Coast Guard uses water cannon to drive away Chinese fishing boats that have entered Taiwan's prohibited waters

The Coast Guard Agency (CGA) said yesterday that it drove away two Chinese fishing boats that entered Taiwan's prohibited waters near the Dongsha Islands on Thursday.

At around 11 a.m., an unknown vessel was spotted about 15.5 nautical miles northeast of Dongsha Island, which is about 5.5 nautical miles within Taiwan's prohibited waters, the Coast Guard said.

The patrol vessel Yunlin was dispatched to the area, and around 3 p.m. it spotted two Chinese fishing boats - Yue Huidong Yu 75066 (粤华东鱼75066) and Jinsha (金Shar) - located about 27 nautical miles east of Dongsha Island, or about 8 nautical miles within the restricted waters, the Coast Guard said.

The Yunlin issued multiple warnings to the vessel and asked it to leave, the Coast Guard said.

Guangdong Huidong Yu 75066 left the area, but Golden Shark refused to leave, the Coast Guard said.

After failing to persuade the golden shark to leave three times, the Coast Guard used a water cannon to blast the Chinese fishing boat about 200 meters away for 30 seconds, which complied with legal requirements but did not achieve the dispersal effect, the Coast Guard said.

The Yunlin then gradually approached the Golden Shark and sprayed water jets against it for 90 seconds, the Coast Guard added.

The decision to use less-lethal weapons to drive the vessel away from Taiwan-controlled waters was in line with the Coast Guard's standard operating procedures, the Coast Guard said.

The Yunlin later provided 35 hot meals to the crew at the request of the Chinese fishing boat, towed it out of restricted waters, and handed it over to a Chinese work vessel early yesterday morning, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard said it is committed to lawfully expelling vessels that intrude on its borders, and its mission of maintaining national maritime border security and providing humanitarian assistance remains unchanged.

The Coast Guard also called on China to prevent further illegal fishing activities in the area and protect marine resources.

The Dongsha Islands are about 450 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung. About 300 Coast Guard officers are stationed here. They are one of the two island groups controlled by Taiwan in the South China Sea.

The other is Taiping Island (Itu Aba, Taiping Island), about 1,600 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung, where about 200 Coast Guard officers are stationed.

The Coast Guard defines "prohibited waters" as territorial waters, that is, the 12 nautical miles around Taiwan's main island and areas at different distances around outlying islands.

"Restricted waters" refers to the contiguous zone, which is used by countries to strengthen law enforcement capabilities in waters beyond the territorial sea.

The contiguous zone covers 24 nautical miles around Taiwan’s main island, as well as areas at different distances around outlying islands.

News source: TAIPEI TIMES

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