The government is studying the possibility of sending warships to protect Taiwanese fishing boats in the waters off Somalia, a high-ranking official at the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
MAC Deputy Minister Chao Chien-min (趙建民) said that national security agencies were assessing the feasibility, but he was not certain when the assessment would be complete.
Chao made the remarks in response to media inquiries on Beijing’s call that Taiwanese fishing boats apply for protection by Chinese warships.
PHOTO: CNA
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) said on Tuesday that Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are part of China and that people in all three places are Chinese. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety of overseas Chinese and there is no exception in the waters around Somalia, he said.
Chao yesterday said that many Taiwanese ships operate around the piracy-plagued Gulf of Aden. Many countries have sent their warships to ensure the safety of shipping in the area and, as far as he knew, 45 warships have been dispatch to the area, including three by the Chinese, Chao said.
As Taiwan and the US have long been cooperating on anti-terrorism projects, Chao said the administration had been in close contact with Washington as well as with the EU to ask for their assistance to help protect Taiwanese fishing boats in the area.
“Our main concern is safety of the boats and the people on board,” Chao said. “Based on humanitarian reasons, we would not reject any assistance immediately available to them.”
While Taiwanese fishing boats can file for protection from China through the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Chao said the administration had not yet authorized the SEF to take up such a task.
When asked whether potential applicants would violate any law by filing for protection directly with the Chinese government, Chao said it would “run against due procedure” as they must do so via the SEF and that he believed such a scenario would not happen.
About 100 ships, including several Chinese vessels, have been attacked by Somali pirates since the beginning of last year.
China warned Somali pirates last month it was prepared to use force to combat rampant piracy that has disrupted international shipping routes heading to and from the Suez Canal. A fleet of Chinese warships arrived in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in other news, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday vowed to pursue cross-strait relations under the framework of the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution, saying that he would not discuss unification nor support independence or approve the use of the military.
Ma said such an approach complies with public opinion. As both sides of the Taiwan Strait are willing to improve bilateral relations, Ma said it would be mutually beneficial for both sides to maintain peace and pursue prosperity.
Ma made the remarks while receiving members of the US-based Hip Sing Association at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon.
The 1994 Handbook of Organized Crime in the United States by Robert J. Kelly, Chin Ko-lin and Rufus Schatzberg says the Hip Sing was established as a benevolent association, as “a protective society for laborers and seamen” they also “functioned as operators of opium, prostitution and gambling dens.”
“Current [1994] concern at the federal level indicates a preoccupation with the tongs’ role in heroin smuggling,” the handbook says.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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