The rugged, diverse terrain of the northeastern coast makes it the most beautiful coastline in the country, as well as a haven for smugglers and illegal Chinese immigrants.
Over the years, stirring cat-and-mouse encounters between coast guard forces and criminals have become part of the scenery of the region. And the recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has raised concern as to whether the region could prove to be a loophole in the nation's drive to contain the flu-like infectious illness.
Coast guard officers say the distinct geographic location between Fukueichiao and Santiaochiao in Taipei County has contributed to a thriving commodity and human smuggling trade across the Taiwan Strait.
According to a newly released report by the National Police Administration, 1,156 groups of illegal Chinese immigrants were seized in coastal regions around the island last year. Taipei County topped the list of popular landing areas, followed by Keelung, Pingtung, Ilan, Penghu, Taoyuan and Hualien in that order.
Chinese smugglers usually set sail from waters between the Taiwan-held frontline island of Matsu and the Chinese-controlled Nanri Islet and make straight for the waters off Fukueichiao, Santiaochiao and Pengjia Islet off the northern port city of Keelung.
"More specifically, Chinese fishing boats usually start their voyages from Fujian's Pingtan and make for target ports on Taiwan's northeastern coastline after reaching Pengjia Islet," a coast guard officer says, adding that the chain of bays and challenging capes along the coast provides perfect shelter for human smugglers and contraband traffickers.
The proximity of the area to cosmopolitan Taipei also contributes to the rampancy of smuggling.
Both merchandise -- ranging from farm produce and fishery products to alcohol and tobacco -- and human labor are in huge demand in the Greater Taipei market.
A-kuo (阿國), a fishing boat skipper from Keelung, admits that he ferries two or three shipments of contraband goods or illegal immigrants to Taiwan each month.
"How else could I make a living?" asks A-kuo, whose testimony attests to the prevalence of the smuggling trade in the region.
The 50-ish sailor said habitual traffickers like himself are quite familiar with the waterways in the area. "Coast guard officers are hardly a match for us, " he says complacently. "The only way we can get caught is if our ships experience mechanical failure or if someone leaks information about specific smuggling operations beforehand," he said.
A-kuo says he is caught on average only about once or twice out of every 20 to 30 smuggling voyages he makes per year.
According to him, at least seven smuggling rings are active in northeastern Taiwan. "They can easily operate 200 to 300 contraband shipments a year," he said.
Later, a veteran coast guard officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said cracking down on human and contraband smuggling requires not only wisdom but brute force as well.
At first, he said, many coast guard officers had little knowledge of the region's waters or of the myriad ways fishing boats could be fitted out with hidden compartments.
"Through years of hard work, we are now well aware of the main routes used by regular bootleggers and we also know how to search the boats properly," he said.
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