Abducted coast guard returns after mainland abduction

Chiang Shao-nan set foot again on Matsu still carrying his M16 rifle at about 6 p.m. as he got off a boat, the Minchu No. 1, that Taiwan authorities sent to take him home from the Fujian port of Mawei.

“I’m so glad to be home,” said Chiang, who is stationed at a coast guard depot on Matsu, a group of islands just off the shore of mainland China.

He thanked the mainland authorities for providing him safety and care during his stay and for the arrangements for his quick return to Taiwan.

But he was reluctant to talk about his ordeal in detail, saying his abduction followed a life-threatening fight put up by the mainland fishermen who had refused to be inspected.

According to the Coast Guard Administration, Chiang and his fellows were on a routine patrol mission near Matsu Sunday afternoon when they spotted a mainland fisher boat allegedly operating illegally in Taiwan waters.

The coast guards armed with M16 rifles approached the fishing boat, and after four of them boarded it, over a dozen fishermen attacked them.

The administration admitted that the coast guards fired warning shots at the sky, but they were ignored.

During the struggle, Chiang’s M16 was taken by the fishermen, but fellow coast guards managed to grab back the magazine of bullets.

Two of the coast guards jumped back to their vessel as the mainland boat started to speed away.

Chiang and Hsu Chih-yi, their unit chief, were left on the fishing boat heading back for the mainland. Hsu managed to jump overboard later, leaving Chiang alone.

Backup coast guards vessels coming to the rescue had to abandon their chase of the fishing boat after finding themselves too close to the mainland coast.

Coast guard officials said during the chase, they refrained from shooting, fearing any casualties would create a major cross-strait crisis.

The mainland side had a different story. They claimed that the coast guards had wounded two fishermen and had also shot at the captain’s room.

They fought the coast guards and took Chiang hostage out of self defense, they said.

Fujian province’s Taiwan Affairs Office said it was regrettable to see such a row, and would launch a probe.

Premier Yu Shyi-kun ordered the Coast Guard Administration revise its patrol routines, strengthen maritime safety, and work out a set guidelines for handling similar incidents in the future, according to Cabinet spokesman Lin Chia-lung.

Yu was quoted as saying that the coast guards were exercising their authority patrolling the nation’s waters, and the incident involved “national security.”

Arrangements for Chiang’s return were quickly agreed on by both sides of the strait.

Legislator Tsao Yuan-chang, of the People First Party, and officials from the Mainland Affairs Council and Straits Exchange Foundation were on board the Minchu No. 1 sailing to Fujian to take Chiang back.

After returning to Matsu, Chiang was given a brief medical check-up, which found in good condition.

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