Taiwan will clear nearly 200 hectares of illegal oyster racks from waters between Kinmen County and Xiamen, China. The Executive Yuan announced on Thursday that Chinese fishers will not be allowed into Taiwan's waters to remove them
The new presisent Lai. File Pic.
The Taiwanese government is set to remove illegal oyster racks in waters between Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Executive Yuan stated on Thursday. It added that no Chinese fishers would be permitted to enter Taiwan's territorial waters to remove them, as reported by the Taipei Times.
The Taipei Times report noted that at one point, nearly 200 hectares of illegal oyster racks were in the area, which has generated national security concerns as some Chinese fishers cross into Taiwan's territorial waters to harvest oysters.
However, the oyster racks have been erected amid China's escalating "grey zone" harassment of Taiwan, the Taipei Times noted. It further stated that the Kinmen County Government said Chinese fishers should be allowed to enter Taiwanese waters to remove the racks, with the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) overseeing the process.
Meanwhile, the county asserted that it does not have the funding, vessels, or staffing to remove them, and conflicts could erupt during the process. However, Minister Without Portfolio Lin Ming-hsin said the Cabinet had decided the government would handle the matter.
"We will work with the Kinmen County Government to remove the racks, because the interests of Kinmen County residents who operate oyster farms legally are also at stake," Lin said, as reported by ANI.
The Executive Yuan would also discuss ways to prevent illegal oyster racks from reappearing, he added.
Meanwhile, the Taipei Times said that residents in Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties can continue to legally operate oyster farms, so long as they are not providing cover for illegal Chinese operations, he said.
According to ANI, China has been conducting "grey zone" activities and challenging Taiwanese law enforcement personnel with government-run and private vessels, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee said.
As per the Taiwan Times, Lee said that the coast guard would continue to deploy vessels to patrol the waters near the outlying islands, while the Executive Yuan would assist the Kinmen County Government in managing oyster farms by registering fishers in the county.
Noting that Chinese vessels entering Taiwan's waters to harvest oysters is a national security issue, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Jui-long said on Wednesday, according to ANI.
As per the Taipei Times, citing CGA data, since 2008, the government has seized eight boats and detained 18 people who illegally hired Chinese to run oyster farms. Fourteen people on six of the vessels have been sentenced to prison terms or fines by the judiciary. Four people operating on the other two boats are being investigated by prosecutors.
It also reported that in the meantime, NT$1.25 million (US$42,199) in fines have been imposed, and five Chinese-flagged oyster-harvesting boats, 13,914kg of oysters, and 20,000 oyster seedlings have been confiscated, the data showed, reported ANI.
"The government must more actively counter grey zone harassment, whether it is through fishing boats or rubber boats. National security officials need to tackle the national security issue forcefully, while the Kinmen County Government needs to work with the central government in enforcing the law," Lai said, as reported by the Taipei Times.
(With inputs from ANI)
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