ID :
141505
Fri, 09/10/2010 - 01:30
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https://www.oananews.org//node/141505
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Chinese captain sent to prosecutors over collision near disputed isle
NAHA, Japan, Sept. 9 Kyodo -
The Japan Coast Guard on Thursday sent a Chinese fishing boat captain to
prosecutors on suspicion that he deliberately had his ship hit a Japanese
patrol boat near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and
obstructed public officers performing their duties.
The skipper, Zhan Qixiong, 41, sent to the Naha District Public Prosecutors
Office in Okinawa Prefecture, is also suspected of unlawful fishing operations
in Japanese territorial waters near the islands, administered by Japan and
claimed by both China and Taiwan.
The local coast guard investigators are also questioning 14 crew members of the
Chinese fishing boat as witnesses, the coast guard office said.
On Tuesday morning, the Chinese ship hit a Japanese coast guard boat, the
Yonakuni, in waters near the Senkaku Islands as the patrol vessel repeatedly
warned it to leave Japanese waters. The fishing vessel fled the scene and later
hit another coast guard patrol boat, the Mizuki, which was chasing it and
ordering it to stop, according to investigators.
No injuries were reported from the incident.
The Chinese ship arrived at Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, on Wednesday and was
moored alongside the Yonakuni.
Chinese crew members were seen clearing up the deck and chatting with each
other, while the coast guard said Chinese Embassy officials visited the crew
members and handed over food and medicine to them. None of the 14 crew members
complained of poor health, it said.
The collisions have developed into a diplomatic row as both Japan and China
exchanged protests against each other.
The Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Tiaoyutai
Islands in Taiwan, are a group of uninhabited islets located in the East China
Sea between Okinawa and Taiwan. They are part of the city of Ishigaki in
Japan's Okinawa Prefecture.
China and Taiwan are said to have started claiming sovereignty over the islands
since offshore resources near them came to light around 1970.
Zhan could be detained for up to 20 days for questioning pending a court
decision likely to be sought by the prosecutors in line with Japan's Code of
Criminal Procedure.
==Kyodo
The Japan Coast Guard on Thursday sent a Chinese fishing boat captain to
prosecutors on suspicion that he deliberately had his ship hit a Japanese
patrol boat near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and
obstructed public officers performing their duties.
The skipper, Zhan Qixiong, 41, sent to the Naha District Public Prosecutors
Office in Okinawa Prefecture, is also suspected of unlawful fishing operations
in Japanese territorial waters near the islands, administered by Japan and
claimed by both China and Taiwan.
The local coast guard investigators are also questioning 14 crew members of the
Chinese fishing boat as witnesses, the coast guard office said.
On Tuesday morning, the Chinese ship hit a Japanese coast guard boat, the
Yonakuni, in waters near the Senkaku Islands as the patrol vessel repeatedly
warned it to leave Japanese waters. The fishing vessel fled the scene and later
hit another coast guard patrol boat, the Mizuki, which was chasing it and
ordering it to stop, according to investigators.
No injuries were reported from the incident.
The Chinese ship arrived at Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, on Wednesday and was
moored alongside the Yonakuni.
Chinese crew members were seen clearing up the deck and chatting with each
other, while the coast guard said Chinese Embassy officials visited the crew
members and handed over food and medicine to them. None of the 14 crew members
complained of poor health, it said.
The collisions have developed into a diplomatic row as both Japan and China
exchanged protests against each other.
The Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Tiaoyutai
Islands in Taiwan, are a group of uninhabited islets located in the East China
Sea between Okinawa and Taiwan. They are part of the city of Ishigaki in
Japan's Okinawa Prefecture.
China and Taiwan are said to have started claiming sovereignty over the islands
since offshore resources near them came to light around 1970.
Zhan could be detained for up to 20 days for questioning pending a court
decision likely to be sought by the prosecutors in line with Japan's Code of
Criminal Procedure.
==Kyodo
