Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) Two Taiwanese nationals have been detained in a Tanzanian prison since last March after a Taiwanese vessel was arrested for poaching in Tanzania waters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) confirmed Thursday.
FV Tawariq-4, an Omani-registered fishing boat with a Taiwanese owner and a crew composed of 15 Chinese, five Vietnamese, two Taiwanese, eight Filipinos, five Indonesians and three Kenyans, was detained March 8, 2009 and the crew have been held in two prisons ever since, according to a report from maritime watchdog Ecoterra International.
Samuel Chen, director-general of the MOFA's Department of African Affairs, confirmed the case and the detention, which had not been reported previously, but said the ship owner did not seek help from the ministry until last October.
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also confirmed the detention of the eight Filipinos.
The ministry first learned of the case after receiving information from the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) office based in Nairobi, Kenya late last year, MOFA's Department of African Affairs section chief Huang Chih-yang said.
Upon learning the news, the MOFA requested representatives of the TAITRA office in Nairobi to visit the detained fishermen and provide necessary assistance and relief, MOFA spokesman James Chang said.
"After the visit, we are sure that there are no safety or health concerns for the crewmen, " Chang said.
Overseas Taiwanese in Tanzania also helped arrange the visit and communication, Huang went on, adding that the case is now in the Tanzanian judicial procedure, with the next trial expected to take place in March. He said the department will monitor the progress of the case closely.
The Omani company to which the vessel is registered has been trying to deal with the case, Yang went on, and the fishing company and the owner are expected to be fined subject to Tanzanian laws.
The detained Taiwanese are believed to be a crewman and the vessel's owner, who went to Tanzania to help with the case but was also detained due to identification and license troubles, he said.
Ecoterra has reported that one of three Kenyan crew of Tawariq-4 died under mysterious circumstances in a Tanzanian prison and that the crewmen, who have appeared in a Tanzanian court three times, have complained that none of their embassies have been following the case.