The government must protect fishers detained by China after their vessel was seized while operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said yesterday, adding that Beijing is changing the rules of engagement in the area and taking a tougher stance on fishers.
Late on Tuesday, the China Coast Guard boarded and seized the Taiwanese fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) operating near its coast before taking it to a Chinese port, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said.
“If the Penghu County-registered boat had entered within 12 nautical miles [22.2km] of the Chinese coast, which China regards as inside its territory, to fish using trawling nets, then it is difficult to make a case against them,” Shen said at the legislature in Taipei. “We must first focus on protecting the lives of the fishing crew and seek their release.”
Photo courtesy of Chen Shuang-chuan
Data released by the CGA showed that the area where the boat had been boarded and seized is currently under a seasonal fishing moratorium, he said.
“In the past, fishers from both sides had a tacit understanding about operating in the area, but now the rules have changed, China is applying its new legal framework, under which it considers these activities to be ‘intruding into Chinese marine territory to engage in illegal fishing,’ so we must also take a serious approach in dealing with the situation,” he said.
Fisheries Agency Director-General Chang Chih-sheng (張致盛) told legislators that the agency is working with other government officials to negotiate talks with China.
In the past, detained fishing boats were released within a few days, after paying a fine, he said.
The agency had issued a notification to all fishers that China had earlier announced that the area was closed to fishing from May to August each year, he said, adding that he hoped all fishers observe the restrictions.
Meanwhile, Penghu Cross-Strait Exchange Association chairman Lin Ping-kun (林炳坤), commissioned to negotiate with Chinese officials on behalf of the crew of the Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88), said the squid-fishing vessel had intruded into Chinese waters and contravened a seasonal fishing ban.
He urged lawmakers not to make it a political issue that could escalate cross-strait tensions, as the matter could likely be resolved by paying a fine.
The vessel’s captain, surnamed Hung (洪), yesterday contacted his family to commission Lin to negotiate on their behalf.
“This incident is not complicated. Hung’s boat contravened China’s seasonal fishing restrictions. We do not want people to manipulate the matter into a political issue, such as some politicians saying the Chinese government is trying to escalate tensions with President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration. Such talk would only create more unnecessary problems,” Lin said.
The former KMT legislator said that the fishing season for neritic squid in the Taiwan Strait is from June to August, and boats from Penghu typically go to waters around Kinmen to catch the cephalopods.
“In previous years, when we had amiable cross-strait relations, Chinese authorities would not make much fuss about it,” he said.
However, amid tensions between Taipei and Beijing, and as Taiwan is enforcing regulations to repel Chinese vessels encroaching on its territory, “it is easy to see why Chinese authorities would not tolerate this kind of intrusion,” he said.
Captains of boats from Kinmen are aware of the seasonal ban, and would not dare go near China’s coast to fish, so Penghu fishers should do the same, Lin said.
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