TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taichung woman and her American friend were referred to the prosecutors’ office on suspicion of theft after they picked up nearly half a ton of driftwood from an estuary in Hualien County on Monday (Jan. 3).
Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Eastern Branch official Chou Bing-chuan (周炳全) said on Tuesday the Coast Guard spotted the pair on the beach north of the estuary of the Hualien River on Monday afternoon, CNA reported. They questioned a 31-year-old woman, surnamed Huang (黃), a male American friend, 32, and saw a van stuffed full of driftwood.
The Coast Guard members immediately notified Hualien Forest District Office and police to assist in handling the case. Huang told the coast guard they lived in Hualien and the driftwood was to be used as firewood.
She added they were unaware they had broken the law when they picked up the wood, per CNA. Chou said the driftwood weighed 440 kilograms and the pair were referred to Hualien District Prosecutors Office on suspicion of theft.
The CGA said that driftwood along the coast is national property, and members of the public should not take it. Picking up driftwood from the seashore is only allowed when the local government gives permission, the report said.
(Coast Guard Administration photo)
