An Indonesian migrant fisherman working on a Taiwanese fishing boat on Thursday has been missing following an alleged fight with a compatriot while at sea, the Tung Kang Fishermen Association of Pingtung County said.
The incident took place on Thursday afternoon, when the Ming Man Hsiang No. 38, registered in the county’s Liouciou Township (琉球), was 530 nautical miles (982km) northeast of Guam, the association said.
It said the man, who had worked as the ship’s cook, went missing after he was stabbed by his compatriot and pushed overboard.
The Taiwanese captain of the fishing boat, surnamed Ku (辜), asked for assistance from the Shun Man Fa No. 2, another Taiwanese fishing boat in the vicinity, to search for the stabbed fisherman, but both had failed to find him so far, the association said.
It remained unclear whether the fisherman was dead or alive.
The captain said he would continue to work with the Shun Man Fa No. 2 to search for the missing sailor.
When the incident happened, the captain and 11 Indonesian sailors were on board the Ming Man Hsiang No. 38, including the missing man and the suspect.
The suspect has been detained on the boat and was being closely monitored by other crew members, the association said.
The captain has reported the incident to the association and the Fisheries Agency at the Council of Agriculture.
The association cited the captain as saying that the detained fisherman, who had knife cuts on his arms, appeared to be in an emotionally unstable state, adding that the agency has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for help finding a country nearby prepared to accommodate and take care of the suspect to prevent any risks.
The captain said that the Ming Man Hsiang No. 38, which remained at sea, lacked sufficient fuel to return to Taiwan, so the vessel would moor at the nearest port for refueling before heading home.
Officials said it was possible that the Criminal Investigation Bureau would dispatch a team to return the suspect to Taiwan for questioning, as it has done in similar cases.
The association later in the day reported that the Coast Guard Administration had sent its patrol vessel the Wei Hsing to where the fishing vessel is anchored to help it return to Taiwan.
The patrol vessel is scheduled to reach the fishing boat on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the agency has contacted neighboring countries with the help of the foreign ministry to ask for assistance in searching for the missing sailor.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
RSS