Crew members aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean were held by their crewmates yesterday after a verbal conflict between two Philippine crew members escalated into a physical confrontation, witnesses said.
Twenty-four people were aboard the Wen Peng, including three Taiwanese, 10 Filipinos and 11 Indonesians, the Fisheries Agency said.
The three Taiwanese were captain Chen Chen-mao (陳振茂), chief engineer Kao Hsin-kuang (高信光) and observer Yang Wen-pin (楊文斌), an agency official, it said.
Photo copied by Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
Two Philippine crew members were engaged in a verbal conflict when one stabbed and killed the other at about 2am, sources said.
The assailant then reportedly threw the victim’s body overboard and ordered more than 10 crew members to jump into the water, they said.
Chen, Kao and two Philippine crew members were able to protect themselves by locking themselves inside a cabin, sources said, but were unable to confirm Yang’s safety.
The agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they requested assistance from Mauritian officials and other nearby vessels.
At about 3pm, a Taiwanese fishing vessel named Hung Fu No. 88 and the Australian commercial vessel Stahla spotted Wen Peng and began rescue efforts, agency Deputy Director-General Lin Kuo-ping (林國平) said.
Rescuers were able to pull four Philippine crew members from the water, the ministry said.
The rescued crew said that more than 10 people had either fallen or jumped overboard, and that Chen, Kao, Yang and others were being held by their crewmates, the agency said.
Rescuers from Hung Fu No. 88 said they suspect that some of the crew members had negotiated a deal to be spared, Wen Peng owner Chen Sheng-fu (陳勝富) told the Chinese-language Apple Daily.
The rescuers said they witnessed six or seven crew members walking on the deck, while Chen Chen-mao appeared to have been forced out of the captain’s cabin, and Kao and two other crew members were locked in a separate cabin, Chen Sheng-fu said.
Since Hung Fu No. 88 is not equipped with arms, it sent out an SOS, Cheng Sheng-fu said.
Australian military aircraft arrived at about 6pm to join the rescue efforts, the ministry said.
As of press time last night, the incident had reportedly resulted in one death and one severe injury, although people fear there could be more victims, due to the water’s cold temperature in the morning.
Wen Peng is a 255-tonne tuna fishing vessel registered in Pingtung County’s Donggang Township (東港) that earlier this month departed Port Louis, Mauritius, to operate in the Indian Ocean.
According to international regulations, an observer must be aboard to collect data on fishing behavior and catch type, the agency said.
Additional reporting by Lu Yi-hsuan
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS