A Taiwanese tourist boat strayed from designated waters towards Chinese territory off Kinmen Island, only to be intercepted and boarded by the Chinese coast guard.
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A Taiwanese sightseeing vessel, “King Xia”, veered towards Chinese waters off Kinmen’s Wushajiao on Monday afternoon, prompting Chinese coast guard personnel to board the vessel at approximately 4:47 p.m.
Chinese authorities in red vests reading “Chinese Coast Guard" in simplified characters confined their examination to the ship's captain's quarters, however, the unprecedented encounter left tourists shaken. Some passengers described the unexpected arrival as scary saying that it had made them quite nervous.
The ship's guide Ms.Tsai (蔡小姐) recalls that the coast guard said they would come up to inspect the captain's cabin. She says there was no conflict with the tourists but criticized the duration of the inspection, saying that the 30 minutes they were aboard was much too long.
Taiwan’s coast guard promptly contacted the ship's captain and dispatched patrol boats to escort the vessel back to port. The Chinese coast guard departed at 5:19 p.m., and by 5:33 p.m., Taiwan's patrol boat arrived to accompany the ship safely back to Shuitou port where it departed from.
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), stressed the importance of maintaining rational, cooperative dialogue between the two sides to safeguard the security of the waters between Kinmen Island and China. Local residents also emphasized the need for peaceful coexistence between the two sides.
On Tuesday morning, passengers arrived at Kinmen’s Shuitou Port, however the “King Xia” wasn’t sailing and most were waiting for other vessels. The situation has certainly left a sense of unease in the Kinmen region.