Taiwan
Investigates
Reports Of Abuse
On Ship In Costa
Rica
Taiwan's
Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
(MODA) is
investigating
reports about
abuse on board a
Taiwanese
fishing trawler
in Costa Rica.
Police in Costa
Rica last
weekend arrested
three Taiwanese
man and a Costa
Rican after crew
members escaped
and reported the
abuse.
The four men
were later freed
by a court.
The precise
circumstances
and the nature
of the
accusations were
not yet clear,
said Lin Cheng-hui,
deputy director
of the
Department of
Latin American
and Caribbean
Affairs.
Lin said the
Taiwanese
embassy in
Panama reported
that Vietnamese
fishing workers
escaped from the
fishing trawler
to call in
assistance from
the police.
Taiwanese
diplomats
overseas would
offer their
assistance to
fellow citizens
to protect their
rights, Lin
said.
Contacts between
Taiwan and Costa
Rica might be
difficult,
reports said,
because Costa
Rica dropped
diplomatic
relations with
Taiwan in favour
of China in
2007.
In May last
year, Costa Rica
ended its visa
waiver for
Taiwanese
visitors, and
Taiwan did the
same for Costa
Ricans last
month, according
to Lin.
Taiwan only
counts 23
diplomatic
allies, mostly
located in
Africa, the
Pacific, Central
America and the
Caribbean.
Costa Rica used
to be one of
Taipei's closest
allies, but its
defection to the
China camp did
not bring about
a feared domino
effect.
Other Central
American nations
stayed with
Taiwan even when
leftwing
governments,
believed to be
more sympathetic
to Beijing, came
to power. |
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