TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Chinese man arrested for nearing the mouth of Tamsui River by motorboat once served as a captain in the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), reports said Tuesday (June 11).
The man in his 60s, surnamed Ruan (阮), claimed he wanted to defect to Taiwan after he arrived in Tamsui, New Taipei, on Sunday (June 9). However, suspicions arose he might have come to Taiwan to probe the country’s defenses against a Chinese invasion.
Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) on Tuesday said the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) had made mistakes during the monitoring of Ruan’s boat, per the Liberty Times. The radar had picked it up, but because he was heading for a port instead of the closest beach, the officer in charge of the radar thought it was a fishing trawler.
As there were 30 ships in the area, and Ruan’s motorboat was moving fast, it was hard to identify it as a foreign vessel until it was close to New Taipei’s Bali District, Kuan said. The Coast Guard waited 30 minutes before issuing orders to intercept Ruan’s boat. Kuan said disciplinary measures would be taken against the CGA officer.
Ruan’s case was different from 18 previous instances of Chinese seeking asylum in Taiwan over the past year because he came from a military background, having served in the navy as a captain, Kuan said. Of the 18 previous entries, only half had been spotted by authorities, with the other half found with help from the public.
A national security task force will investigate the circumstances of his arrival and motivation. In the meantime, Ruan was handed over to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) in New Taipei, per CNA. He could face a maximum prison sentence of five years or a maximum fine of NT$500,000 (US$15,400).