The captain of a Taiwanese fishing boat detained in China for four months for illegal fishing has been released after paying a fine, the Taiwanese coast guard announced Saturday. The boat named «Da Jin Man 88» had five crew members when it was seized by the Chinese coast guard in waters near the Kinmen Islands on July 2 for violating Beijing’s seasonal fishing ban.
The Kinmen Islands are administered by Taipei but are located just a few kilometers from the Chinese mainland. Four crew members were released in August. The captain and the boat were released on Friday after payment of a fine. Taiwan’s coast guard then escorted the boat to the Penghu archipelago, where it is registered, and arrived around midnight (1600 GMT), a Taiwan coast guard official said on Saturday, noting that did not provide details on the amount of the fine.
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Kinmen, a “buffer” island between Taipei and Beijing, knows itself to be on the front line in the event of open conflict
According to Taiwanese media, two Penghu politicians helped arrange the payment of more than 210,000 yuan (27,500 euros). China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will not rule out the use of force to bring the island back under its control. In recent years, it has increased its military pressure on the island by sending warplanes, drones and ships almost daily into the waters of the Taiwan Strait.
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