2 Chinese men on makeshift rafts off Taiwan's Erdan Island detained

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said Tuesday it had detained two Chinese men on makeshift rafts who attempted to sneak ashore Kinmen County's Erdan Island earlier in the day.

Using its thermal imaging system, the CGA's Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu branch detected the two Chinese nationals in waters southwest of the Lieyu Islands at 5:08 a.m., the CGA said in a statement.

The two were floating on polystyrene boards launched from a sampan in an attempt to get to Erdan Island, located only about 5 kilometers from Xiamen, China, according to the CGA.

The branch immediately dispatched two patrol vessels to the scene and requested the assistance of the Lieyu Garrison Command in pursuing the intruders, who were apprehended at 7:53 a.m., the CGA said.

The suspects will be dealt with according to the Immigration Act and the Act Governing the Relations between People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area and face detention, a maximum prison term of five years, and a possible fine of up to NT$500,000 (US$16,573.96), the CGA said.

The incident comes as Taiwanese authorities investigate two videos uploaded by a Chinese man who claimed to have sailed solo to Taiwan in a rubber dinghy.

In one video, the man, speaking in a Chinese accent, brags that he had planted China's national flag on Taiwan's soil.

The CGA said there has recently been a marked increase in the number of cases involving small targets intruding into Taiwan-controlled waters, and that such cases are now the focus of its work to counter "gray zone" activities, provocative or aggressive actions that fall short of open conflict.

In the wake of these threats, it has completed the necessary deployments for stopping small intruders at the nation's maritime borders, the CGA said.

The CGA added it could not rule out the possibility that Tuesday's incident was timed to coincide with the first anniversary of President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) assuming office to rattle the Taiwanese public.