Taiwan's government on Thursday confirmed for the first time that a Taiwanese fishing vessel has been held by the Indonesian authorities for nearly two weeks for alleged violations of fishing regulations while in Indonesian waters, but added that the crew are in good health.
The Kaohsiung-registered vessel JOHO (CT5- 1698) was boarded by an unidentified Indonesian Naval vessel late on June 19 while it was sailing through Indonesian territorial waters in the Malacca Strait and about to enter the Indian Ocean, according to press statements released by the Fisheries Agency (FA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Thursday.
The Indonesian warship boarded the Taiwanese fishing vessel to conduct an inspection and later impounded the boat on the grounds that it was spotted not flying any flag and its fishing equipment was not stored in the cabin in accordance with safety regulations, according to the FA and MOFA.
A total of 22 individuals were on board the JOHO, 21 crew and one fisheries observer appointed by Taiwan's government.
The impounded vessel and crew are being held at Seumawe Naval base but have been allowed some freedom of movement within the base and onboard the JOHO, they said.
Taiwan's representative office in Indonesia sent officials to visit the crews on June 28 and all were in good health, according to MOFA.
Taiwan's government is currently in talks with the Indonesian authorities and is seeking the quick release of the fishing vessel and its crew, MOFA said.
The statements released by the FA and MOFA came only after the local Chinese-language United Daily News reported on the incident earlier in the day.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel