Thu, Apr 13, 2000 page2

• Coast guard comes under attack

  MARITIME ALERTNESS Legislators feel that the new Coast Guard Administration has not been the consummate solution it was intended to be, and the recent no-show by its director at a scheduled meeting has only added fuel to the fire

  • By Monique Chu / STAFF REPORTER
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  Legislators verbally attacked the director of the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday after he failed to show up for a scheduled report to the legislature, saying that without his cooperation, it was impossible to supervise the operations of the newly-established -- and somewhat controversial -- agency.

  CGA deputy director You Chian-tshiz (游乾賜) was present to defend his superior saying that the coast guard had not neglected its duty to safeguard national security after the presidential election.

  CGA director Yao Kao-chiao (姚高橋) had been scheduled to report on the operation of the CGA, which was formally established on Feb. 1.

  Lawmaker Yang Jeng-fu (楊仁福) confirmed that Yao had asked for leave due to an appointment with military representatives in Kinmen to discuss the borrowing of patrol boats from the military.

  Although it was a lack of quorum -- not Yao's absence -- that led to a cancellation of the scheduled committee meeting, some legislators still used the opportunity to attack CGA officials.

  DPP legislator Yen Ching-fu (顏錦福) said Yao's absence scuttled all attempts to supervise the operations of the administration.

  "When the administration was inaugurated on Feb. 1, many questioned whether it would be able to perform up to expectations by incorporating various existing agencies," said Yen.

  The CGA is to combine the resources previously used by the coast guard command of the navy, the marine police under the National Police Administration, and certain functions of the customs services under the Ministry of Finance.

  "I have real doubts as to whether rampant smuggling has been largely reduced [following the establishment of the CGA]. Unfortunately, I have no opportunity to find out the answer now," he added.

  DPP legislator Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) said that with some 20,000 employees at its disposal, the CGA has an obligation to the public to make clear just what it has done and should be doing in the future to ensure national security -- particularly now, after a change of president.

  "Recent reports have said fishing boats from China gathered around Kinmen and Matsu in an unusual manner. I believe the intention of those aboard the boats was not entirely to be trusted," Tsai said.

  "The national security of Taiwan is an issue important to everyone, and I urge the CGA not to weaken their resolve but to get on with their work," he said.

  CGA Deputy Director You confirmed that the number of fishing boats from China anchored near Kinmen and Tungyin had increased lately.

  But according to a CGA investigation, these boats were merely seeking shelter from bad weather at sea, he said.

  "According to our understanding, no other factors were involved," You told the Taipei Times.

  Instead of dragging their feet, CGA staffers have put a great deal of effort into their work since the presidential election, he said.

  Although You said that smuggling has been better controlled following the establishment of the CGA, he admitted that staffers needed more on-the-job training to increase their skills as judicial police -- a new status given to them under new laws mandating the establishment of the administration.

  The CGA's main functions are to shoulder responsibility for coastal defense tasks, such as discouraging illegal fishing and smuggling, and to preserve natural resources on coastal and offshore regions.
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