Taiwan Military Holds Drills Amid Row With Manila

[Time]

(ABOARD A TAIWANESE DESTROYER IN THE BASHI STRAIT) — Taiwan's military on Thursday conducted exercises in waters between Taiwan and the Philippines, close to the spot where Filipino coast guard personnel opened fire on a Taiwanese fishing vessel last week, killing a 65-year-old-crew member. Two Lafayette frigates, one Kidd-class destroyer, two missile boats and assorted Mirage and locally produced jet fighters took part in the drill, underscoring Taiwan's anger over the incident, which has dominated local media coverage for the past week. It seems certain to benefit President Ma Ying-jeou, desperately in need of a public relations victory following a protracted economic slowdown that has helped depress his once buoyant approval rating to new lows that were in the mid-teens as of last week. Ma is also likely to be aided by the seemingly inflexible attitude taken by his premier, who on Wednesday brushed aside an apology by Manila — the second in 24 hours — as insufficient and insincere. As a result, a series of Taiwanese sanctions imposed on the Philippines — a hiring freeze placed on Philippine workers coming to Taiwan, the recall of Taiwan's semi-official to Manila and the discouraging of Taiwanese travel to the Southeast Asian nation — will all remain in effect. On Thursday, it was the Taiwanese military exercises in the Bashi Strait that captured most of the attention in Taiwan, with cable TV news stations offering full coverage of the sea and air maneuvers. Commentators drew repeated attention to the presence of heavily armed naval ships protecting the Taiwanese fishing boats working in the area — a reminder that Taiwan is prepared to do everything it can to discourage a reprise of last week's incident. "Our naval drill is meant to flex our muscles and protect our sovereignty," gushed CTI TV, while ETTV added ominously: "Our Mirage fighters are heavily armed with missiles. Our naval crews are maneuvering on the very doorstep of the Philippines." The circumstances behind the May 9 shooting remain shrouded in controversy. While the Philippines acknowledges that its coast

Via: TIME GlobalSpin