The government should consider whether to allow Taiwanese fishing vessels to carry weapons to defend themselves against pirate attacks, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday.
While Taiwanese law forbids fishing boats from carrying weapons on board, the Fisheries Agency and other related agencies should consider discussing the possibility of amending the law, said James Lee (李光章), director-general of the Department of European Affairs.
The ministry made the suggestion in response to instances of Somalian pirates hijackings Taiwanese vessels in the Indian Ocean.
At a regular news briefing, Lee also said local authorities should eye letting fishing vessels hire private armed guards, a practice that has been adopted by several European countries, such as the UK.
“We cannot comment on that at present,” Fisheries Agency deputy director-general Tsay Tzu-yaw (蔡日耀) said in response to the suggestion, adding that the issue required interagency discussions.
Lee also cited cooperation between Taiwan and Europe in combating piracy, including the publication of a Chinese-language handbook translated from the English-version of Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia Based Piracy — Version 4 (BMP4).
The BMP4, aimed at helping ships avoid, deter or delay piracy in high-risk areas, has been distributed to Taiwanese fishing and merchant boats since late last year. Measures from the book have proven to be a success in fighting piracy, Lee said.
Since the second half of last year, Taiwan has also been added to the network of the UK Maritime Trade Operations, which provides a unified contact points for merchant vessels that come under attack from pirates or are hijacked.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS