Four crew members of a Taiwanese fishing vessel detained by Chinese authorities since July 2 are expected to be released today, but the return dates of the captain and the boat remain uncertain, a former official said.
The Fujian Provincial People’s Government’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) is likely to first release the crew members today, including a Taiwanese surnamed Ting (丁) and three Indonesians, former Penghu County Council deputy speaker Chen Shuang-chuan (陳雙全) said yesterday.
They are to take a boat to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, where they would be picked up by the Da Jin Man No. 96 fishing boat, which belongs to the same fleet as their Da Jin Man No. 88 vessel, and then return to Penghu, Chen said.
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The Da Jin Man No. 88, a fishing vessel registered in Penghu, was boarded and seized by the China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) outside Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Kinmen on July 2, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said.
The vessel, along with its Taiwanese captain, surnamed Hung (洪), the three Indonesians and Ting, were detained by the Chinese authorities for illegally fishing during a seasonal moratorium, the CGA said.
Chen said that he was due to hold discussions with the Fujian TAO yesterday afternoon about the release of Hung and the boat.
Penghu County Council Speaker Chen Yu-jen (陳毓仁) and former legislator Lin Pin-kuan (林炳坤), Hung’s daughter and the owner of the boat would also meet with Chinese officials, he said.
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