Taiping Island-bound boat has friendly encounter with Philippines
ROC Central News Agency
2016/07/23 21:14:21
Taipei, July 23 (CNA) One of a group of five Taiwanese fishing boats on their way to Taiping Island in the Spratlys had a friendly encounter with a boat of Philippine anglers in the South China Sea Saturday.
Captain Chen Fu-sheng (陳富盛) of the Pingtung-based Man Sheng Chi No. 8 told CNA over the phone that the Filipinos asked for food and tried to give him their catch in return.
"We gave them two boxes of instant noodles, bottled water and snacks. But I declined to accept their fish catch," Chen said.
Lo Chiang-fei (羅強飛), a spokesman for the the Taiwanese flotilla, said as of 4:30 p.m. they were 293 nautical miles off Taiping Island, which is part of Republic of China territory that lies 864 nautical miles from Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.
"We anticipate that we will get close to the island tomorrow night, and land on the island during the following day. We will request fresh water supplies on the grounds of 'emergency assistance'," Lo said.
The five boats left Taiwan June 20 to show fishermen's solidarity in claiming Taiwan's sovereignty over Taiping Island in the wake of an international arbitration tribunal's ruling that Taiping is among the "rocks" in the South China Sea that are not entitled to a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
The ruling was handed down following a lawsuit brought by the Philippines against China.
(By Kuo Chih-hsuan and S.C. Chang)
ENDITEM/J
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