Patrols in disputed waters in Pacific not called back: spokesman
ROC Central News Agency
2016/05/23 22:39:03
Taipei, May 23 (CNA) Taiwan did not call back its official vessels patrolling disputed waters near the Okinotori atoll, Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said Monday.
Contrary to a report published by Japan's Kyodo News, which said the Japanese foreign ministry had been notified by Taiwan that the vessels were being withdrawn, Tung said the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has not reported such actions.
The Taiwanese government stands firm on its stance to protect fishermen, Tung said.
The CGA also responded to the Japanese report by saying that its two vessels, along with one dispatched by the Council of Agriculture, are still following the existing plan to patrol the disputed waters in the Pacific Ocean.
The waters around Okinotori will still be covered by the CGA's annual plan to patrol the high seas and protect Taiwanese fishermen's operations after the month-long patrol mission that began on May 1 is concluded, the CGA said.
Japan claims a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone around the tiny atoll it controls, but Taiwan argues that Okinotori is a reef rather than an island -- as Japan defines it -- and therefore is not entitled to anything more than a 500-meter "security zone" around it.
The dispute surfaced after a Taiwanese fishing boat, the "Tung Sheng Chi No. 16," was seized on April 25 by the Japan Coast Guard while operating in waters some 150 nautical miles from the atoll.
The boat and its crew were released on April 26 only after the owner paid a 6 million Japanese yen (US$54,442) deposit demanded by Japanese authorities.
(By Tai Ya-chen, Yu Kai-hsiang and Kay Liu)
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