The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) today said it is investigating two videos uploaded by a Chinese man who claimed to have illegally entered Taiwan via the northern coast.
The agency confirmed the veracity of the videos spread on X yesterday, which show the man sailing a rubber dinghy while speaking with a Chinese accent, with China's national flag visible in the background.
Photos: Screenshots from X
He is later seen on a beach, where he plants the flag in the ground.
The man claimed that he sailed solo from a beach near China's Fuzhou Changle International Airport on Thursday, landed in Taiwan the same day, and then returned to China.
A GPS screenshot shown at the end of one video indicated a location along the coast of Taoyuan's Dayuan District (大園), an area dotted with onshore wind turbines.
CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) told a news conference that preliminary analysis had ruled out video forgery.
However, the man did not appear dehydrated or sunburned — conditions typically expected after such a journey, Hsieh said.
The CGA has requested assistance from the National Immigration Agency and the Ministry of National Defense, and is reviewing nearby CCTV footage to verify whether the man actually entered Taiwan and whether he received any help inland, he said.
The videos, each under 40 seconds long, had earlier appeared on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, but were later removed.
The CGA said their removal does not affect its investigation.
Meanwhile, on Friday last week, two Chinese nationals — a father and son — used a rubber dinghy to illegally enter another beach in Taoyuan's Guanyin District (觀音), 10.9km from the site shown in the latest videos.
They were arrested shortly afterward.
Asked about the plausibility of both incidents, Hsieh said both were possible, but the Guanyin case appeared more credible based on the claimed departure points and fuel amounts involved.
Hsieh also acknowledged that the small size of inflatable boats poses a challenge to radar detection and that limited personnel further complicates surveillance efforts.
He said that the number of infrared thermal imaging cameras installed along Taiwan's coast remains insufficient amid intensifying Chinese incursions.
The CGA has sought additional funding to install more cameras and related surveillance equipment.
Citing China's "Joint Sword-2024A" military exercise following President William Lai's (賴清德) inauguration on May 20 last year, Hsieh said the recent illegal entry cases could be part of Beijing's strategy to sow confusion in Taiwan around the anniversary of Lai's assumption of office.
So far this year, the CGA has documented five illegal entry cases involving 38 people.
All but two were apprehended on site.
Hsieh emphasized the exigency for harsher penalties for illegal entry.
Under the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法) and the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), those who enter Taiwan without authorization may be sentenced to up to five years in prison or fined up to NT$500,000.
However, Hsieh said offenders in these so-called "quasi-smuggling" cases have typically received jail terms of no more than eight months or were only fined.
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