Eighteen Chinese fishers were yesterday charged with allegedly catching eel in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) last week after they were apprehended by a joint Coast Guard Administration and Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office task force.
The crew have been charged with breaching the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法) and the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).
The prosecutors’ office said that it had received a report regarding illegal nighttime fishing near the Pratas Islands from a coast guard patrol team.
Photo copied by Huang Chia-lin, Taipei Times
At 11pm on Friday, a CGA operation, lead by Chief Prosecutor Hsu Hung-ju (徐弘儒) and prosecutor Hsieh Chang-hsia (謝長夏), spotted the Jinghai 0109309 about 9 nautical miles (16.7km) northeast of the Pratas Islands, the office said.
The Chinese boat was was fishing illegally, but with the help of the Marine National Park Headquarters’ Dongsha Management Office, it was determined that no protected marine species, or any of the seven species declared off-limits by the Kaohsiung City Government, had been caught, officials said.
The task force also released all 500kg of eels that had been caught by the boat’s crew.
Photo copied by Huang Chia-lin, Taipei Times
The crew were given a rapid diagnostic test for COVID-19 and all tested negative, the prosecutors’ office said.
The crew and their ship were escorted to the Port of Kaohsiung, and arrived at midnight on Monday.
The coast guard’s Southern Branch and Seventh Patrol Zone Command are responsible for arranging lodgings and quarantine for the crew members.
The coast guard said that its ships are patrolling near the Pratas Islands throughout the day to safeguard the rights of the Taiwanese fisheries industry.
The coast guard said that its actions would also go a long way toward ensuring the sustainable development of local marine resources.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS