Captain of Taiwanese fishing vessel detained in China released

Taipei, Nov. 15 (CNA) The captain of a Taiwanese fishing vessel detained by the Chinese authorities for more than four months was released Friday after paying a fine, bringing an end to the incident caused by illegal fishing.

The Taiwanese captain, surnamed Hung (洪), and his vessel, "Da Jin Man No. 88," were released after those involved in the negotiations, including Chen Yu-Jen (陳毓仁), speaker of Penghu County Council, and Chen Shuang-chuan (陳雙全), former deputy speaker of the council, helped arrange the payment of a fine of over RMB210,000 (US$29,056) earlier Friday.

Of the total fine, RMB100,000 was imposed by the Chinese authorities on the captain, while over RMB110,000 was levied on the vessel.

At around 2:00 p.m., Hung and the vessel were sent to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, where the "Da Jin Man No. 8" fishing boat, part of the same fleet as the "Da Jin Man No. 88," prepared to escort them back to the Taiwan-held Penghu islands after four previously detained crew members, who were released earlier, rejoined the vessel.

"Da Jin Man No. 88" and Hung are expected to arrive at Penghu County's Zhuwan Harbor on Saturday morning.

The Penghu-registered fishing vessel was boarded and seized by the China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay 17.5 nautical miles outside Taiwan-controlled "restricted waters" off the Kinmen Islands on July 2, according to Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA).

The vessel, along with Hung and four crew members, was detained by the Chinese authorities for illegally fishing in Chinese territorial waters during a seasonal moratorium, the CGA said.

The four crew members -- a Taiwanese national and three Indonesian nationals -- were released in August as they were involved in minor violations and thus did not face criminal charges, according to China's Taiwan Affairs Office.

At the time, Chen Shuang-chuan, who also serves as chairman of the Penghu cross-strait exchange association, said the legal issues involving Hung and the fishing boat needed to be resolved before they could be released.

Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉), secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official organization tasked by Taiwan's government with handling technical matters involving China, said Friday that Hung's family and the owner of "Da Jin Man No. 88" had been waiting for their release for a long time.

Luo also reiterated that cross-strait technical disputes should be handled according to agreements signed between the two sides to safeguard the well-being and rights of people in Taiwan and China.