Japan releases Taiwanese fishing boat held for trespassing
ROC Central News Agency
2013/05/14 18:27:31
Taipei, May 14 (CNA) A Taiwanese fishing boat detained and its captain arrested by the Japanese authorities Tuesday in waters near Japan's Ishigaki Island for trespass have been released, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.
The captain admitted to trespassing after his arrest earlier in the day and was released after paying a fine, said ministry spokeswoman Anna Kao.
The 48.25-ton Cheng Chang Fa No. 2 out of Kaohsiung was caught operating in waters 46 nautical miles southeast of Ishigaki, which is located about 250 km off Taiwan's east coast, the Coast Guard Administration said.
The Fisheries Agency confirmed that the fishing boat had operated beyond a "temporary law enforcement line" delineating where Taiwanese fishermen can and cannot operate.
Skipper Sun Chu-min was released after paying a fine of 4.016 million Japanese yen (US$39,582), the agency said.
Although Ishigaki Island is located within Taiwan's 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone, the law enforcement line agreed to by Taiwan and Japan bars Taiwanese fishermen from operating in waters near the Yaeyama Island chain, which includes Ishigaki.
News of the arrest was first reported by Japan-based Jiji Press, which said it was made by a patrol vessel belonging to Japan's Fisheries Agency in an area considered to be an exclusive economic zone of Japan.
It is the first time a Taiwanese fishing boat has been stopped by Japanese authorities since the two countries signed an agreement April 10 to deal with fishing rights in waters surrounding the disputed Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea.
(By Liu Chien-pang, Yang Ming-chu, Y.F. Low and Elaine Hou)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
