The Philippines has released a Taiwanese fishing vessel found operating illegally in Philippine waters last week. The Fisheries Agency reports that the vessel and its mixed Taiwanese-Indonesian crew were released Thursday.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister David Lin has called on Taiwanese vessels in foreign waters to respect local regulations.
Lin was speaking Thursday, one week after Philippine authorities detained the crew of a Taiwanese vessel for operating illegally in Philippine waters.
Lin said that the Philippine government has demonstrated goodwill in handling the case, respecting bilateral agreements on maritime law enforcement.
Lin said that Taiwanese vessels must demonstrate innocent passage while in foreign waters, either by informing the local authorities in advance or hoisting the national flag.