NBI: Results of Taiwan-Phl probe not yet ready

MANILA, Philippines - The results of the parallel probe of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Taiwanese investigators scheduled to be released late Thursday "is not yet ready" as of Friday morning, a bureau official said.

NBI Deputy Director Virgilio Mendez said that differing details of the joint report looking into the May 9 fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in Balintang Channel off Batanes Island are yet to be ironed out.

The Taiwanese team, for one, has reported that there were 22 firearms in custody of the Philippine Coast Guard when its personnel fired at the 65-year-old fisherman's boat while the NBI team only counted 15 guns, he said.

The agent added that authenticated documents from the Taiwan side have yet to reach the bureau. He said they only have advanced and unofficial copies of the report as of the moment.

There is also a pending translation of some documents written in Taiwan's official Mandarin, Mendez said.

The consolidated report is expected to be released before the week ends.

The incident caused bilateral tension between the Philippines and Taiwan, with the latter ordering a halt in official exchanges between the two countries. Taiwan also issued a red travel alert to Taipei-Manila incoming and outgoing flights as well as a sanction on Filipino workers wishing to join Taiwan's labor force.