The Malaysian police are making arrangements through Wisma Putra to hand over to the Taiwanese Government the crew of a Taiwanese tuna boat who mutinied against their captain. The crew of the Taiwanese boat also included three Dutchmen.
Malaysian Marine police chief Assistant Commissioner Aziz Yusof said police would also hand over the vessel Dong Yih to Taiwanese authorities. “The arrangements will be made as soon as possible because of the legal complexity of the case, as it involves Taiwanese and Chinese authorities,†Aziz said.
Crew members who mutinied comprised 18 Chinese nationals, six Filipinos, three Taiwanese and three Dutchmen. The crew had taken over the ship in the Straits of Malacca after allegedly not leaving the vessel for six months. They had also confined the captain, Chew Kuoc Ching, 43, and as-yet-unidentified chief engineer to their quarters.
The Royal Malaysian Navy intercepted the deep-sea vessel yesterday morning in the waters off Pontian, Johor, and rescued the duo. They both are in stable condition after receiving outpatient treatment at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital here.
Aziz said the captain and three Taiwanese crew members had been found with bruises on their bodies when the vessel was intercepted near Pulau Pisang off Pontian. The Singapore-based tuna vessel had been on its way to the Indian Ocean to fish for yellowfin tuna at the time. Chew's family raised the alarm in Taiwan on Jan 14 when he failed to contact them via satellite phone, Taipei economic and cultural affairs representative executive assistant Odi S.R. Sun said.