Coast Guard Administration personnel in Penghu County who allowed four Chinese to disembark a ship without an entry permit should be investigated for malfeasance, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party told a news conference yesterday.
The four arrived on a Saint Kitts and Nevis-registered yacht that had sailed from the Port of Meizhou Bay in China’s Fujian Province.
It was scheduled to sail to Okinawa Prefecture, but took shelter in Penghu County’s Magong Port on May 27 because of Typhoon Mawar.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The Chinese crew members were told that they were not allowed to disembark without permission, but a coast guard official surnamed Lin (林) allegedly allowed them to disembark without a permit, telling them they needed to return to the yacht at 9am.
The incident came to light after a video about the incident was uploaded to Douyin (抖音), the Chinese version of TikTok.
Lin has since been removed from his post pending an investigation.
“Without a doubt, the short video showed China’s united front work against Taiwan,” said Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱), head of the Taiwan Statebuilding Party’s Taipei chapter.
“The crew members not only asked Taiwanese military vessels to yield to them, but claimed that powerful nations would cause world war III if they continue to fight for resources,” Wu said.
“China engages in wolf warrior diplomacy and military expansionism to provoke other countries,” she said. “The most pathetic thing is that Coast Guard Administration personnel broke the law, giving the Chinese the opportunity to tout their experience in Taiwan.”
Lin Yi-ping (林意評), director of the party’s Yilan chapter, said that the work of the coast guard includes gathering intelligence and countering infiltration.
In wartime, it is responsible for assisting the navy to resist the enemy, Lin said.
The former coast guard official is not suitable to be a civil servant and his suspected dereliction of duty should be investigated, he said.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party Chairman Wang Hsing-huan (王興煥) said that Penghu County is strategically important because of its rich resources.
“If China were to occupy Penghu, it would be equivalent to clamping the throat of the Taiwan Strait,” Wang said. “Penghu has strategic supply capabilities. Once occupied, it would become the front line of aggression against Taiwan.”
The incident shows how blurred awareness of the enemy is, he said.
“Penghu is not guarded well because sea patrol officers have a confused national identity — they see no distinction between the enemy and Taiwanese,” he said. “How can the border be a shield when such people are part of the coast guard?”
“China is an enemy country,” he said. “The Coast Guard Administration and the Ministry of National Defense should develop effective measures to deter Chinese soldiers and civilians from crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
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