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After 11-year hiatus, ROC marines to return to South China Sea: CGA

ROC Central News Agency

2011/04/18 21:56:53

Taipei, April 18 (CNA) Taiwan will soon replace army soldiers stationed on remote islands in the South China Sea with marines as regional tensions simmer over the area's disputed territories, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said Monday.

Six countries -- Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines -- claim all or part of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea and its Spratly, Paracel and Pratas (or Dongsha) islands, the Macclesfield Bank and the Scarborough Shoal.

Taiwan controls the Pratas Islands and Taiping Island, the largest islet in the Spratly chain. It withdrew its marines from the islets in 2000 and replaced them with army personnel led by the Coast Guard Administration in an attempt to reduce tensions in the region.

Beginning April 27, however, the CGA forces posted on Dongsha Island and Taiping Island will be composed of marines instead of army men, the CGA said.

Though no reason was given for the change, it is generally believed that with constraints on the number of troops who can be posted on the small islets, Taiwan wanted to get the most out of limited numbers by putting their best trained men there.

Currently, there are 105 army officers and soldiers operating on Taipei Island and 162 army officers and soldiers are on the Pratas.

Despite the imminent return of the marines, the CGA said there were no plans at present to upgrade the weapons systems available on the two islets.

Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang reiterated the Republic of China's claim to sovereignty over the South China Sea at a Legislative Yuan hearing Monday.

Yang said he would support "any measure that would increase Taiwan's capability to protect its territory and fishing boats operating in the area."

The Pratas and Taiping islands are formally under the jurisdiction of Kaohsiung City, but no Taiwanese civilians have their households registered there.

(By Johnson Sun, Wang Shu-fen and Deborah Kuo)

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