Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/10/26
By: Chen Chi-ching and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) The Penghu District Court ordered the detention of 28 Chinese nationals Friday,

following their arrest for illegal sea sand dredging in Taiwanese waters, according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA).

According to a press release, the dredging was discovered Thursday during a joint patrol by the CGA and the Penghu County government, in shallow coastal waters known as the Taiwan Bank.

During the operation, the authorities detained a dredging ship and a transporter, along with 28 Chinese crew members, including the vessels' captains, surnamed Lu (陸) and Kang (康), the CGA said.

The Penghu District Court ordered the 28 held incommunicado on suspicion of violating Taiwan's Sand and Gravel Excavation Act, and Law on the Exclusive Economic Zone, the largest such detention in the county's history.    [FULL  STORY]