Print

Mail

wiki links

Taiwan's coast guard intervenes in conflict at sea

The Coast Guard Administration on Monday night pulled a Chinese fishing boat into Kaohsiung Harbor after a fight allegedly broke out between Chinese and Indonesian fishermen on board.

One Chinese fisherman was injured.

Earlier that day, the coast guard received distress calls from Chinese fishermen, who said that a fight had taken place on the Ming Tung Yu 1724, which at the time was approximately 74km off the coast of Kaohsiung.

The fishermen said seven Chinese fishermen were being held by 21 Indonesian fishermen, with one Chinese fisherman wounded in the conflict.

The coast guard immediately dispatched five cutters to find the boat and escorted it back to Kaohsiung harbor.

Tseng Guo-ting (曾國庭), a coast guard official, told reporters yesterday that his cutter had found the Chinese boat just before 5pm.

He added that a Chinese fisherman had told the coast guard officers via radio that he was afraid of being hurt by the Indonesian fishermen.

Tseng said that coast guard officers did not board the boat, but asked the Indonesian fishermen to gather on the bow while the Chinese fishermen were told to stay on the stern.

The Chinese boat entered Kaohsiung harbor at 10pm

One Chinese fisherman, surnamed Zuo, was sent to a hospital for treatment.

"The rescue was a humanitarian act," Tseng said.

He added that because the clash was not a robbery case or an international crime, the nation's judicial system would not intervene in the matter.
This story has been viewed 1589 times.