology on behalf of Aquino and the people of the Philippines. A humiliated Perez had to say sorry for the Philippines in a departure statement from the airport.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Justice came up with a report on the incident. Also scared of a press grilling, investigators concluded that the death of the fisherman was premeditated, ignoring Manila’s claim that the killing was the unintended result of the Philippine crew firing warning shots when the fishing boat tried to ram it. Then, Taiwan sent a 17-member investigation team to Manila. Unable to bear the humiliation, Manila asked the team to return to Taipei.

All this has so angered the Philippines as to get Aquino to have his spokesman say that the Philippines has gone the “extra mile to appease Taiwan” and there wouldn’t be a joint investigation. The Bureau of National Investigation of the Philippines is investigating the shooting incident alone, reneging on an earlier statement welcoming a joint investigation.

The Philippines has yet to complete its investigation of the incident, but Ma, based on the Justice Ministry report, prematurely called the shooting “cold-blooded murder”, taking issue with Manila’s position that it was an “unfortunate and unintended loss of life”.

Jiang has hinted at further sanctions in a “long war of resistance” with the Philippines, which he said does not do things as his administration does and which will certainly continue to dillydally. With anti-Philippine sentiment turning ugly with the encouragement of the press, Taiwan seems happy to engage in this long war of resistance, and this has worried Uncle Sam.

Steve Chabot, chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and Pacific Affairs, issued a statement last Wednesday wishing the row between Taiwan and the Philippines to end soon. It called the shooting an act of violence, which is true and against international law.

There is little doubt that Aquino will heed what Uncle Sam says. It’s up to Ma to rid himself of his media-phobia and to come to a compromise for a rapprochement with the Philippines as soon as possible. After all, everybody knows Taiwan’s press is very free but not quite responsible.

(The China Post (Taiwan))

(Asia News Network)