Nearly 100 fishermen converged on the Daan River estuary in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday to protest regular army exercises in the area, which led to a 40-minute delay to the start of an annual live-fire artillery training drill there.
Led by opposition Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Chi-chang, the fisherman set off early in the morning from Songbo fishing port in Dajia District in Taichung for the estuary aboard 20 plastic rafts.
Along the way, the fishermen chanted slogans such as protect fishermen’s livelihoods and we want to live, and their rafts were adorned with white banners protesting the military’s regular artillery shooting exercises near the mouth of the Daan River.
Tsai said the 10th Army Corps’ live-fire training drills off the coastline have not only affected the operations of local fishermen but also damaged the area’s marine resources and ecology.
The army corps has conducted live-fire artillery exercises in the area for many years, Tsai said.
While the Ministry of National Defense has typically said ahead of such events that it would draft regulations to compensate fishermen for losses incurred due to the suspension of operations for the drills, it has never delivered on such a promise, the lawmaker said.
Therefore, fishermen could not but stage the protest to push the government to take active steps to better protect their rights and livelihoods, Tsai said.
Chao Chao-chin, a Taichung municipal government adviser, said fishermen usually have to suspend fishing operations for two days and see their fish catch decrease for the following six months whenever the army corps conducts its annual two-day artillery training drill.
The Coast Guard Administration dispatched two patrol ships to escort the rafts to prevent any conflicts and keep them out of the designated drill area. Coast Guard officers also asked protesters to leave as soon as possible.
The annual live-fire shooting exercise was originally scheduled to start at 8:05 a.m., but did not kick off until after the fishermen ended their protest and left the scene at around 9 a.m.
Chao Ke-ta, commander of the 10th Army Corps, said the army has moved the offshore target area farther away from the fishermen’s fishing grounds (where artificial fishing habitats have been set up) and limited the practice area to just 3.74 square kilometers to minimize any possible adverse impact on their activities.
In addition, Chao said, the number of artillery shells fired has been halved and the duration of the training drill has been cut to two days.
On some fishermen’s request for cash compensation, Chao said existing regulations do not allow such a practice.
We will collect fishermen’s opinions and suggest that the government consider revising current laws to resolve the issue once and for all, Chao added.
1999 2012 The China Post