The captain of a fishing boat on Thursday said that the Fisheries Agency had responded too slowly after his vessel was seized by Philippine authorities.
Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), a fisherman based in Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) who returned to Taiwan on Wednesday after the incident on Monday, told reporters that the agency failed to immediately notify the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) of the incident.
Instead, Fisheries Agency personnel called his mother and asked whether he had contacted home, Chen said.
Photo courtesy of a member of the public
After learning that he had not, they reportedly told her: “No worries,” Chen said.
“They did make multiple phone calls to us, but they did not tell us what had happened until we asked them directly,” Chen’s daughter said.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight, when the Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) was operating in the southern part of an overlapping fishing zone between Taiwan and the Philippines, but outside the Philippines’ contiguous zone — 24 nautical miles (44.4km) off its coast, Chen said.
Twelve armed men boarded the vessel without warning and dragged Chen and his crew onto the deck “like dogs,” he said.
His crew did not resist, as there was no way to communicate with the officials, but the Philippine authorities “acted like Somalian pirates,” he said, adding that they confiscated his catch and personal belongings — losses he estimated at NT$300,000.
The ship was intercepted 91 nautical miles southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, Fisheries Agency records showed.
Action was only taken after Chen’s family contacted Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸), who urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene, Chen said.
The Philippine side agreed to release the boat, crew and captain on Monday afternoon after the CGA dispatched a ship to negotiate, with Chen returning to Taiwan on Wednesday morning.
Chen said he had experienced a similar incident several years ago, but the CGA had responded quicker at that time.
The Fisheries Agency was slow to respond on Monday, he said, accusing it of not immediately notifying the CGA.
Chen’s family said the actions of Philippine officials contravened the 2015 Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters signed by Taipei and Manila.
The agreement calls for avoiding the use of violence or unnecessary force, and notifying the other party before law enforcement actions.
The protocols were not followed, the family said.
The Fisheries Agency said in a statement that the Fisheries Monitoring Center attempted to contact Chen immediately.
When there was no response, the agency called his family to ask if they had heard from him and informed them that it had also requested assistance from the ministry, it said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS