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Editorial: Guarding the guardians

Few people recognize the vital importance of the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) in keeping this country safe. Underfunded by an uninterested legislature and under-appreciated by a superficial media, the coast guard nevertheless has performed admirably in the six years since it was formed.

Unlike the military services, which spend their time preparing for a conflict everyone hopes will never come, the CGA is on the front lines of a low-intensity conflict all day, every day.

The conflict is not a war of geopolitical intrigue, but a battle against lawlessness -- one of international scope and importance. Whether the coast guard is helping to prevent bird flu from spreading by intercepting smuggled fowl, helping to keep our borders safe by intercepting contraband arms and narcotics, or helping to save lives in search and rescue operations, the men and women of the CGA are always ready to answer the call to duty.

But the CGA has been the focus of a lot of criticism in recent months over a handful of incidents that critics allege demonstrate the CGA is unable to do its job.

"The CGA has ignored the safety of Taiwanese fishermen," were the words of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Liao Wan-ju (廖婉汝) in May, after a search for a missing fishing boat initially turned up no results. The search was carried out in the vicinity of a typhoon, but no matter -- it was a good sound bite nonetheless. Liao probably wasn't much concerned about the facts of the case, or the feelings of the more than 15,000 men and women of the CGA.

Earlier this month, when two coast guard officers were abducted by Chinese fishermen, many people were quick to criticize, saying the assault rifle-armed officers had been overcome by a rabble wielding sticks and knives, and had obviously not been trained properly. These armchair critics never waited to hear what really happened. The officers were not threatened; rather, the fishermen refused to surrender in Taiwanese waters, racing away from the scene with the officers onboard. Rather than escalate an already tense situation in waters between two hostile nations, the coast guard officers opted to keep their cool and try to negotiate a solution. They acted correctly.

Officers who can act so sensibly are not made overnight. A member of a coast guard patrol must be ready to face any contingency when he or she leaves port. Desperate criminals, distressed mariners, surly smugglers or misbehaving fishermen -- any or all of these await the average coast guard patrol.

Undoubtedly the critics will use yesterday's incident -- in which Chinese poachers attacked two coast guard officers -- as more fodder for painting the portrait of an inept CGA. But where are the poachers now? In a Taiwanese jail awaiting charges, thanks to the coast guard.

Months ago, the CGA told the Legislative Yuan that it required additional ships and equipment to perform its duties adequately.

KMT Legislator Joanna Lei (雷倩) and People First Party Legislator Nelson Ku (顧崇廉) blasted the coast guard over its request. They accused it of trying to become a "second navy" -- again, a good sound bite, but one without any meaning.

It makes no sense to accuse the CGA of incompetence, and then deny its request for additional equipment and funding. Can the CGA do its job or not? Clearly it can. Witness the success of the crackdown on smuggling into Kinmen. The CGA could do an even better job if it received the support it needs to hold the line against the flood of smugglers, poachers and other criminals trying to get into Taiwan.

More importantly, the selfless men and women of the coast guard deserve every advantage we can give them. We must guard them, so that they can continue guarding us.
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