Navy will support Coast Guard in protection of fishermen: MND
ROC Central News Agency
2013/05/14 17:37:30
Taipei, May 14 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Tuesday the Navy has several ships that can be used to support the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) in its task of safeguarding Taiwan's fishermen.
For example, the Lafayette and Perry class vessels can be deployed for that purpose, said MND spokesman Luo Shou-he, following a move by the CGA and the Navy on Sunday to jointly beef up protection of Taiwanese fisherman operating in waters south of Taiwan.
Noting that the Lafayette vessels carry S70-C helicopters aboard, Luo said Knox class frigates can also be used to provide support in the wake of an incident last week in which a Taiwanese fisherman was killed off Taiwan's south coast.
The 65-year-old fisherman, Hung Shih-cheng, was aboard a Taiwanese fishing boat that was fired on by a Philippine patrol vessel on May 9.
On the question of whether the Navy would regularly deploy ships to the south coast area, Luo said the CGA is the primary authority responsible for safeguarding Taiwan's fishermen, and the Navy will provide cover and support.
"The Coast Guard will be on the frontline, while the Navy will provide backup," he said, noting that this is the normal practice in democratic countries. Otherwise, the countries are likely to face criticism in the international community, he added.
The CGA said Tuesday morning that three of its ships had been deployed at around 75, 92 and 136 nautical miles, respectively, southeast of Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost tip of Taiwan.
The May 9 incident involving the Taiwanese fishing boat the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 occurred 164 nautical miles southeast of the cape.
(By Rogge Chen and Lilian Wu)
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