Taiwan fishing boat sunk by Japanese frigate

jfuh · 06-13-08, 04:16 AM

Quote:

A 270-ton sports fishing boat, with 16 crew and deep-sea anglers aboard, sank off the Tiaoyutai islands in a collision with a Japanese frigate yesterday.

No causalities were reported.
The accident occurred at 3:23 a.m. after the SS Lien Ho apparently was hit from behind by the Koshiki of the Japanese Sea Defense Force in patrol.
All aboard the Lien Ho, whose home port is Nanya, were thrown overboard. They were rescued by the Koshiki, and taken to Ishigaki jima, one of the southernmost island of the Ryukyus some 200 kilometers east of Juifang.
<snip>
The two ships collided when the Lien Ho suddenly changed course as the Japanese coastguardsmen attempted to check the name of the sports fishing boat, a CNA dispatch from Tokyo said.
- source

Suddenly changed course my smelly hairy arse.
Ramming is a well documented technique that Japanese ships have been known to use.
They claim it is their territorial waters? On what basis?
The isles are Chinese not Japanese but Japan does quite a bit of manuvering here that allows it to steal theses isles in plain view - that is due to the very political nature of the Republic of China.
Japan nor the rest of the world formally recognize the Republic of China aka Taiwan, minus a few insignificant nations. The rest of the world formally recognizes only the PRC aka the China.
During the time in which the ROC had to fend for herself without a formal naval force it left many of the out lier islets to themselves, especially islets such as the Diaoyu isles that have no natural resources but a wealth of economic fisheries.
Close enough to the Okinawa isles Japan illegally builds a lighthouse on the main diaoyu island and illegally stole the island to claim as it's own.
Taiwan needs the relationship with Japan for both political and economic reasons and neither had the military ability to counter the 4th most powerful naval force in the world.
Mainland China also lays claim to the diaoyu isles as much as it claims Taiwan but should the mainland ever launch a naval task force to take the isles it would spark another major conflict in the world. Not to mention another fact that neither the mainland has a naval force that is anywhere near as powerful as that of Japan's self-defence force - which in all other accounts is in every way an actual navy except by name.

bhkad · 06-13-08, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Did Taiwan give up sovereignty over the Tiaoyutai Islands?

The China Post news staff

There seems to be an international conspiracy to make the Tiaoyutai Islands part of Japanese territory. The Japanese call them the Senkaku Islands, while the Chinese use pinyin to spell their name Diaoyudai, which like "Tiaoyutai" in its Wade-Gile Romanization means Fishermen's Platform. Taiwan and China claim sovereignty over the group of eight islets, the biggest of them being familiarly known among local fishermen as "Burinduo," or No Man's Island in Hoklo.

One tell-tale piece of evidence attesting to the conspiracy is Beijing forbidding activists in Hong Kong to make an annual pilgrimage to the islands to demand that Japan return them to China. Technically, however, the activists, some of them from Taiwan and elsewhere, were forbidden to leave for Diaoyudai because their ship's operating license was suspended. The truth, however, is that the Chinese authorities don't want to irritate the Japanese, who have Maritime Safety cutters patrol off Senkaku to stake out what they claim is their territory. Beijing certainly doesn't want any activist to be drowned like David Chan in September 1996. Chan jumped overboard when his protest ship, blocked by a Japanese flotilla, was unable to reach the islets.

Beijing is beginning a honeymoon with Tokyo after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Chinese President Hu Jintao almost a year ago. It is understandable that Hu wants no flare-up over Diaoyudai with Japan, but Taipei appears to have tacitly given up sovereignty over the islands, which are registered officially as part of the county of Yilan, though no one lives there.

Did Taiwan give up sovereignty over the Tiaoyutai Islands? - The China Post

ludahai · 06-21-08, 09:34 AM

While Tiaoyutai is rightfully Taiwanese (China's claim is completely without merit and Japan's claim, while not entirely without merit, is quite weak) the Japanese control the islands. They were handed over by the United States following decades of US military occupation in 1972.

Taiwan argues that the islands were associated with Taiwan when it was ceded to Japan by the Ching Empire in 1895 and that a Japanese court decision during the Japanese occupation declared the islands to be part of Taipei, NOT Okinawa. The 1951 Peace Treaty of San Francisco (formally known as the Treaty of Peace with Japan) stipulated that Japan renounced its sovereignty over Taiwan. While these islands are not specified, it could be argued that they were associated with Taiwan. However, Japan could equally argue that the Pescadores (Penghu) were equally associated with Taiwan, yet were specifically mentioned in the San Francisco treaty and that their ommission from the SF treaty has some meaning.

It isn't a clear cut case, however, the balance of the historical and legal evidence seems to favor Taiwan's claims to the islands.

John1234 · 06-21-08, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfuh

Suddenly changed course my smelly hairy arse.
Ramming is a well documented technique that Japanese ships have been known to use.

It says they all survived and are in the process of being returned.

There has been no accusation to date about ramming and etc.

So there is absolutely no reason for your assumption that it was deliberate.

If one of the crewman of the sunken ship ends up saying it was deliberate, then you would have a very valid argument.

DarkWizard12 · 06-21-08, 12:47 PM

Crap! Taiwan and Japan are about to fight each other....My 2 favorite countries besides US(3 including south korea).

jfuh · 06-21-08, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John1234

It says they all survived and are in the process of being returned.

There has been no accusation to date about ramming and etc.

So there is absolutely no reason for your assumption that it was deliberate.

If one of the crewman of the sunken ship ends up saying it was deliberate, then you would have a very valid argument.

The crew from the sunk vessel have released a video captured of the japanese frigate very clearly and deliberately heading directly to strike the fishing vessle.
Secondly the crew were left in a life raft in the water for at least 45 minutes before the frigate came and towed the life raft for an additional 20 minutes before finally pulling the stricken ship wrecked survivors onto their vessel.

Infinite Chaos · 07-22-08, 11:21 AM

Seems the Japanese have territorial claims to other islands in the region too.

Quote:

Advertisements promoting Japanese condoms have been removed from Korean underground trains amid a rekindled territorial dispute.

The action was taken following complaints from passengers, a Seoul Metro spokesman told AFP news agency.

"If the territorial dispute with Japan over Dokdo had not flared up again, such complaints would not have been lodged with us," said Kim Jeong-hwan.

Dokdo is the Korean name for islets known as Takeshima in Japan.

Both Korea and Japan say they have a historical claim to the islands, and the issue has been a persistent irritant in relations.

This week Korea recalled its ambassador to Tokyo after new teachers' guidelines produced in Japan reaffirmed the claim to ownership.

Now it has emerged that about 200 ads for Japanese condoms - bearing the strapline "No. 1 in Japan" - have been taken down from Korean trains.

Korea reacts to renewed Japanese claim to "Dokdo" islands

danarhea · 07-23-08, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkWizard12

Crap! Taiwan and Japan are about to fight each other....My 2 favorite countries besides US(3 including south korea).

Upon hearing the news of the impending war between Japan and Taiwan, France immediately surrendered.

jfuh · 07-23-08, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infinite Chaos

Seems the Japanese have territorial claims to other islands in the region too.

Japan claims a lot of islands, has disputes with Russia, both Korea's, mainland China and Taiwan.

ludahai · 07-24-08, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfuh

Japan claims a lot of islands, has disputes with Russia, both Korea's, mainland China and Taiwan.

Some of their claims have more merit than others. Their claims to the Tiaoyutai is near the bottom of their merit meter.