Taiwanese fishermen return to Pingtung after trip to Taiping Island

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/31
By: Kuo Chu-chen, Chen Cheng-wei and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, July 31 (CNA) A flotilla of fishing boats sailing to Taiping Island, the biggest island in the Spratly (Nansha) Islands in the South China Sea, returned to a Pingtung harbor with water, coconuts and sand from the island on Sunday morning.

The fishermen aboard five boats, who set out to demonstrate Taiping is an island under international law and assert the Republic of China’s (Taiwan) sovereignty over the island and surrounding waters, returned to Pingtung’s Yenpu (鹽埔) Fishing Port at 10 a.m. and were greeted by some 600 people.

After unloading water, coconuts, sea sand and bread from ships onto the dock, Cheng Chun-chung (鄭春忠), the organizer of the trip, thanked the five captains and said he organized and led the trip to express fishermen’s concerns about their country’s territory, in a press conference at the scene.

“Taiping is an island which belongs to Taiwan, why hasn’t the government had asserted this fact?” Cheng asked.     [FULL  STORY]