Two Chinese fishermen were arrested for smuggling Taiwan betel nut to China, coast guard officials on the outlying island of Kinmen reported yesterday.
Tipped off recently that underground transactions across the Taiwan Strait are rampant, the coast guard sent a cutter to step up patrols over the past days.
Coast guard officials spotted the Chinese fishing vessel headed toward China Sunday night after it had received "the cargo" from a Kinmen fishing vessel.
The officials intercepted the Chinese ship and found on board 780kg of betel nut, 80kg of unripe piper linn fruit and 15kg of betel nut leaves of piper linn with a total market value of more than NT$500,000 (US$14,705).
The vessel's captain, identified as Wang Jianhua (王建華), and fisherman Wang Jiatai (王加泰), who both come from Xiamen, Fujian Province, were sent to the Kinmen Prosecutor's Office for violation of anti-smuggling regulations and the statute governing the relations between the people across the Taiwan Strait.
Wang Jiatai said that he was paid 100 yuan (about NT$4,110) for shipping the goods, claiming he risked being arrested because his family needs the money.
The Kinmen coast guard intercepted 12,000kg of betel nut being smuggled to Kinmen from China in mid-June. But this time, they seized Taiwan betel nuts.
Taiwan betel nuts are more expensive, but they are considered to be of higher quality and are therefore favored by Taiwan businesspeople operating in China, the officials said.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim