Mon, Jan 29, 2018 page3

• INTERVIEW: Coast guard head talks drug policy and reform

  As the nation’s prime unit tasked with anti-drug operations, the Coast Guard Administration’s main focus in the near future is to obtain more and faster boats through an indigenous shipbuilding program, CGA Director-General Lee Chung-wei said in an interview earlier this month with reporter Huang Tun-yan of the ‘Liberty Times’ (sister newspaper of the ‘Taipei Times’)

  • By Huang Tun-yan / Staff reporter
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  Liberty Times (LT): How efficient were the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) efforts to combat drugs before President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) made drug prevention a priority in her public security policies? How does the CGA intend to prevent narcotics from entering the nation by sea?

  Lee Chung-wei (李仲威): The presence of drugs has reached an unacceptable level and the president has made it clear that anti-narcotics efforts should be prioritized. The CGA last year intercepted more than 5,000kg of narcotics of varying levels of toxicity, which is double the amount the CGA has found in 2016.

  We are collaborating with other nations, mainly through exchange of information, and have achieved tangible results abroad. In addition, the coast guard has established a three-layered defense on the coast comprising radars, watchtowers and patrols to deter drug trafficking.

  

  Coast Guard Administration Director-General Lee Chung-wei gestures during an interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) in Taipei on Jan. 11.

  Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

  The watchtowers and patrols fill in the dead angles and blind spots of our radar network. We have established more than 200 towers and patrol routes to watch over the 130 blind spots and dead angles along the coast.

  Thermal imaging technology enhances our capability to detect potential smugglers and a four-person team per patrol vehicle assures that the coast guard has adequate firepower and mobility.

  Past efforts have been focused on the volume of narcotics being smuggled in, but now we are also looking for people — drug producers and distributors, for example — as it is easier to nip the distribution of drugs in the bud if we find the sources.

  LT: Is the cancelation of the agency’s contract with Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co [for the construction of 28 patrol boats in November last year] likely to affect the coast guard’s duties?

  Lee: The coast guard’s handling of the Ching Fu incident was in accordance with the contract. Our decision to cancel our contract with the company was due to the company’s inability to maintain a steady work schedule and the financial troubles it was facing.

  The company’s inability to build minesweepers for the Ministry of National Defense brought us to conclude that canceling the project, which was not going anywhere, would be for the best.

  Coast guard operations depend on the completion of two contracts — one for the maintenance of the 13 ships already produced by Ching Fu, which came with a five-year guarantee; and one for 15 ships that Ching Fu had not built by the time of the termination of contract — but otherwise, the agency’s operational capability should not be affected.

  As for the Ching Fu incident negatively affecting the indigenous shipbuilding program, I personally feel that the company’s exclusion is not a major concern, as it is neither a major shipbuilding company nor has significant domestic shipbuilding capacity.

  It is a good thing if the nation weeds out companies that are unfit for such projects.

  LT: The coast guard has ordered 141 ships in a show of support for the indigenous shipbuilding project. Does such support benefit the agency’s operational capability, as well as domestic shipbuilding industries?

  Lee: Of the coast guard’s 150 ships, 130 are to reach their maximum service life within the next 10 years. The agency plans to order 141 ships for NT$42.6 billion (US$1.46 billion) over the next 10 years, and the budget has been approved by the Executive Yuan.

  The coast guard has ordered six different types of vessels: a 4,000-tonne class that is to function as a mobile hospital; a 1,000-tonne class cruiser to defend Taiwanese fishing rights; a 600-tonne class based off the Tuojiang class corvette for greater mobility, aiming for a speed of 35 nautical miles per hour (65kph); a 100-tonne class ship that is to be primarily used to drive away Chinese fishing vessels crossing into Taiwanese waters; a 35-tonne class for even greater mobility, aiming for a speed of 45 nautical miles per hour; and a class of multi-function littoral ships capable of search and rescue operations in littoral waters.

  If the agency cannot order the 4,000-tonne and 600-tonne ships, it is considering using navy models and replacing naval equipment with coast guard equipment, which would save time and dispel budgeting concerns.

  The indigenous shipbuilding program will certainly help domestic industries, and the decade-long program will provide great stability over the next 10 years. If domestic shipyards manage to manufacture the ships on time and within budget, that would be a win-win scenario for the industry and the coast guard.

  LT: Taiwan has rich maritime resources, but illegal encroachment by Chinese fishing vessels threatens its fishers’ economic interests and the environment. Can you describe the coast guard’s response to the problem?

  Lee: Our response follow three principles. First, forward deployment. China in September last year lifted a fishing ban as the fishing season for the large yellow croaker started in the seas near Kinmen. We anticipated a lot of illegal fishing activities in the region.

  Therefore, we deployed 100-tonne class vessels from the Kaohsiung and Tainan-based patrol commands to expel intruding fishing boats.

  Second, we have forces in reserve. During winter, the wind and the waves are strong in the seas near Penghu Islands. Chinese boats might take shelter near Penghu’s uninhabited islands, such as the Siji Islet (西吉嶼) and the Gupo Islet (姑婆嶼), until weather conditions are favorable for fishing.

  We simply check the weather forecast. When weather conditions are about to go bad, we send in a pair of big ships to Siji and Gupo to expel any Chinese boats as they try to come in. We seize any boats that refuse to leave.

  Third, we retain flexibility in our projection of force. The maritime regions near the Japanese and Philippine territorial waters, the northwestern maritime region and the Penghu maritime region would not see issues at the same time. When illegal fishing boats pose a problem in one area, we redeploy coast guard vessels from other areas to deal with them.

  LT: How does the coast guard plan to improve its maritime search and rescue capabilities?

  Lee: We use the Search and Rescue Prioritization Planning System, which has a database for oceanic currents around Taiwan. Assuming that the location and time of a victim’s fall is known, the system can calculate in which direction the victim is being taken and suggest an optimal rescue strategy. Right now, its predictions are 70 to 80 percent accurate. We hope to continue to improve that accuracy.

  At the same time, we have ambulances at various points on the coastline, which is divided into disaster response zones. They are equipped with rafts and life-saving equipment. When we receive a report that somebody fell into the sea, the nearest ambulance responds to the call. Taiwan’s coastline has a lot of shallow waters and the rafts are adequate over these.

  LT: A Council of Marine Affairs is to be established in April and the CGA is to fall within its purview. What does the reorganization mean? How will the agency protect the rights of coast guard personnel?

  Lee: It is natural for people to be concerned about their livelihoods. I cannot deny that the reorganization will have an effect and I can only try minimize it. I am working out various issues with the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration and the Ministry of Civil Service. The last thing I want is the reorganization to affect morale among my colleagues or their rights. I will do everything I can to communicate our concerns to the higher-ups.

  I believe that having a council of marine affairs is a good thing for the country. We are an island nation and maritime issues are of great importance to us. Establishing an organization dedicated to maritime affairs can help unify decisionmaking. Although the CGA is to become a third-level national agency, our responsibilities and jurisdiction should not be that much different.

  Translated by staff writers Jake Chung and Jonathan Chin
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Palmeiras hopes for club cup win

  • 2

    US to deliver 10 new F-16s, source says

  • 3

    Taiwan blacklists Huawei and SMIC

  • 4

    Ma Ying-jeou’s forum speech regrettable, MAC says

  • 5

    Barring of Chinese officials justified, MAC says