The Pingtung District Court yesterday sentenced a Chinese man to five years in prison for attempted armed robbery at sea on a fishing boat 18 years ago.
Authorities had listed Liu Zongchun (劉宗春) as a fugitive since a maritime robbery in 1997.
In September last year, Liu was apprehended at the Kaohsiung International Airport when he tried to enter the country under his real name, alerting authorities to an active arrest warrant, the court ruling said.
In May 1997, Liu and another Chinese man, Liu Zhengming (劉崢民), were employed on a Taiwanese fishing boat operating near Guam, when the captain, surnamed Hung (洪), allegedly docked their pay for unsatisfactory work, the ruling said.
On the return voyage near the Chinese coast, Liu Zongchun and Liu Zhengming overpowered the captain with a knife and a hammer, forcing him to hand over his valuables and to steer the boat toward China, the ruling said.
Hung thought that the men would kill him after they took his valuables and he escaped by jumping ship and swimming to shore, leaving the men on the boat with the remainder of the crew, the ruling said.
Fearing that the remaining crew would overpower them and take back the vessel, Liu Zongchun and Liu Zhengming also jumped into the water and swam to China.
Based on the testimonies of Hung and the other sailors, the men were charged with attempted murder in July 1997, and warrants for their arrest were issued in January 1998, the ruling said.
Prosecutors decided to pursue a lesser charge of aggravated robbery against Liu Zongchun, a crime with a statute of limitations of 20 years, which was further extended to 25 years on account of Liu Zongchun’s status as a fugitive, the ruling said.
The Taitung District Court said that Liu Zhengming remains at large.
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