The China Post
Date: July 25, 2016
By: The China Post news staff
TAIPEI, Taiwan — A group of fishermen who are scheduled to arrive on the Taiwan-controlled
From left to right, Kuomintang lawmakers Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), Wang Yu-min (王育敏) and Lu Yu-ling (呂玉玲) hold a press conference at the Legislative Yuan on Sunday, July 24. They questioned whether fishermen heading to Taiping Island will be able to dock their ships. (CNA)
Taiping Island (太平島) to assert their country’s South China Sea claims on Monday may not be allowed to step onto the island unless they need emergency relief, a Cabinet spokesman said on Sunday.
Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) told local media that civilians are normally not allowed to visit the island if they have not applied for permission beforehand as it is an important military control area.
According to a Defense Ministry statement, one needs to apply for the permission to visit Taiping 45 days before a scheduled trip or visitors will not be able to step foot on the restricted area.
However, Tung also said that in case of emergency or if fishermen need to replenish water or food supplies on their vessels, coastguardsmen on Taiping will give “all necessary assistance” to them in accordance with the applicable regulations. [FULL STORY]
