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Taiwan mulls idea of having Navy ships protect fishermen

ROC Central News Agency

2011/07/12 13:16:52

By Nancy Liu

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) Taiwan has not rejected the option of dispatching navy vessels to protect Taiwanese fishing boats in the future, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.

The issue surfaced after the Taiwanese captain of the fishing vessel Jih Chun Tsai No. 68, taken by Somalian pirates in 2010, was killed during a NATO anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia in May this year.

Samuel Chen, director-general of the MOFA's Department of African Affairs, said two cross-ministerial meetings have been held since then to discuss measures to better protect local fishermen and counter piracy, with one of the suggestions being to send military ships to fend off pirates.

But he refused to disclose further details because of the "complicated nature" of the issue and the "lack of conclusions" reached, saying only that a strong consensus to protect fishermen was formed through the exchanges.

Local fishermen were angered by the incident, not only because of their vulnerability in distant waters, but also because of how it was handled by the United States, including its burial of the captain's body at sea before consulting with his family.

Speaking at a briefing to provide an update on developments in the dispute, Chen said the U.S. investigative report into the death of the captain should be released sometime during mid-July through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

AIT represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.

Meanwhile, Chen also confirmed that the ministry has failed to detect the whereabouts of a Taiwanese longliner that was hijacked by Somali pirates in waters near Madagascar in December last year.

The pirates and the fishing boat owner have disagreed on several occasions on the amount of the ransom, he added.

There were 26 people on board the Kaohsiung-based Hsiuh Fu No. 1, consisting of the Taiwanese skipper, and 12 Chinese and 13 Vietnamese crewmen.