Captain of ship that allegedly cut Taiwan-Penghu cable remanded in custody

Taipei, Feb. 27 (CNA) Tainan prosecutors obtained a court order Thursday for the Chinese captain of a vessel to be remanded in custody, pending an investigation into the severing of an undersea telecommunications cable between Taiwan proper and the offshore Penghu County.

The boat captain, surnamed Wang (王), will be held incommunicado, in accordance with the Tainan District Court order, which was issued one day after the Tainan District Prosecutors Office filed the request.

In its filing, the office said Wang posed a risk of flight, collusion and evidence tampering.

The Chinese captain and seven crew members of the Togo-registered freighter the Hong Tai were arrested Tuesday by Taiwan Coast Guard officers on suspicion of deliberately severing a submarine fiber optic cable that linked Taiwan proper to Penghu island.

According to the CGA, the freighter had been loitering about 925 meters from the undersea cable since around 7 p.m. on Feb. 22.

When a Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol vessel was dispatched to the area, it asked the (CGA) signal station at Tainan's Anping Port to contact the Hong Tai, but there was no response, according to the CGA.

At 3 a.m. Tuesday, the partially state-owned Chunghwa Telecom company reported that its "Taiwan-Penghu No. 3" submarine fiber optic cable had been severed.

After some challenges, Taiwan Coast Guard officers boarded the Hong Tai and took the captain and seven crew members into custody.

On Thursday, prosecutors said Wang will be remanded in custody and held incommunicado, while the seven crew will be released but will be monitored via electronic tagging and have been barred from leaving Taiwan during the investigation.

Meanwhile, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) issued a statement Thursday, expressing concern about the recent incidents of damaged undersea cables.

"We are closely monitoring these recent reports of damaged undersea cables," an AIT spokesperson said in the statement. "Additionally, we are concerned about reports that in some recent cases, investigators have been impeded from obtaining necessary access and transparency in the investigation of the incidents. We urge all parties to fully comply with ongoing investigations to determine the facts."