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Nation calls on Tokyo to resume talks on Diaoyutai

The government yesterday issued a statement asserting the nation’s claim over the Diaoyutai islands (釣魚台) and urging Japan to resume negotiations on fishing rights around the disputed islands.

The statement was issued in response to Japan’s detention of the crew of a Taiwanese fishing boat after a collision off the Diaoyutai islands on Tuesday.

Reading the four-point statement, Cabinet spokeswoman Vanessa Shih (史亞平) said that the Diaoyutai islands were part of Taiwan’s territory and nothing would sway the government from asserting its sovereignty claim over the islands.

The statement also outlined Taipei’s wish to resume negotiations with Japan as soon as possible to solve a longstanding dispute over fishing rights.

It said that the existing temporary enforcement line should be reviewed to ensure the safety of Taiwanese fishermen.

The government will conduct a review of coast guard facilities to ensure that they have adequate equipment to enforce the law and protect the safety of fishermen and fishing vessels, the statement said.

A Taiwanese fishing boat sank on Tuesday following a collision with a Japanese coast guard vessel off the Diaoyutai islands, leaving one member of the fishing crew injured.

Reports said that the boat sank 11km to the south or southwest of the islands, known as Senkaku in Japanese, after colliding with the Japanese patrol vessel.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) yesterday urged Japanese authorities to immediately release the three crew members of the Taiwanese fishing boat and to offer an apology and compensation.

The trio are being held on Ishigaki, part of the Ryuku islands chain, for questioning.

The 13 recreational fishermen who were rescued from the sunken vessel returned home yesterday.

Lee urged the government to assert Taiwan’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutais and step up efforts to protect Taiwanese fishing boats in disputed waters.

Lee told a press conference that the Diaoyutais are under the jurisdiction of Ilan County.

Peter Tsai (蔡明耀), executive director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Committee on Japanese Affairs, told a press conference yesterday that “the government’s stance on Taiwan’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutais is consistent.”

Tsai said that after the collision, ministry officials immediately visited the crew members and fishermen on Ishigaki.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Hsia (夏立言) talked with Japan’s representative to Taiwan and asked Tokyo to treat the crew and fishermen well, Tsai said.

Hsia also urged Japan to investigate what happened to find out who was responsible, Tsai said, adding that the foreign ministry would continue to negotiate with Japanese authorities over the matter.

Taiwanese fishing boats are often chased away by Japanese patrol vessels in the disputed waters near the Diaoyutais, which Taiwan, Japan and China claim as their sovereign territory, but collisions there are rare.

Additional reportnig by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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