However, the ministry is capable of carrying out such an operation
Contrary to media reports, the Navy has no immediate plans to send a patrol fleet to the Indian Ocean to protect Taiwanese fishing boats in the pirate-infested area, a defence ministry official said Monday.
However, although it is not on the cards at the moment, the ministry is capable of carrying out such an operation and is well prepared, Deputy Defence Minister Chao Shih-chang said. Chao was responding to recent reports that Taiwan planned to deploy a fleet to the Indian Ocean sometime this month to protect Taiwanese fishing vessels from attacks by Somali pirates.
The action was being taken based on a directive from the National Security Council (NSC), the reports said. However, Chao said in a legislative session that the information was false. The military carries out NSC directives in line with government policies and in collaboration with relevant agencies, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on issues such as dispatching flotillas to protect deep-sea fishing vessels and crewmembers, he said.
The issue of whether to send a Navy fleet to the Indian Ocean surfaced after incidents of Taiwanese fishing boats being hijacked by Somali pirates in the region were reported. In one such incident earlier this month, a Taiwan-registered fishing boat the Chin Yi Wen was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The crew later managed to overpower the pirates and regain control of the 260-ton vessel with 28 crewmembers on board.
The boat escaped to safety with the assistance of British anti-piracy vessels
Source: CNA
