Recently, there have been frequent reports of mainland Chinese individuals attempting to cross borders using rubber boats. Kuan Pi-ling, Chairperson of the Ocean Affairs Council of the Republic of China (Taiwan), pointed out today (28th) that in the past 2 years, there have been a total of 27 cases, with the stowaways coming from 15 provinces of China. The incidents seem to be well-organized and modular, suggesting the possibility of systematic intrusion in the gray area by the Chinese Communist Party.
Chairperson Kuan Pi-ling attended a joint meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary and Internal Administration Committees to review the draft law on the establishment of the National Ocean Technology Operations Center. Before the meeting, she gave interviews to the media.
Regarding the recent cases of mainland Chinese individuals using rubber boats for illegal border crossing, Kuan Pi-ling stated that the cases are being overseen by prosecutors for investigation and the Coast Guard Administration for administrative inquiries. The Ocean Affairs Council scrutinizes all law enforcement processes of the Coast Guard Administration with the strictest standards to identify any flaws and improve them. As for the part where prosecutors oversee the cases, due to the confidentiality of the investigations, they are not allowed to disclose information to the public.
Kuan Pi-ling emphasized, “In the past 2 years, there have been a total of 27 cases of illegal border crossings, originating from as many as 15 provinces in China, including some very inland provinces. The distribution of cases is difficult to explain based solely on political, economic, or social conditions.”
She continued, “Furthermore, the narratives of those who crossed the border illegally to Taiwan and the equipment used for these crossings are highly standardized. Therefore, I have previously mentioned the possibility of systematic operations, which are necessary preventive measures in light of the gray area intrusions between the two sides.”
The Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China recently reviewed the draft law titled “Special Act to Strengthen Economic, Social, and National Security Resilience in Response to International Situations,” which includes the budget for the Coast Guard Administration. In an interview with the media before the meeting, Kuan Pi-ling expressed her hope for bipartisan support to enhance and modernize the Coast Guard’s capabilities for multidimensional detection and prevention to thwart small-scale border crossings.
Kuan Pi-ling mentioned that the Coast Guard’s deployment strategy in the past focused on drug smuggling, maritime crimes, and illegal border crossings. However, following the “Tamsui River incident” last year, they began deploying strategies that aimed at nearly zero oversight over small-scale border crossings. In a recent case of attempted border crossing in Kinmen on the 20th, the Taiwan Coast Guard was able to apprehend two individuals thanks to the use of infrared thermal imaging equipment. She urged the public to support and trust the Coast Guard.