Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) “incompetent” for failing to secure the return of Taiwanese fishermen held by Somali pirates and Myanmar.
A Kaohsiung-registered fishing boat, the Win Far 161, was hijacked by pirates near the Seychelles in April. MOFA confirmed that the captain and the first engineer are Taiwanese nationals.
Almost eight months later, the two men and their boat have yet to be recovered.
MOFA Spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said the ministry was doing everything it could to bring the men home, but had to respect the wishes of the shipowner, who is in the process of negotiating a ransom.
But sources said negotiations had stalled after the pirates demanded a sum higher than the vessel’s value, which the owner refused to pay.
Chen said the men and the boat were safe.
In a separate case, four Taiwanese fishing boats carrying at least four nationals are being held by Myanmar after being captured almost two weeks ago. Myanmar claims the boats trespassed into its waters.
The foreign ministry said it was working hard to get the men out, but the talks would take time because the fishermen broke Burmese law.
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) called the ministry ineffective and blamed President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “diplomatic truce” for weakening Taiwan’s diplomatic muscle.
“It is regrettable that MOFA is so incompetent that it can not even rescue our fishermen — even after eight months. The so-called truce with Beijing has hindered Taiwan from seeking assistance from international maritime organizations because in the view of this administration, everything hinges upon China’s mood,” he said.
Tsai said MOFA was shirking its responsibility by letting the shipowner face the pirates alone.
“If the shipowner could handle this matter, wouldn’t it have been resolved a long time ago? Also, if what MOFA said is true — that the ship owner is handling the problem alone — then the question should be, why does the owner doubt the ministry’s ability to resolve the issue to the point that he decided to take it upon himself?” he said.
DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊毅) said Ma’s “diplomatic truce” had brought tremendous harm to Taiwan and the detained fishermen were just one example.
During the DPP era, the government often received help from international organizations when Taiwanese fishermen ran into trouble abroad, Lee said.
“It is baffling that this administration has not been able to make positive contact with international organizations when the country needs help. It is obvious that Ma exaggerated the benefits of the diplomatic truce,” he said.
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