Retired Chinese Navy Captain Sought Asylum In Taiwan


(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Alimat Aliyeva

Taiwan's coast Guard detained a Chinese citizen, a retired Navy captain of the People's Liberation army of China (PLA), who arrived on the island by motorboat and asked for asylum, Azernews reports.

According to him, on June 9, a man on a motorboat sailed to the island and entered the waters of the Danshui River. According to the coast Guard, a 9-meter boat was spotted in the morning 6 nautical miles (about 11 km) from the mouth of the river.

After the vessel entered the estuary, it collided with other vessels at the ferry terminal, in connection with which the ferry operators immediately contacted the coast guard and reported the incident.

During the interrogation, a 60-year-old detainee named Ruan said that in the past he served in the PLA Navy and holds the rank of captain. According to the agency, citing sources, he also indicated that he wanted to flee to Taiwan after posting anti-government comments on social networks. It is noted that the incident attracted special attention from the Taiwanese media and military experts, since the Danshui River leads to Taipei.

As the head of the Taiwan Ocean Affairs Council (the island's coast guard reports to him), Guan Biling, pointed out, it is currently unclear whether the man really wanted to escape to Taiwan or whether China deliberately staged a check on the island's coastal defenses in this way. According to her, over a period of just over a year, at least 18 such incidents were recorded, the participants of which said that they wanted to "escape for freedom to Taiwan." "Given the accumulated cases in the past, it is possible that this was a test," she said.

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AzerNews

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