Taiwan's Coast Guard expels two PLA vessels around Kinmen

Taipei, June 1 (CNA) Taiwan's Coast Guard on Wednesday expelled two Chinese military vessels that intruded into waters off Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands, according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA).

The CGA's Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch confirmed Saturday that starting at 9:13 a.m. on Wednesday, coast guards began monitoring two suspicious vessels which took off from the direction of southeastern China's Xiamen city, which is near Taiwan's three outlying island groups.

The vessels entered into Taiwan's restricted waters south of Kinmen's Zhaishan area.

The Coast Guard said it monitored the situation and dispatched patrol boat PP-10039 to gather evidence, discovering that the Chinese ships were People's Liberation Army (PLA) supply ships with hull numbers "KD161" and "KD162," built with the structural integrity of landing crafts.

Following the discovery, the Taiwanese patrol boat issued warnings and drove the vessels away, with the whole ordeal lasting approximately 40 minutes, the CGA revealed.

On Saturday the Army's Kinmen Defense Command also confirmed the transgression, saying that it discovered the sortie on Wednesday and reported the ships to the Coast Guard's Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch.

The command added that it also notified its response troops to heighten their awareness following the incident.

According to Taiwan's Army, the area under its defense is capable of monitoring the situation around its premise to provide proper situational response.