TAIPEI: Taiwanese coastguards have stepped up patrol in the disputed South
China Sea after local fishermen complained that they were harassed and
robbed by Vietnamese pirates, it was reported yesterday. The move came as
Taiwan is building a runway on one of the islands in the disputed Spratlys,
sparking protest from Vietnam. The coastguards, whose frigates previously
sailed to Tongsha (Pratas) once every month, have extend patrols to the
disputed Sisha (Paracel) islets, which are about 1,100 kilometres from
Taiwan, the Liberty Times said.Tongsha is some 455 kilometres from Taiwan.
The new patrol area also covers waters off the disputed Jhongsha
(Macclesfileld Bank) islands, it said. "There were frequent reports of
pirates ransacking fishing and cargo vessels sailing through that area,"
Cheng Chang-hsiung, head of the Maritime Patrol Directorate General, told
the daily. "Local fishermen also complained that their fishing nets and
catches were stolen by Vietnamese fishermen," Cheng said. However, Taiwanese
fishermen were unenthusiastic about the expanded coastguard patrol saying it
did little to protect local fishing boats operating off the disputed
Spratlys, a major fishing ground for 200 fishing vessels from southern
Taiwan.

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