The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said it had no intention of getting involved in the fishing dispute with Japan, in response to a demand by People First Party Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) that Taiwan send warships to protect its fishing boats in the disputed waters near the Diaoyutais.
"I asked the ministry to put legislators on board Knox-class frigates to sail to the disputed waters on Friday. If the navy refuses to send warships, I will boycott the special arms budget and also try to cut the ministry's annual budget," the PFP lawmaker said at a press conference yesterday. The PFP has long been opposed to the special NT$480 billion (US$15.3 billion) arms procurement plan.
"I asked the ministry to take a hardline approach when handling fishing disputes with [Japan]. The warships should sail to the overlapping economic waters and assert Taiwan's sovereignty," Lin added.
However, the ministry said it currently had no plans to send the navy to patrol the disputed waters northeast of Taiwan. Fishing patrol duties are traditionally the responsibility of the coast guard.
"The annual `Han Kuang' (漢光) military exercises are taking place. Most naval forces are attending the drills. The ministry is unable to send warships to the disputed waters," ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Liou Chih-chien (劉志堅) said at a press conference in response to the legislator.
"The ministry routinely has three warships patrolling the waters around Taiwan, including the waters northeast of Taiwan. The area they patrol is from 20 to 60 nautical miles (37km to 111km) off Taiwan's coast, not -- as Legislator Lin claimed -- a mere 24 nautical miles from the coast," Liou added.
"According to the law, the coast guard plays the lead role in protecting fishermen, and the navy plays a supporting role," he added.
Rear Admiral Lee Hao (
He also said that three Jin Chiang-class patrol craft stationed in Keelung on that day were also capable of swiftly rescuing the fishing boats.
"If the coast guard had asked the navy to support its mission, the navy would have quickly sent warships," Lee added. "But because there were no Japanese warships in sight, and the coast guard did not ask the navy to rescue the fishing boats, the navy just observed the situation," Lee added.
Lin yesterday said the waters he asked the navy to sail to were areas routinely patrolled by the coast guard, navy and air force, so the ministry would not cause an international incident by deploying warships there.
He said that if Japanese aircraft or vessels took provocative action in the disputed waters, the navy should be prepared to respond.
Taiwanese fishermen said Japanese patrol boats had recently driven them away from the waters between the northeastern coast of Taiwan and Okinawa.
About 40 fishing boats from Taiwan sailed north on Thursday to challenge Japan's claim over the fishing grounds surrounding the disputed Diaoyutai group in the East China Sea.
The fishermen also attacked the coast guard for failing to protect Taiwan's fishing boats.
Taiwan and Japan have scheduled talks over the fishing dispute for next month.
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