Tainan, April 11 (CNA) Tainan prosecutors have indicted the Chinese captain of a Togolese-registered vessel that allegedly severed an undersea communication cable linking Taiwan and Penghu in February and recommended that he do jail time.
The individual, identified by his last name Wang (王), was indicted on suspicion of contravening the Telecommunications Management Act, the Tainan District Prosecutors Office said Friday.
The freighter “Hong Tai” was boarded and its Chinese crew detained by Taiwanese authorities on Feb. 25 after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) received a report from Chunghwa Telecom that its “Taiwan-Penghu No. 3” submarine fiber optic cable had been severed.
According to the CGA, the Hong Tai, operated by Wang alongside seven other crew members, had been lingering in the area where the cable was located since Feb. 22.
During this period, Wang ordered his men to drop anchor 5 nautical miles west of coastal Beimen District in Tainan County and sail zigzaggedly around the No. 3 cable in an apparent attempt at sabotage, prosecutors alleged.
The boat’s electronic navigational chart clearly indicated the locations of various undersea cables in waters around Taiwan, including the No. 3 cable that is located 5 nautical miles off the Beimen coast, prosecutors said.
This submarine cable, used for both telephone and broadband communication, is located in a government-designated no-anchor zone where vessels are prohibited from anchoring, prosecutors added.
Wang has since been detained and held incommunicado while his seven crew members are being kept a detention center by the CGA awaiting to be deported as they have not been charged due to the lack of evidence.
The captain continued to deny any wrongdoing and refused to reveal the identity of the shipowner, who likely instructed him to carry out this act, prosecutors said.
Under Article 72 of the telecommunications law, individuals who are caught endangering the normal functioning of a submarine cable is subject to imprisonment of at least one year but no more than seven years, and may also be fined up to NT$10 million (US$305,210).
The case is expected to be heard by the Tainan District Court.
