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Naval frigate on way back after patrol mission near Spratlys

ROC Central News Agency

2016/07/18 16:39:57

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) The Lafayette-class Di Hua frigate is on its way back to Taiwan after completing a routine patrol mission in waters near the Spratly Islands, sources said Monday.

The warship, which was originally scheduled to set off for the mission on July 14, set sail a day earlier after a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on July 12 concerning a dispute between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.

The court found that none of the Spratly Islands, including the Taiwan-held Taiping Island, could be considered "islands" under international law and are therefore not entitled to 200-nautical-mile economic zones, indirectly undermining Taiwan's claims in the region.

Before its departure, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) gave a pep talk to the crew on board, saying that the government was committed to maintaining Taiwan's sovereignty over Taiping and other islands in the South China Sea.

Also Monday, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said the Wei Hsing patrol vessel, which left for Taiping Island on July 10, will head back to Taiwan on Tuesday.

Another patrol vessel named the Taitung set sail for the region on July 16 to take over the mission of protecting the security of waters surrounding Taiping Island, the CGA said.

(By Lu Hsin-hui, Chu Che-wei and Y.F. Low)
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