Two Taiwanese fishing boats reported that they were fired upon by what they believed to be an official Indonesian vessel while in the Strait of Malacca early yesterday.
The owner of the Sheng Te Tsai, registered in Pingtung County’s Liouciou Township (琉球), surnamed Lee, said he received a satellite telephone call from the skipper, Lin Nan-yang, shortly after 5am to say that his ship and the Lien I Hsing No. 116 were being shot at.
In one of the messages sent from the ships, crew members said they believed the vessel belonged to the Indonesian military, because they saw “2804” on the vessel, which is used for official vessels of the Southeast Asian nation.
Photo: CNA
The two Taiwanese ships, which were heading to Singapore to offload their catches and stock up on supplies, reported their location at 6 degrees 15 minutes north latitude and 97 degrees 40 minutes east longitude respectively when the shooting took place.
Lin said the 20 crew members of both ships were unharmed, but added that the Sheng Te Tsai had more than 10 bullet holes.
Lin told Lee that the shots were mainly aimed at the cockpits of the two ships, which Lee said was unusual given that warning shots tend to target the back of a vessel or the water around it.
The two fishing boats left Pingtung in late November last year and have been working in the Indian Ocean — they are expected to dock in Singapore later this week.
Liouciou Fishermen’s Association chief executive Tsai Pao-hsing (蔡寶興) said that the route the two vessels took along the center line of the Strait of Malacca is usually safe, although pirate attacks have been reported by fishermen.
Ismail Mae (買睿明), director of the Press Information Division at the Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Indonesia, said in Jakarta that the office would contact the Indonesian government to clarify whether the attack was launched by an official vessel after it gathers more information.
Yunus Ismail, deputy head of the press office at Indonesian Navy Headquarters, said there had been no report by the Indonesian coast guard or navy vessels of chasing Taiwanese fishing boats.
He said the headquarters would check with the naval base on Batam Island to see if any official Indonesian vessels were involved in the shooting.
Fisheries Agency Deputy Director-General Huang Hung-yan (黃鴻燕) said in Taipei that Taiwan does not rule out negotiating a fisheries agreement with Indonesia, similar to those signed with Japan and the Philippines, to better protect Taiwanese fishermen.
Meanwhile, Indonesia said that it “feels sabotaged” in its efforts to maintain peace in the disputed South China Sea.
An incident over the weekend involved an Indonesian patrol boat and a Chinese coast guard vessel and fishing boat, in what Indonesia said was its waters.
Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said: “We may take it to the international tribunal of the law of the sea.”
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the fishing boat was operating in “traditional Chinese fishing grounds.”
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said eight detained Chinese fishermen are to be processed in accordance with Indonesian law.
Additional reporting by Reuters
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
RSS