MANILA, Philippines - The family of the Taiwanese fisherman killed in a shooting off Batanes last May 9 has refused the National Bureau of Investigation's (NBI) request to conduct a re-autopsy of the victim's body.
"We cannot force them to agree to a re-autopsy," Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told reporters on Tuesday.
De Lima said that the eight-man NBI probe team will instead ask for the autopsy report of 65-year-old Hung Shih-Cheng.
The NBI team, led by foreign liaison division chief Daniel Deganzo, arrived in Taiwan on Monday morning.
The team will examine the fishing vessel involved in the incident and interview its crew.
As the NBI team arrived in Taiwan, a team of Taiwanese investigators also arrived in Manila on Monday morning.
The Taiwanese team is led by Prosecutor Lin Yen Liang and Criminal Investigation Bureau-International Affairs Division chief Simon Lee.
Also with the group were prosecutors Liu Chia Kai, Tseng Shih Che, Chang Hung Jui, and forensic experts Lee Jian Jinn, Lee Jing Wei and Lin Guh Ting.
The swap is part of the agreed parallel, but separate investigation on the fatal shooting of the Taiwanese fisherman, whose group was suspected of poaching in Balintang channel in waters off Batanes.
Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) deputy secretary of the board Art Abierra said the two sides had met “to agree on the extent of the activities that will be undertaken in two or three days.â€
“We cannot disclose any of the details and we do not know how long it will take, but they (Taiwanese) will finish the investigation before going back,†Abierra said.
The NBI earlier said the Taiwanese probers will resume today the ballistic examination on the firearms used by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel involved in the incident.
The bureau said it is ready to share substantial information with the Taiwanese investigators, who would also be allowed to see the video footage submitted by the PCG showing part of the encounter between the Taiwanese fishing boat and a Philippine vessel.
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