NEW TAIPEI (TVBS News) — New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) demanded on Wednesday (July 3) the return of detained individuals and vessels, emphasizing the government's duty to protect its people and ships at sea.
Mayor Hou's statement came amid escalating tensions following the detention of a Taiwanese fishing boat by Chinese authorities. He urged China to return the detained crew and vessel promptly, stressing the importance of addressing the matter seriously.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA, 海巡署) reported receiving a distress call at 8:14 p.m. a day earlier from the owner of the Penghu-registered fishing boat "Da-Jin-Man 88" (大進滿 88).
The administration immediately dispatched two patrol boats, 10081 and 3505, located 14.3 nautical miles and 31.4 nautical miles from the incident site, respectively. Their mission was to intercept and rescue the Taiwanese fishing boat, which had two Taiwanese and three Indonesian crew members on board.
The CGA stated that the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會) and the Fisheries Agency (漁業署) will handle further negotiations through cross-strait channels.
They also called on China to avoid using political factors in managing this incident, and to promptly explain the reasons for the detention and follow due process in releasing the crew and vessel.
