Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said the Philippines had agreed to limit where a transferred patrol ship could operate, a pledge broader than the safeguard Taiwan described publicly for its fishing vessels.
Focus Taiwan and United Daily News reported that Cho told lawmakers on Oct. 20 the former Taiwan Coast Guard vessel would avoid waters around Taiwan and areas used by Taiwanese fishing boats. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a Sept. 20 statement that the transfer agreement bars the ship from enforcement against Taiwanese fishing vessels. The statement does not specify where the ship may patrol.
The WPS Foundation says it acquired the refurbished vessel, formerly Kinmen (CG123), and donated it to the Philippine Coast Guard at no cost to the Philippine government. The foundation says the ship was handed over Sept. 21 and later commissioned as BRP Sarangani (6177).
The foundation describes patrol, rescue, disaster response, environmental and training missions for the vessel. It says the ship is 61 meters long and displaces about 688 tons. The foundation credits the CGA and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines with helping arrange the transfer.
The CGA cites earlier vessel donations to the Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu as part of regional cooperation that also includes fisheries agreements, marine research and humanitarian assistance.
The protection for Taiwanese fishing boats follows a fatal encounter in 2013. Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice says a Philippine coast guard vessel fired on the Taiwanese fishing boat Guang Da Xing No. 28, killing a Taiwanese fisherman.
