• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

MOFA reasserts Taiwan's sovereignty over disputed islands

ROC Central News Agency

2008-06-12 15:41:29

    Taipei, June 12 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reasserted Thursday Taiwan's sovereignty over the disputed Tiaoyutai Islands and rebutted a report that claimed the ministry had instructed a Taiwanese coast guard vessel to "retreat" as it approached an area where a Taiwanese fishing boat had sunk after a collision with a Japanese patrol vessel.

    According to a report in the United Daily News, the Taiwan coast guard boat, which rushed to the area after the accident, "faced-off" with the Japanese patrol vessel for one hour until it was recalled by the MOFA. "The ministry did not ask the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessel to retreat, but hoped that it would standby in the area near the accident without entering the 12-nautical-mile zone of the islands at that time, " said Deputy Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia at a news conference. The CGA boat left the area after it had collected evidence of the collision, he stressed.

    He added that the ministry believed the CGA took the right action, which he said also clearly demonstrated the Republic of China's sovereignty over the Tiaoyutais.

    A Taiwanese fishing boat registered in Taipei County, carrying three crew members and 13 recreational fishermen, sank around 3: 38 a.m. local time Tuesday near the disputed Tiaoyutai Islands, after it collided with a Japan coast guard patrol boat.

    The 16 people were all rescued by the Japanese patrol vessel and were taken to Ishigaki, an island in Japan's Okinawan chain some 200 kilometers south of the Tiaoyutais, for medical checks and for questioning. The 13 recreational fishermen retuned to Taiwan Wednesday morning and two crew members were released Thursday, but the boat's captain Ho Hung-yu was detained further by the Japanese authorities.

    The uninhabited Tiaoyutai Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japanese, were seized by Japan in 1895 when it colonized Taiwan. Tokyo continues to exert control over the island group and claims sovereignty over the 12 nautical miles of marine territory, though both Taiwan and China each claim rights to the island group.

    At the news conference, Hsia reasserted Taiwan's sovereignty over the island group, saying that the "Tiaoyutai Islands are part of the Republic of China's territory and the government's determination to protect the rights of our fishermen is unquestionable."

    He said the MOFA has already made clear its stance on the Tiaoyutais Tuesday to Ikeda Tadashi, chief representative of the Japanese Interchange Association Taipei Office -- Japan's representative office in Taiwan. Tadashi was asked again Thursday morning to meet with Foreign Minister Francisco H.L. Ou, he added.

    Hsia said now that both Taiwan and Japan are investigating the accident and trying to clarify how it occurred, the ministry hopes to resolve the matter through diplomatic channels. "Once it is established that Japan should take responsibility for the accident, the ministry will definitely ask the Japanese government to apologize and to offer compensation (for the damage incurred) , " Hsia said. "We would never brush aside the incident and leave the Taiwanese fishermen to deal with it on their own."

(By Rachel Chan)

Enditem /pc