Taiwan Navy to Escort MPs Visiting Disputed Islands

Text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website

[By Deborah Kuo]

Taipei, June 16 (CNA) – Naval vessels will be dispatched to escort agroup of legislators on their planned visit to the disputed Tiaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea, military spokeswoman Lisa Chi said Monday [16 June].

The Navy has started planning for the proposed trip by a group of lawmakers from the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee, led by ruling Kuomintang Legislator Lin Yu-fang, Chi said.

Lin announced earlier in the day that the trip – slated for Wednesday – will be aimed at “finding facts, claiming sovereignty and protecting the rights of Taiwan fishing boats.”"It was still uncertain whether Defence Minister Chen Chao-min will accompany the legislators on the trip to the Tiaoyutais, ” Chi added.

“Relevant details, such as the type of vessels, the Defence Ministry personnel to be assigned to the mission, and question of whether the convoy will enter the disputed 12-nautical-mile zone around the Tiaoyutais, are yet to be finalized,” Chi added.

The Tiaoyutais, located 102 nautical miles to the northeast of Taiwan, have been at the centre of a territorial dispute among Japan, Taiwan and China over the past decades. The waters around the island group have traditionally been a fishing ground for Taiwan fishermen.

Lin said that the legislators are determined to make the trip Wednesday, adding that “the decision will not be changed unless Japan apologizes and offers compensation.” Lin was referring to a recent incident, in which a Japanese patrol vessel rammed into a Taiwan sports fishing boat in waters near the Tiaoyutais, causing the fishing boat to sink off the islands June 10.

Taiwan recalled its representative to Tokyo Sunday to protest the Japanese authorities’ claim that the accident resulted from a bungled attempt by the Japanese patrol vessel to chase the Taiwan recreational fishing boat away from Japan’s territorial waters and that the Taiwan boat was partly to blame.

Originally published by Central News Agency website, Taipei, in English 0741 16 Jun 08.

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