Undocumented Vietnamese migrants caught after swimming to Taiwan's southern coast
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/15
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
At 2 a.m. on Tuesday, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) received a report of a suspicious fishing vessel sailing 11.6 nautical miles (21.4 kilometers) off the coast of Kenting in Pingtung County, bound for Hou-pi-hu Fishing Harbor. When the boat was 3 nautical miles from shore, it suddenly changed course and headed for Dingbaisha.
The Hengchun branch of the CGA was notified, and it dispatched two patrol boats to investigate. When the Coast Guard boats arrived at the scene at 4 a.m. that morning, officers using thermal imaging cameras found that unidentified persons were jumping out of the boat.
When the boat was within 400 meters from the coast, individuals wearing life jackets jumped overboard and swam to the shoreline. [FULL STORY]