On August 13, 2024, the Taiwan-registered fishing vessel “Da Jin Man 88” from the Republic of China’s Penghu Islands was detained and taken away by a Chinese Coast Guard ship while operating in the waters near Kinmen on July 2. The vessel had been held for over 40 days, and the crew member surnamed Ding and three Indonesian fishermen were released on the 13th. However, the captain surnamed Hong and the vessel are still being detained pending legal procedures.
The Taiwan-registered fishing vessel “Da Jin Man 88” from Penghu Islands was detained by Chinese Coast Guard during the fishing ban season in the Fuyu Fish Season on July 2 while operating in the waters near Beiding Island of Kinmen. Captain Hong, crew member Ding from Taiwan, and three Indonesian fishermen were taken to Quanzhou Port. On July 3, the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration held a press conference urging the mainland authorities not to handle the incident with political factors and to release the vessel and crew promptly following proper procedures. On July 8, the Director of the National Security Bureau, Tsai Ming-Yan, pointed out that the frequency of grey zone operations by Chinese forces at sea has indeed increased, and Taiwan will continue to enhance patrols in its territorial waters to safeguard legal maritime activities.
According to reports from the Central News Agency, after more than 40 days of detention of the “Da Jin Man 88” fishing vessel, relevant personnel met for the first time on the 12th with the head of the Taiwan Affairs Office in Fujian Province, Li Zhonghui, under the mediation of former Presidents of the Penghu Straits Exchange Association, former legislator Lin Bingkun, and former vice chairman Chen Shuangquan. Present at the meeting were Penghu Speaker Chen Yuren, county councilor Wu Zhengjie, ship owner surnamed Xu, the daughter of Captain Hong, among others.
Today, accompanied by officials from the Taiwan Affairs Office in Fujian Province, Lin Bingkun and others visited the captain Hong and others who were being housed in a guesthouse near Wutou Port in Fujian. Subsequently, crew member Ding and the three Indonesian fishermen were taken by a small boat from Wutou Port to the median line of the strait, where they were transferred to the “Da Jin Man 96” owned by Mr. Xu, to continue their operations at sea. It is scheduled that they will return to Penghu’s Zhuban Port on the 15th.
Penghu County Council Speaker Chen Yuren, who visited the coordination site, expressed gratitude to the former Presidents of the Penghu Straits Exchange Association, Lin Bingkun, Chen Shuangquan, and others for their assistance in communication, leading to a satisfactory resolution of the incident. In the future, efforts will continue to be made, whether through government efforts or by combining private sector coordination, to protect the safety of Penghu fishermen.
Chen Shuangquan mentioned that regarding the issues with Captain Hong and the fishing vessel “Da Jin Man 88”, due to legal complexities, the release of the crew and vessel can only be expected after the completion of legal procedures. As of now, there is no definite timeline from the Fujian Taiwan Affairs Office.