A group of mostly Chinese women who appeared to be headed to Taiwan as prostitutes were found aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel off the northeast coast of the island, Coast Guard Administration officials said yesterday.
Of the 42 illegal immigrants, two were Russian women, two were Chinese men and 38 young Chinese women. The large number of women and the fact that they were all dressed in revealing outfits led coastal police officers to suspect prostitution was the motive of the "human cargo."
The capture marked the largest human-smuggling case in five years and the largest number of people taken into custody, coast guard officials said.
Working from a tip-off, coast guard personnel from the administration's operational centers in Keelung, Taipei, Chiayi and Tainan used radar to locate the Pingtung-registered Yu Lien No. 2 fishing boat as it was approaching the coast of Cape Santiao with all its running lights out.
Since the vessel is registered in Pingtung County but sailed out to sea from the northern port of Patoutzu on Feb. 22, the coast guard mobilized its forces from the north and south after the tip-off.
When the coastal patrol boats demanded that the vessel stop, it turned tail and fled. After a wild chase in high waves lasting some 20 minutes, the 23-ton Yu Lien No. 2 was cornered near the Patoutzu fishing port.
coast guard officers boarded the vessel and discovered the 42 illegal immigrants hidden in specially-designed compartments.
The skipper of the boat, surnamed Lin, and a sailor, surnamed Cheng, along with the illegal immigrants, were taken into police custody for questioning.
Over the past several months, coast guard forces have been kept busy intercepting fishing boats smuggling illegal immigrants from China.
Before yesterday's crackdown, the coast guard caught 23 Chinese offshore Huangkang, Taipei County on Feb. 17, following another capture of 28 Chinese offshore Patoutzu on Jan. 17 and 29 offshore Cape Santiao on Nov. 22, last year.
RSS