Bartamaha (Nairobi):- A Taiwanese fishing boat managed to escape to safety after it was attacked and chased by pirates in waters near Somalia in eastern Africa early Thursday morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The “Juimanfa, ” a Donggang-based lone-line fishing boat, was in waters 395 miles southeast of Somalia’s Cape Guardafui when it was attacked by pirates on cutters released from a bigger boat disguised as a Taiwanese vessel around the early hours, Chen Shih-liang, director of the ministry’s African Affairs, said in a press conference.

Pirates from the cutters fired 50 to 60 rounds of bullets, injuring an Indonesian crew member in his leg.

The injured crewman is now in stable condition although the bullet remains inside his leg, Chen said, quoting Juimanfa’s skipper Huang Kun-jui.

The 14-men crew of the Taiwanese fishing boat include two Taiwanese and 12 Indonesians.

After sailing at full speed for three hours, Juimanfa was able to get rid of the pirates who had chased it, Chen said, adding that the Taiwanese vessel’s radar screen shows no sign of any other boat within 12 miles.

The fishing boat is now headed towards the Maldives and will take less then 100 hours to reach there.

Chen said the ministry has asked the International Maritime Bureau under the London-based International Maritime Organization to help inform other vessels in the waters of the incident and ask them to be on alert.

In addition, Taiwan’s fishery commissioners in the Indian Ocean area have asked the Maldives to provide medical assistance to the injured crewman after the boat’s arrival.

Meanwhile, the wife of the captain of another Taiwan long-liner operating on the waters when the incident occurred, “Zechuhtsai”, asked the Liuqiu Fishermen’s Association, with which it is registered, for help earlier in the day after losing contact with her husband.

A Taiwanese fishing boat, “Win Far No. 161″ was released in early February after its owner paid an unannounced amount of ransom to Som

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Soruce:- focustaiwan.tw

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