Activists and government officials yesterday vowed to protect the right of Taiwanese fishing boats to operate around the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and to defend the country’s sovereignty over the region.
A small group from the World Chinese Alliance in Defense of the Diaoyu Islands (世界華人保釣聯盟), an organization composed of activists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and China, joined hands in their latest move to assert Chinese ownership over the area, which is also known as Senkaku Islands in Japan.
Chinese Association for Protecting the Diaoyutais chairman Hsieh Mang-lin (謝夢麟) said yesterday that a group of six Taiwanese would rendezvous with 14 other activists led by Chan Miu Tak (陳妙德), chairman of the Hong Kong-based Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands, at sea near Pengjia Islet (彭佳嶼) off Taiwan’s northernmost tip today before heading toward the Diaoyutai Islands.
Photo: CNA
“This time we will be fully prepared and plan to land on the Diaoyutai Islands to hoist the flag of the Republic of China to maintain our sovereignty and fishing rights,” he said.
According to the Web site of the Chinese Association for Protecting the Diayutais, the Bao Diao II vessel, with 14 people on board — including Chan, activists from China and Macau, four crew members, and two journalists from Phoenix Hong Kong Channel — departed at 12:45pm on Sunday.
The Taiwanese group is scheduled to set sail from Yilan this evening in two fishing boats.
Hsieh said that move was triggered by the upcoming visit to the islands by 50 Japanese lawmakers on Sunday.
“We will act in concert with the group led by Chan to proclaim that Diaoyutai Islands belong to Chinese people,” Chan was quoted by the Japan Times as saying. “Japanese lawmakers are planning to land on the islands on Aug. 19. We want to get there before they do.”
“The Diaoyu Islands are Chinese territory. We will fight for the sovereignty of the Chinese nation,” Chan said.
Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Wang Chung-yi (王崇儀) said the agency would send coast guard vessels to escort and protect Taiwanese activists in accordance with previous practice.
“As long as the activists meet regulations that forbid the carriage of items of dangerous goods onto a ship and the weather permits, we have no reason to stop fishing boats from setting sail to Diaoyutai Islands,” Wang said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Steve Hsia (夏季昌) reiterated that Taiwan has sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands, which are traditional fishing grounds for Taiwanese fishermen and part of its territory.
Hsia called on all parties to remain rational and practice restraint to avoid escalating tensions.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
RSS