Taiwan says RI water dangerous

Taiwan says RI water dangerous

TAIPEI: Taiwan has declared Indonesian waters a "highly dangerous zone" after an attack on a Taiwanese boat by pirates, or possibly the boat's Indonesian crew, a Taipei newspaper reported Saturday.

"Since last year, Indonesian pirates have been targeting Taiwanese fishing boats, so Taiwanese fishing boats should keep away from Indonesian waters," the Fisheries Administration said in a report by the United Daily News.

There are about 600 vessels fishing for tuna in Indonesian waters, but they can move to other fishing grounds like the Marshall Islands, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, the paper said.

The latest case was the High Aim No. 6, which left Taiwan on Oct. 31, but was found drifting without her crew off the coast of Western Australia on Jan. 6.

The 65-ton, 20-meter boat was manned by Taiwanese captain Chen Tai-cheng, chief engineer Lin Chung-li and 10 Indonesian crew. The last call Lin made to his family on his mobile phone was on Nov. 16.

United Daily News said Saturday that Indonesian police had arrested nine Indonesian pirates who were suspected of having attacked the High Aim No. 6 in December. At that time, the boat carried 600 tons of fish.

The paper's reporter in Indonesia quoted the West Sulawesi police chief as saying that the nine men were arrested on Jan. 11 and Jan. 12.

"Indonesian police did not say if the nine pirates had links with the nine Indonesian crew on High Aim No. 6, or if captain Chen and chief engineer Lin are still alive," the paper said. --DPA