Coast guard forces Chinese ship away

Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessel Hai An No. 3 is engaged in an exercise outside Kaohsiung yesterday morning. The exercise addressed the CGA's ability to handle, and respond to changes in, maritime terrorism, rescue and environmental crises. PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YIH, TAIPEI TIMES

The coast guard forced a Chinese research ship, the Fen Dou No.4 (奮鬥四號) to leave Taiwanese waters yesterday morning, after the vessel intruded into Taiwan's territory twice in seven days.

"Chinese research vessels have recently infringed on the boundaries of Taiwan's exclusive economic maritime zone under the guise of oceanic surveys, but they may be trying to acquire military intelligence," President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday, as he watched an anti-terrorism drill conducted by the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) in Kaohsiung.

"The intrusions not only violate the law, but they also have a bad influence on cross-strait ties," Chen said.

Chen said he had asked the CGA to strengthen aerial and maritime patrols in Taiwan's territory.

CGA Minister Shi Hwei-yow (許惠祐) yesterday said the Fan Dou No.4 was forced out of the waters south of Taiwan yesterday morning, and that two CGA vessels were stationed near the periphery of Taiwan's maritime zone to prevent the vessel's return.

He said "this is the third time this month that Chinese vessels have entered Taiwan's territory. The recent frequent intrusions of Chinese research ships were seen as unfriendly actions."

He added "the semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) had three times requested Chinese authorities recall the Fan Dou No.4, but it still stayed and refused to leave."

The CGA discovered the Fen Dou No. 4 some 175km southwest of Kaohsiung on the morning of May 22. A CGA vessel and aircraft closed in on the ship to force its departure, but the vessel refused to move.

The CGA said another three Coast Guard vessels arrived at the spot on May 23 in an effort to force the ship to leave, and the ship stopped its operations and left on May 24.

The CGA said, however, that the vessel returned to the waters south of Taiwan on May 26 and conducted operations there.

The vessel was again forced to leave by the Coast Guard yesterday morning, Shi said.

Shi said the Chinese vessels were in violation of regulations requiring that appropriate permission be obtained before entering the economic maritime zone.

The Chinese oil exploration vessel Tan Bao (探寶號) also intruded into Taiwanese territorial waters near the Pratas Islands (東沙島) early this month, and the ship was forced to depart by Taiwanese vessels.

The CGA found that a Chinese research vessel, Xiang Yang Hong No. 14 (向陽紅十四號) intruded into the waters south of Taiwan in November 2002, while two Chinese research vessels, the Huai Yang No. 4 (海洋四號) and the Bei Dou (北斗號), appeared in the northern and southern waters of Taiwan in April 2003. Also, the Xiang Yang Hong No. 6 (向陽紅六號) entered the waters north of Taiwan in August 2003.

Taiwanese military experts have said that Chinese exploration vessels frequently appear in waters south and north of Taiwan to conduct hydrographic research for submarines.