The Taiwanese fishing boat detained by the Philippines on Thursday on suspicion of poaching was caught within that country’s territorial waters, but the reasons behind the intrusion have not yet been determined, government officials said yesterday.
The Sheng Fong No. 12 (昇豐12) was at 21.3o north latitude and 122.2o east longitude, 6.5 nautical miles (12km) southeast of Mavulis Island, called Yami Island by Taiwan, the northernmost island of the Batan Islands, when it was stopped for inspection by a Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessel, officials said.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei by telephone yesterday morning, Representative to the Philippines Gary Lin (林松煥) said the fishing boat was taken in Philippine territorial waters, but it was not fishing there.
Lin said he had talked to Hung Tien-ting (洪添丁), captain of the 36.13-tonne vessel registered in Pingtung County’s Liouciou Township (琉球) on Thursday.
Any foreign fishing vessel that enters Philippine territorial waters without a permit can be fined or persecuted, Lin said, adding that his office is working to have the case settled out of court.
The captain’s son, Hung Wen-kuang (洪文廣), said the Sheng Fong No. 12 entered Philippine waters in an attempt to escape rough seas caused by a typhoon.
“It is unreasonable for the Philippines to detain the vessel and its crew and demand a fine of NT$1.5 million [US$48,760],” Hung Wen-kuang said.
Taipei and Manila have been in talks to clarify details of the incident since Thursday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-General Elliot Charng (常以立) told a news conference in Taipei.
Investigations into the poaching allegation are ongoing, Charng said.
“We urge the Philippines to release the vessel and its crew as soon as the investigation is completed,” he said.
Hung Tien-ting, the boat’s Taiwanese chief engineer and four Indonesian crew members are being detained at Basco Harbor on Batan, ministry spokesperson Anna Kao (高安) said.
“They are safe and freedom of movement and communications have not been restricted,” Kao said.
Separately, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Tsang-min (林滄敏) and two others called a news conference at the legislature to urge the government to toughen its negotiating position against the Philippines over the case.
“The Philippines arbitrarily detained the fishing vessel when it was harmlessly passing through its waters due to severe weather conditions,” Lin said.
The government should demand the immediate and unconditional release of the boat and its crew, KMT Legislator Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) said.
Some academics say that Batan, where some residents are descendants of people from Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球), which is part of Liouciou Township, is the territory of the Republic of China, Su said.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
RSS