CONTESTED WATERS:Fishermen protested outside the Japanese representative office in Taipei over the seizure of a Taiwanese fishing boat and demanded an apology

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 28, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter, with CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday vowed to safeguard the fishing rights of Taiwanese

Fishermen yesterday throw eggs at the Taipei office of the Interchange Association, Japan, during a protest against Japan’s detention of a Taiwanese fishing boat earlier this week and what they said is Japan’s infringement of their rights to fish in international waters. Photo: David Chang, EPA

fishermen in international waters and denied Japan’s claim that the Okinotori atoll is an island.
The Presidential Office issued a statement saying that Ma made the pledge during a high-level national security meeting attended by Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), Premier Simon Chang (張善政) and top officials from the ministries of foreign affairs and national defense, the Coast Guard Administration and the Council of Agriculture.
The meeting was called to discuss countermeasures to the Japanese Coast Guard’s confiscation of the Taiwanese fishing boat, Tung Sheng Chi No. 16, about 150 nautical miles (277.8km) east-southeast of the Okinotori atoll on Monday and its demand for a ￥6 million (US$54,240) “security deposit,” the office said.
The boat was released, along with its Taiwanese captain and nine Chinese and Indonesian crew members, on Tuesday afternoon after its owner, Pan Chung-chiu (潘忠秋) — the father of its captain, met Tokyo’s demand.
During the meeting, Ma announced the government’s three-part stance on the incident, the office said.     [FULL  STORY]