“Don’t the Diaoyutai islands belong to Ilan County? How dare the Japanese detain and question this captain and his crew? Is it because the Japanese government assumed that the Taiwanese government would not confront it on this issue?” Lee asked.
Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋), who accompanied family members of the boat’s crew in protest against Japan’s actions last week, vowed to provide legal help for Ho and his crew and to seek compensation from Tokyo.
“We local governments will be tough and continue to press Japan to protect the rights of our fishermen,” Chou said yesterday.
Chou said the local government would help the fishermen file a lawsuit against Japan.
The Ministry of Justice last night issued a statement saying that because the Diaoyutai are Taiwan’s territory, Taiwan enjoys jurisdiction over the islands.
If the fisherman files a suit against officers on the Japanese patrol boat, prosecutors would launch an investigation into whether the Japanese violated any criminal law, the statement said, adding that if the fisherman files a civil lawsuit in Japan asking for compensation, the ministry would offer help too.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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