On April 17, the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration announced that four Chinese coast guard ships had harassed the waters near Kinmen Island on the afternoon of the previous day. The Coast Guard dispatched patrol boats to monitor and force the intruders to leave.
According to a press release from the Taiwan Ocean Affairs Administration’s Coast Guard Administration on the 16th, the 12th patrol zone of the Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu divisions of the Coast Guard detected Chinese coast guard ships in the waters surrounding Kinmen on the afternoon of the 17th. They promptly mobilized patrol boats and positioned them at the boundary line to respond.
At 2:50 pm on the 17th, four Chinese coast guard ships, numbered “14515,” “14603,” “14608,” and “14609,” sailed close to the southern waters of Kinmen from the open sea, entering the waters around Kinmen from different directions, including the northeast of Lieyu Island, southeast, and southwest of Dazai Mountain.
Four patrol boats of the Taiwan Coast Guard immediately deployed to monitor and intercept, issuing strong warnings in both Chinese and English through radio broadcasts, demanding that the Chinese coast guard ships change course and leave. Under the close monitoring of the patrol boats, the Chinese coast guard ships left the restricted waters of Kinmen at 5 pm.
The Taiwan Coast Guard stated that the provocative actions in the gray area by China are ongoing. It has been recorded that Chinese coast guard ships have harassed the waters near Kinmen 69 times. The Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu divisions continue to strengthen surveillance, response, and deployment capabilities while maintaining a firm law enforcement stance to ensure national security.
In addition, on the 17th, Chairperson Hsu Pi-ling of the Taiwan Ocean Affairs Administration reported to the Internal Affairs Committee of the Legislative Yuan. Before the meeting, she participated in a media interview where she was asked about 62 military personnel holding Chinese residency permits, with two being reservists, and the current situation of the Coast Guard. Hsu explained that three Coast Guard members were found to have obtained Chinese residency permits before recruitment, which were duly revoked in accordance with the law. None of the Coast Guard members currently hold Chinese residency permits or passports.
(Translated and rewritten from original news article in Mandarin)