Two survivors of Chinese fishermen pursued by the Taiwanese coast guard returned home from Taiwan, the South China Morning Post reported on February 20.
A delegation of fishermen’s relatives, a lawyer, representatives of the Chinese Red Cross and the Taiwan Affairs Office of Quanzhou province – ten people in total – arrived on the island of the Kinmen archipelago (Chinese name Quemoy).
They visited a funeral home where two dead fishermen were found. Survivors said they were happy to be able to return home. They boarded the ferry and sailed toward their native shores.
An official from the Taiwan Affairs Office of Quanzhou province blamed the Taiwanese coast guard for the rough treatment of a fishing boat that left two people dead. He called on Taiwanese authorities to help the families of the victims and help them so as not to further traumatize them.
Let us remember that on February 14, an incident occurred between Chinese fishermen and the Taiwanese coast guard. The coast guard ship was attempting to dislodge a high-speed Chinese fishing boat from the waters around the Kinmen archipelago, which Taiwan considers “off-limits” and does not allow foreign vessels to enter waters with “restricted traffic” without permission.
During the chase, the boat carrying the Chinese fishermen capsized and four people ended up in the water. They were pulled out of the water and taken to the hospital. However, two fishermen died there.
China called on the island’s authorities to investigate the incident, release the detained fishermen and return their boat. In response, Taiwanese authorities called on China to crack down on fishing violations by Chinese fishermen. They fully justified the actions of their coast guard and claimed that coast guard officers across the Taiwan Strait would have done the same.
Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the Taiwan Strait belongs to a single and indivisible China and that the island also belongs to it. Since ancient times, fishermen from both sides of the strait have fished in the strait’s traditional fishing areas.
In the strait there have never been “prohibited” zones or “restricted traffic” waters, he emphasized. China will always show goodwill towards its compatriots, but will not allow Taiwanese authorities to neglect the lives and property rights of Chinese fishermen, Zhu Fenglian concluded.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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