Criticism by legislators targeting the Coast Guard Administration is unwarranted, as the Chinese boat involved in a deadly incident near Kinmen County was a “three-noes vessel,” displaying no name, no certificate and no registration, a think tank official told a seminar in Taipei yesterday.
“Even China cannot control its fishing boats operating as ‘three-noes vessels,’ said Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁), deputy director of the Institute for National Policy Research.
“The Chinese government has even asked Coast Guard Administration ships to enforce maritime laws against boats that operate unlawfully, which is the reality in waters around Kinmen,” Kuo said. “So it is foolish talk by opposition legislators to criticize Taipei’s handling of the Kinmen incident and express doubts about the coast guard.”
Photo: CNA
“Their views are critical of our own officials, even condemning,” he added.
Instead of turning their guns on the nation’s enemies, they have turned them on their own government, he said.
Kuo made the comments after an unregistered Chinese speedboat operating in the restricted zone on Feb. 14 capsized when attempting to flee from a coast guard vessel, resulting in two fatalities.
“Chinese fishing vessels used to operate illegally near South Korea, but they were too numerous for enforcement efforts to have any effect,” Kuo said.
“However, in March 2011, South Korea’s Marine Police fired a warning shot in an encounter with a Chinese boat,” he said. “That was deemed an appropriate action and did not contravene the principle of proportionality.”
“In October 2016, South Korean maritime authorities fired automatic rounds in a similar situation,” he said. “Although the South Korean government expressed regret over the incident, it said that it would use stronger enforcement methods next time.”
The South Korean government authorized a “shoot first, ask questions later” policy, which was used as recently as September last year, he said.
“The Taiwanese public and legislators should support our coast guard personnel, as they were administering the law covering the nation’s marine territory,” he said. “After all, the Chinese vessel was trespassing in Kinmen’s waters.”
The Coast Guard Administration is justified in conducting reasonable enforcement to control illegal activity, even if recording devices were not used,” he said.
Separately, Veteran Affairs Council Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) told a legislative session that the Chinese boat most likely was “engaged in unlawful activities.”
“It was a three-noes vessel, so it was not engaged in proper conduct... There are regulations for fishing boats — they should at least have a number and name,” Feng said.
“As it had no identifying marks, we have to ask what it was doing near Kinmen,” said Feng, a former defense minister.
Regular people do not have to cover their face on the street, “so the vessel was acting like a bandit at sea,” he added. “Law enforcement was warranted and required, and the coast guard is handling the matter properly.”
He said there should be calm in dealing with Beijing regarding the Kinmen capsizing.
“There needs to be some time taken for cool heads to prevail, not rash talk that adds to the tension,” he said. “Then both sides can sit down to talk in a calm manner.”
“It is a narrow stretch of water [between Kinmen and China] and there is a lot of fishing activity in the area, so it is understandable that vessels from both sides would inadvertently cross marine boundaries,” he said.
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