President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said it is a good idea to hold an international conference on the Dongsha Islands (東沙島) because it would be another way of proclaiming sovereignty over them.
When attending an event in Taipei City yesterday marking World Oceans Day, Ma said Coast Guard Administration (CGA) director-general Wang Chin-wang (王進旺) told him that it would invite experts to attend an international conference on the islands in the future.
“It is very rare,” he said. “But it is a very good idea because it’s another way of claiming sovereignty.”
The Dongsha Islands, also known as the Pratas Islands, consist of three islands located in the northeast of the South China Sea. The islands are administered by Taiwan under the jurisdiction of the Kaohsiung City Government. However, an insider at the CGA told the Taipei Times that although some experts and academics have proposed organizing an event on the islands this year and to use the occasion to claim sovereignty, it is unlikely to happen because there is no facility to hold a big conference and accommodate a large group of people.
The sources said there is no hotel on the islands and although the Marine National Park Headquarters have just completed the construction of a dormitory, it is for long-term researchers. The CGA also has a dormitory, but it is for visiting officials and can accommodate no more than 10 people, the insider said, adding that the fishermen service center of the Kaohsiung City Government is merely a temporary shelter for marine patrol personnel.
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