The coast guard yesterday boarded a Chinese fishing boat and detained 17 crew for allegedly illegally harvesting fish and ramming a patrol vessel, the Hsinchu-based Flotilla 12 of the Coast Guard Administration said yesterday.
The PP-10088 encountered a Chinese vessel dredging fish in Taiwanese waters during a routine patrol of a restricted zone in the flotilla’s area of responsibility, flotilla commander Tseng Chun-yu (曾俊瑜) said.
Dredging is illegal in Taiwan due to it being harmful to the environment.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
The Chinese boat, identified as the Minyu 612, refused orders to cease and instead accelerated to flee the area, ramming the coast guard patrol boat in the process, he said.
The boat was equipped with improvised armor and deliberately aimed at the patrol vessel’s pilot house, Tseng said.
A spokesperson for the flotilla did not explain how the Chinese vessel was subdued, but said that the PP-10088 had to request backup to tow the fishing boat after sustaining damage to its pilot house and hull.
The coast guard confiscated several tonnes of fish in the boat’s hold, they said.
The captain of the Chinese boat denied intentionally ramming the coast guard patrol boat and said that the anti-boarding devices installed on his vessel were for normal fishing operations, the spokesperson said.
Incursions by Chinese boats are expected to surge in the coming weeks as China’s pause in the fishing season has ended, they said, adding that there had been a spike of illegal fishing activities in the same period last year.
Since 2017, the CGA has expelled intruding Chinese fishing vessels 14,690 times, captured 485 boats and 326 of them had been fined a total of NT$350 million (US$10.85 million), the spokesperson said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS