A Philippine court found eight Filipino coast guard personnel guilty Wednesday of conspiring to shoot and kill a Taiwanese fisherman in a 2013 incident at sea that strained ties between the neighboring nations.
Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Eduardo Ramon Reyes said in a decision that the coast guard men failed to prove that their action of opening fire on the Taiwanese boat that killed Hong Shi Cheng on May 9, 2013, off the northern Philippines was legally justified. The coast guard men, who remain free on bail, will appeal.
Reyes said in his 32-page decision that the accused conspired "with intent to kill, killed victim Hoh Shi Cheng with no legal justification duly proven." The coast guard men were sentenced to jail terms of up to 14 years and ordered to pay for damages.
Taiwan's government welcomed the ruling, saying in a statement that the shooting happened in the two sides' overlapping exclusive economic zones and that the Philippine government vessel "chased and attacked" the unarmed Taiwanese fishing boat, causing its 65-year-old skipper's death.
Philippine coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said the agency's personnel were saddened by the ruling but would continue patrolling the country's waters.
"We believe that they just did their duty defending our territorial integrity. But the court has spoken and we will respect that and we will continue to support them," Balilo told reporters.
The coast guard men argued during the trial that the Taiwanese boat, Guang Da Xing No. 28, illegally entered Philippine waters in the Balintang Channel and sped away instead of stopping when they were about to board it.
During a chase, the Taiwanese changed course and almost hit the Philippine coast guard vessel before speeding away again, prompting a coast guard officer to order his men to "fire for effect to the engine." The Taiwanese crewmen were on their way back to port after fishing in the high seas and sped away to avoid the gunfire coming from the Philippine coast guard vessel, according to the decision.
The Taiwanese boat was hit by gunfire at least 45 times. Hoh Shi Cheng was hit once in the neck near the entrance to the boat's engine room while the other crewmen took cover, the court said.
Taiwanese officials protested the killing and the use of excessive force, prompting Philippine officials to issue an apology and order an investigation of the coast guard personnel involved in the incident.
Relations have since normalized between the Philippines and Taiwan, where thousands of Filipinos live and work. Aside from a number of territorial spats along their sea border, the two governments have overlapping territorial claims in the volatile South China Sea.
Associated Press photojournalist Bullit Marquez contributed to this report.
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
