Chinese man found crossing into Taiwan waters detained incommunicado

Taipei, Sept. 15 (CNA) The Taiwan New Taipei District Court ruled late Saturday night that a Chinese man who illegally entered Taiwan on a rubber dinghy be detained and held incommunicado for illegal entry into the country.

The court ruled that the man was suspected of violating the Immigration Act, and that he posed a flight risk and had the potential to collude with accomplices.

The 30-year-old man, surnamed Wang (王), was reported to Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) by the New Taipei Fire Department at 6:30 a.m. Saturday after he was seen near the Houkeng River estuary in New Taipei's Linkou District, according to the CGA.

The CGA personnel dispatched to the scene found Wang and a rubber dinghy about 100 meters from the shore. They assisted the man to shore and sent him to the hospital, as he was severely dehydrated, the CGA said.

The rubber dinghy was not rowed to Taiwan's shores but driven with an outboard motor, the CGA added.

In the subsequent questioning, Wang told the CGA that he was in debt in China and hoped to start a new life in Taiwan.

The CGA said that Wang's statement matched the identification documents that he had brought with him.

He was transferred to prosecutors for investigation at 8:45 p.m., the CGA said.

The prosecutors Office, after questioning Wang, suspected that he had illegally entered Taiwan, and requested the court detain him incommunicado for posing a flight risk and potentially colluding with accomplices.

In response to the Chinese man's detention, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said on a social media post later in the day that no human errors by CGA personnel were involved in the incident, but that Taiwan needed to improve its maritime border control.