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Sailor extradited to Taiwan to be tried on murder charges

A Taiwanese sailor was extradited from the Ivory Coast yesterday on suspicion of murdering a Vietnamese crew member while on a fishing ship out on the high seas.

The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a press statement that Ivory Coast, which has no diplomatic ties to Taiwan, agreed to extradite the suspect back to Taiwan after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) negotiated successfully with Ivorian officials.

The CGA said the suspect Chen Wen-ching (陳文錦), 45, arrived in Taiwan yesterday morning and was being held in prison.

It said Chen, who was first mate on a Japanese fishing ship, killed a Vietnamese crew member with a pistol on the ship on Oct. 19 in the Atlantic Ocean near West Africa.

The CGA added that according to Chen, he had quarreled and fought with the deceased several times because he was upset about the Vietnamese man's working attitude.

The suspect said the Vietnamese man made him angry on Oct. 19 so he took a pistol and shot him.

The CGA said Chen was detained in a room on the ship by other crew members after the incident and was arrested by Ivorian authorities immediately after the ship made port in Ivory Coast.

The bureau added that after the MOFA successfully negotiated with the Ivory Coast government, the CGA sent an expert on international affairs Lin An-tai (林安台), and two other officials to Ivory Coast to study the case.

The CGA said the Ivory Coast finally agreed to repatriate Chen back to Taiwan despite China's interference.

The bureau said Taiwan has insisted that since the murder occurred on the high seas and the suspect is Taiwanese, Taiwan has jurisdiction.

The three officials brought Chen back yesterday along with a pistol, seven bullets and several knives used in the murder.

The bureau said Chen would be charged with murder.
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