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Taiwanese fishermen land on Taiping Island

Taiwanese fishermen land on Taiping Island

Taiwanese fishermen land on Taiping Island

To assert Taiwan's sovereignty over the Taiping Island, four Taiwanese fishing boats have organized a “joint trip” to sail to the island. The boats left on July 20 and had trouble landing earlier on Monday due to lack of permission from the Ministry of National Defense, but three of four were reportedly allowed to land late Monday after requesting permission from the Coast Guard stationed on the island for providing emergency shelter to fetch drinking water and replenish supplies.

The recent ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in favor of the Philippines against China’s claims over the South China Sea has increased tension in the area and has prompted outrage in Taiwan as the ruling designates Taiwanese-held Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba Island, as a “rock” rather than an “island,” meaning Taiwan is not entitled to the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and accordingly the right to fish in the zone for Taiwanese fishermen.

The last of the four boats canceled its landing plan after being found to be carrying three correspondents from Hong-Kong based Phoenix Television and it will only set anchor in waters 500 meters off the island.

Executive Yuan spokesperson Tung Chen-yuan said earlier that civilians are not allowed to set foot on the Taiping Island without defense ministry’s authorization in the name of national security as the island is categorized as a restricted military area.

According to the Chinese-language Apply Daily, after six days of sailing, three of four boats finally arrived at the harbor on Taiping late Monday.

At the same time, a White House Petition has been initiated to call on the U.S. Government to look into the ruling. The petition, however, has only garnered 10,000 signatures since its launch on July 15, rendering it unlikely to surpass the 100,000 signature threshold in 30 days required for U.S. government review and response to this issue.

The Spratly Islands are a disputed group of islands, islets and cays and more than one hundred reefs. Each of the features is claimed by one nation or another, among them Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China.