Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai attended a press conference Monday to recognize officers of the Coast Guard Administration's patrol vessel Hsun Hu No. 8, which successfully completed a long-distance rescue mission across the Indian Ocean following a deadly knife attack aboard the Taiwan-flagged fishing boat Wen Peng last month.
The Council of Agriculture's Fisheries Agency and the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office are also collaborating in the follow-up investigation, the vice premier said. He emphasized that the government will continue to protect fishery personnel and allow them to work in a safe and secure environment.
The work of saving lives remains the same whether near or far, he continued. While the incident occurred in a location as remote from Taiwan as the Indian Ocean, the government believed human life has no price and that rescuing people was of the utmost importance. Protecting fishery personnel is fundamental to the administration's fishing industry policy and its support for the overall work environment. Even amid difficulties in Taiwan's international situation, the government will fulfill its responsibilities to take care of fishermen and ensure their safety.