TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) revealed that Taiwanese fishers have submitted 13 reports of foreign military ship sightings via a reward program near the nation’s territorial waters since 2022.
According to the MND, five reports were made in 2022, with three reward payments of NT$10,000 (US$306.71) and two rejections because the military already had the information, CNA reported. In 2023, six reports were made, with one reward payment of NT$10,000 and five rejections because one was already known to the military and four could not be verified. So far this year, two reports have been rejected because one was already known to the military and the other could not be verified.
This reward program has been in place since 2019. Fishers who report foreign military ships to the defense ministry by providing photos and recording their hull number and location can receive a reward of up to NT$30,000 if the information is used. If the intelligence is valuable, the reward may be even higher.
The fisher must be a Taiwanese national. If multiple reports are made, the reward goes to the person who first sent the information.
The information follows Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu’s (王定宇) suggestion that the ministry increase the reward amount and broaden the eligibility criteria. He noted that the number of reported ship sightings sharply declined in 2022.
