On July 31, 1907, the Kingdom of Portugal officially responded, deciding not to hand over any Portuguese fishermen and insisting that Portuguese fishermen had no responsibility in the conflict.
This decision by the Portuguese government also caused quite a stir among European citizens.
Europeans couldn't believe that, under the circumstances where both human and material evidence were present, the Portuguese still stubbornly denied the responsibility of Portuguese fishermen in the conflict and even brazenly shielded the criminals.
Even Arthur didn't expect the Portuguese to be so tough. Despite the clearly unfavorable European public opinion, they resolutely stuck to their position.
However, this is a good thing for Australasia. If the Portuguese government quickly compromised, then Australasia would have no excuse to intervene in Portuguese Timor.
