The crew of the Chinese fishing boat that attempted to flee with Taiwanese officers on board is facing a fine and criminal investigations, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) official said Sunday from the northern port city of Keelung.
The crew of the Zhelingyu 69088 will face a fine of NT$250,000 (US$8,244) for unauthorized entry into the waters 17 nautical miles northeast of Pengjia Islet, where Taiwanese Coast Guard officers boarded the boat Saturday afternoon, according to Chen Sih-chuan, head of the Coast Guard unit in Keelung.
The CGA also plans to send the case to prosecutors for investigation into whether the skipper and eight Chinese crew members obstructed law enforcement operations when the boat sped away with the Taiwanese officers still onboard, he said.
The skipper is alleged to set the 260-ton fishing boat on auto-pilot in a bid to flee, according to the CGA.
The Chinese vessel was intercepted by CGA boats Saturday evening some 40 nautical miles northeast of Pengjia Islet and arrived in Keelung Sunday morning under escort, the CGA said.
The nine fishermen are in custody and their boat has been detained.
2014 WantChinaTimes.com