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Taiwan, Japan in
high-seas standoff
BUSY WATERS: Scores of fishing vessels were
escorted by 10 coast guard ships as they confronted 21 Japanese coast guard
ships, with five Chinese patrol ships nearby
Staff writer, with CNA
A Japanese coast guard patrol
ship, third from top, sprays a water cannon toward a fishing boat from Taiwan as
a Taiwanese Coast Guard Administration vessel, fourth from top, sprays a water
cannon at the Japanese ship near the Diaoyutai Islands yesterday.
Photo: Kyodo / Reuters
Coast guard vessels from Taiwan and Japan
dueled with water cannons yesterday as Taiwanese fishing boats sailed close to
the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) to assert Taiwanese sovereignty over the
islets.
The fishing boats came as close as 3 nautical miles (5.5km) to the Diaoyutais,
known as the Senkakus in Japan, but were thwarted from making a possible landing
by Japanese coast guard vessels, which deterred the protesters from approaching
any further.
The Taiwanese boats arrived near the Diaoyutais at about 5am yesterday after
sailing overnight escorted by 10 Coast Guard Administration (CGA) ships.
The fishing boats assembled 18 nautical miles off the Diaoyutais to prepare for
their planned circumnavigation of the island group in pods of five ships each.
Their approach led to a standoff between the Taiwanese coast guard ships and
their Japanese counterparts.
More than 10 Japanese patrol boats used flashlights and water cannons to
disperse the Taiwanese fishing vessels, warning them over loudspeakers to leave.
At one point, they also dropped smaller boats into the water and tried ramming
them into the fishing boats.
CGA ships responded by firing water cannons and using loudspeakers and LED
lights to say, in Chinese, “This is Taiwan’s territorial waters. You should not
interfere with the operations of our fishermen.”
CGA ships sailed between the Taiwanese fishing vessels and Japanese patrol
boats, at one point stopping in front of the Japanese boats to allow the fishing
vessels room to maneuver.
Lin Jih-cheng (林日成), commander of an organizing committee on safeguarding
fishing rights, said the ships were able to sail near the Diaoyutais and
achieved the aim of their protest.
Considering the rough sea conditions, Lin announced at 9am that “the mission is
completed, and all fishing boats will return to Nanfangao.”
CGA vessels remained about 4 nautical miles from the Diaoyutais to see that all
fishing boats left the area safely.
The 75 Taiwanese fishing vessels, carrying banners reading “Defend our
territorial waters” and “Diaoyutais are ours,” set off from the fishing port of
Nanfangao (南方澳) in Yilan County on Monday to protest Japan’s recent move to
nationalize the islands by buying three of them from a private owner.
The Diaoyutais, about 120 nautical miles northeast of Taipei, are administered
by Japan, but claimed by Taiwan and China, and the fishermen wanted to assert
Taiwanese sovereignty over the islands and their right to operate in what they
call their traditional fishing grounds.
The CGA said its main goal was to prevent Japanese ships from boarding Taiwanese
fishing boats or taking Taiwanese fishermen into custody.
CGA Deputy Director-General Wang Chung-yi (王崇儀) said the agency had simulated
possible scenarios beforehand for the encounter and expected Japan to send large
ships to the site.
“Japan mobilized 21 ships, with the largest weighing 6,000 tonnes,” Wang said.
He said that because of the rough sea conditions around the Diaoyutais, with
waves as high as 4m, the CGA did not take more aggressive action, out of
consideration for the fishing vessels.
He also said the coast guard did not encounter Chinese fishing boats during its
escort mission, but noted that there were five Chinese patrol ships around the
island chain, all outside the 12 nautical mile territorial zone.
The Ministry of National Defense said the navy dispatched one Cheng Kung and two
Chi Yang-class frigates in waters off the coast of northeastern Taiwan in
support of the Taiwanese fishing boats. Several sorties of F-16 and Mirage 2000
fighters also monitored the situation while conducting routine reconnaissance
missions.
The island chain has been a traditional fishing ground of Taiwanese fishermen
for several decades, but they have been harassed and chased away by Japanese
coast guard ships in recent years.
Taiwan and Japan have held 16 rounds of fisheries talks to try to solve the
dispute, to no avail.
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