Taiwan, PHL start talks on judicial cooperation

The Philippines and Taiwan on Tuesday kicked off efforts to establish a joint mechanism that can fight international crime. Both camps created a joint task force that will negotiate judicial cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported. "The establishment of the task force marks the start of bilateral judicial talks," Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) chairman Amadeo Perez Jr. said in an interview posted on CNA's website Tuesday night. Perez said the task force consists of officials from the Philippines judicial department, MECO, and Taiwan's representative office in Manila. Suggestions for a judicial cooperation mechanism were raised after a dispute last February involving the Philippines' deportation of 14 Taiwanese to China. [See story: MECO says PHL-Taiwan row 'close to resolution'] In retaliation, Taiwan imposed tight restrictions on Filipino workers heading for Taiwan. While the Philippines refused to accommodate Taiwan's demands for an apology, it replaced its key immigration officials – a gesture Taiwan considered as an indirect apology. On the other hand, Perez said that he did not know when the judicial cooperation talks would be completed and an agreement signed. But the CNA report quoted a Philippine official involved in the talks as saying he expected no "big differences" between Taipei and Manila on most of the agreement, except for the official title of the pact. The CNA said the Philippine official, who asked not to be named, said Taiwan and the Philippines have been joining hands to fight crime for years. Manila has repatriated four wanted Taiwanese since March this year, and Taiwan deported a Filipino suspect back to the Philippines earlier Tuesday. — LBG, GMA News