Body cameras for crew members would be acquired, the Coast Guard Administration said yesterday following criticism over about a lack of video evidence of a fatal incident involving a Chinese speedboat last week, which the agency confirmed was due to a collision.
The agency plans to procure 3,061 recording devices through next year and 240 devices per year from 2026 to 2028, Coast Guard Administration Deputy Director-General Chang Chung-lung (張忠龍) told reporters.
The agency faced criticism over a lack of video footage to back up its claims that it was not at fault for the deaths of two men on a Chinese speedboat that capsized after a high-speed chase and contact with a patrol vessel on Wednesday last week.
Photo: CNA
The speedboat was spotted trespassing in “prohibited” waters within 1.1 nautical miles (2.04km) east of Kinmen County. It fled after refusing coast guard attempts to board the vessel, setting off a chase that led to the capsizing.
Two men who survived the incident were deported to China on Tuesday after Kinmen prosecutors questioned them.
Recording equipment is not standard for 10-tonne ships such as the one involved in the chase, Chang said, adding that a lack of recording devices did not contravene regulations.
However, crew members are required to have handheld recording devices, Chang said.
The coast guard personnel had handheld recording devices onboard, but they were not used, as the crew had to hold on during the chase, he said.
The lack of footage should not affect the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office’s ability to ascertain which side was at fault, he added.
Mainland Affairs Council Vice Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said that the loss of life was regrettable, but added that he supports continued coast guard patrols to uphold the law.
“I do not believe that it [the lack of recordings] would affect the truth,” Liang said.
Separately yesterday, the prosecutors’ office held its first news conference on the matter, clarifying points highlighted by media coverage of the incident.
While the surviving Chinese crew members, surnamed Xu (徐) and Wang (王), had differing statements on whether the two boats had collided, neither had expressed opinions on the coast guard’s handling of the matter, Head Prosecutor Shih Chia-jung (施家榮) said.
Xu told prosecutors that the Chinese boat had increased its speed in an attempt to flee and that both boats had bumped into each other, while Wang described how the boats were “going very fast,” but did not feel that they had collided, Shih said.
Media reports said that one of the two had told Chinese media that the boat they were on capsized only because it was hit by the coast guard ship.
Shih said that the office had not issued an official comment on which side was responsible for the incident, nor had it explicitly stated that the Chinese boat capsized due to a “collision.”
Coast guard officials told a news conference in Kinmen that the Chinese boat had capsized after “snaking” to avoid the inspection.
“During the chase, which lasted about one minute or more ... the mainland boat kept snaking to get away from our patrol vessel,” Coast Guard Administration official Chen Chien-wen (陳建文) told reporters.
“The boat turned sharply to the right, causing its stern to hit the front right of the patrol vessel... The Chinese speedboat lost its balance and capsized,” he said.
Regarding the media’s portrayal of the office as “waiting for approval before commentary,” Shih said he meant that he required approval from his superiors before commenting.
The Coast Guard Administration referred the case to the prosecutors’ office two days after the incident due to proper procedure, as it had to contact family members of those who died in China, Shih said.
The next of kin were notified on the day of the incident, and the case was forwarded to the office on Friday last week, as it was uncertain when the next of kin could travel to Taiwan, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA and AFP
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