A delegation currently in Manila to investigate the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by a Philippine state vessel is expected to return to Taiwan soon, a diplomatic source said yesterday.

President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday that a Philippine government vessel's use of automatic weapons to strafe an unarmed and unprovocative fishing boat was “cold-blooded murder.”

The Philippine envoy to Taiwan on Friday advised thousands of Filipino workers in Taiwan to eat at home and avoid the streets while emotions run high on the island over the shooting death of a fisherman by the Philippine coast guard.

Vendors warned yesterday that the price of poultry might increase in June due to an increase in electricity prices that have resulted from the ban on the slaughter of fowl in traditional markets.

The only H7N9 patient so far in Taiwan was carrying two strains of the same virus, with one being drug resistant and the other not, making it tricky to treat to him, doctors said yesterday.

lice confirmed that a Philippine worker was attacked by four Taiwanese and beaten with iron sticks and baseball bats in Tainan City on May 16 following the recent heated dispute between Taiwan and the Philippines.

The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday that three additional large vessels have been dispatched since May 10 to waters south of Taiwan to increase the protection of Taiwanese fishermen in the wake of the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman operating in the area.

Days away from marking his fifth anniversary as Taiwan's head of state, there should be little fanfare for President Ma Ying-jeou and his administration, according to the opposition.

An alleged fraud group of 12 was arrested by the Yunlin police yesterday, after they were accused of scamming over NT$30 million by disguising themselves as government prosecutors.

Taiwan's Wu Ching-kuo confirmed yesterday that he has submitted official documents to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), becoming the third candidate aiming for the top position in the world's most influential sports organization.