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Fishing trip mishap or grey-zone test? Taiwan arrests men after boat slips past defences
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Lawrence Chungin TaipeiPublished: 9:00am, 12 Aug 2026Two people from mainland China were arrested six days after illegally landing in Taiwan by inflatable boat, raising fresh concerns over the island’s coastal security amid its biggest annual military drill.The timing of the incident has drawn scrutiny. The two men arrived just before the 10-day Han Kuang exercise, which began on August 5, and remained at large for nearly a week before being arrested.
The case only came to light on Monday after an angler reported finding an abandoned inflatable boat on July 24 at Bali Beach near the Port of Taipei, around 20km (12 miles) from the island’s political centre.
According to the fisherman’s social media posts, the boat remained on the beach for two days before he alerted police, prompting questions over whether Taiwan’s coastal surveillance system had failed to detect the landing.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) confirmed the case on Tuesday, saying it had immediately launched an investigation after receiving the report. It reviewed coastal surveillance footage and maritime monitoring data before arresting the two suspects at a park in Taoyuan on July 30.
They were later transferred to the Taiwan Shilin District Prosecutors Office, which ordered them detained incommunicado pending further investigation.
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