Taiwan expels 4 trespassing Chinese fishing boats
ROC Central News Agency
2016/02/12 18:25:44
Taipei, Feb. 12 (CNA) Taiwan's coast guard recently expelled four Chinese fishing boats caught trespassing and poaching in the country's territorial waters, near Wuqiu in outlying Kimen County, the Maritime Patrol Directorate General (MPDG) of the Coast Guard Administration said Friday.
The MPDG launched a major crackdown against trespassing Chinese fishing boats after being informed of a certain number of Chinese fishing boats trespassing and poaching in waters off Wuqiu by local residents on Feb. 10, it said.
The Chinese fishing vessels were apparently taking advantage of the Chinese New Year holiday Feb. 6-14, when they believed Taiwan's law enforcement agencies would be relatively more lax during the Lunar New Year celebrations, to operate illegally in the country's territorial waters, MPDG officers pointed out.
In order to protect the interests and fishing rights of Taiwan's fishermen, the MPDG will continue to carry out expanded operations to crack down Chinese fishing vessels poaching in the country's territorial waters, and to impose severe fines against them, they said.
In addition, through the mechanism of bilateral communications established between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese authorities will ask their Chinese counterparts to take actions to prevent their fishing boats from trespassing into Taiwan's territorial waters, they added.
Wuqiu is a group of islands comprised of two major islands, namely Greater Qiu Islet and Smaller Qiu Islet, in the Taiwan Strait. Administratively, Wuqiu Township is part of Kinmen County.
(By Sunrise Huang and Romulo Huang)
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