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.
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