The government is considering dispatching navy warships to protect long-distance fishing boats from Somali pirates, Samuel Chen (陳士良), director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of African Affairs, said yesterday.
Referring to intergovernmental coordination meetings held to discuss an anti-piracy mechanism following an incident in which a Taiwanese skipper on a hijacked fishing boat was killed in May, Chen said that provided “technical difficulties” were resolved, navy ships could provide security for Taiwanese fishing vessels off the coast of Africa.
Chen denied politics or opposition from Beijing had been involved in the decision on whether to station a naval fleet near the Somali coast.
“The [China] factor hasn’t been relevant in our thinking on measures to better protect our fishermen,” he said.
The main problem in dispatching naval frigates to Somalia is one of logistics, Chen said.
Several countries have dispatched warships to the waters off Somalia, particularly along the strategic shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden, to try to deter piracy.
Despite appeals from fishermen and lawmakers to send warships, the government has been hesitant to formulate a plan.
“For Taiwan, the hindrance lies in the reality that it’s not easy to anchor our warships close to the shore and get the necessary supplies because of the lack of diplomatic relations with countries nearby and the sensitive nature of warships,” an official said on condition of anonymity.
Ministry of National Defense spokesperson David Lo (羅紹和) said by telephone that the navy was capable of sending warships to carry out counter-piracy and counterterrorism measures on the high seas, as it had the means and personnel to do so.
“Having warships anchored at harbors in countries that are not our diplomatic allies remains a problem though,” Lo said.
In related developments, Chen said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been informed by American Institute in Taiwan Director William Stanton that the US would release by the middle of this month a report on the death of Wu Lai-yu (吳來于), the Taiwanese captain of the Jih Chun Tsai No. 68, who was killed in crossfire between a US warship participating in counter-piracy operations and Somali pirates on May 11.
Fishermen are angry about the incident, not only because of their vulnerability in distant waters, but also the way it has been handled by the US, including the burial of Wu’s body at sea before his family had been consulted.
In a letter dated June 21 addressed to Wu’s family, US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell expressed his sincere condolences and said he was deeply saddened to hear about the incident, Chen said.
Meanwhile, Chen confirmed that the ministry had failed to detect the whereabouts of a Taiwanese longliner that was hijacked by Somali pirates in waters near Madagascar in December.
The pirates and the fishing boat owner have disagreed on several occasions on the amount of the ransom, he said.
There were 26 people on board the Greater Kaohsiung-based Hsiuh Fu No. 1 — a Taiwanese skipper, 12 Chinese and 13 Vietnamese crewmen.
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