Investigators in Manila have recommended homicide charges be brought against eight Philippine coast guard members for killing a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters three months ago.
The lead investigator said Wednesday that video of the incident did not support the coast cuards' claim that they fired in self-defense after the small fishing boat tried to ram their patrol craft.
Taiwan, which reached the same conclusion in its own investigation, welcomed the Philippine investigators' conclusion. The foreign ministry in Taipei says it will now seek cancellation of sanctions imposed on Manila following the incident, including a ban on Filippinos working in Taiwan.
All eight coast guards fired on the fishing boat in the incident in May, which took place near the Philippines' northernmost islands. The 65-year-old man who died was one of four people on board.
The eight Filipino coast guards already face homicide charges in Taiwan, but it is unlikely they will be tried there. Taiwan's Deputy Justice Minister Chen Ming-tang called on the Philippine judicial system to prosecute and sentence the men to the fullest extent of the law.