Taipei:Six crew members aboard the fishing boat Man Jui Fu 6 have been detained by the Taipei District Court for allegedly aiding a former legislative aide in fleeing Taiwan by sea. The court ordered their detention late Friday, citing the risk of collusion among the suspects.
According to Focus Taiwan, the crew members include the captain, surnamed Huang, a Chinese crew member surnamed Chen, and four Indonesian crew members. The boat's owner, surnamed Lee, was released on a bail of NT$100,000. The former aide, Chang Chun-chieh, who worked for independent lawmaker Kao Chin Su-mei, is suspected of escaping Taiwan with their assistance.
Prosecutors revealed that surveillance footage captured a man resembling Chang boarding another fishing boat, Chien Chun 168, at Zhengbin Fishing Port on October 28, before switching to Man Jui Fu 6. The boat then reportedly sailed to the Taiwan Strait, where a Chinese vessel allegedly picked up the man.
The investigation led to the seizure of Man Jui Fu 6, with Chen and the four Indonesian crew members taken into custody. The task force, with the crew's consent, searched the vessel, questioning Lee and Huang in the process. It was discovered that a Chinese national had offered Chen a substantial sum to facilitate the escape.
Prosecutors noted discrepancies in the defendants' accounts, which, along with the evidence, led to the incommunicado detention request. Meanwhile, the other boat, Chien Chun 168, was seized by the Coast Guard but found neither contraband nor Chang onboard.
Chang had been on the run since September 6, after removing his electronic monitoring bracelet, and was previously indicted for conspiring to embezzle public funds. He is also under investigation for allegedly accepting funds from China to establish an espionage network in Taiwan.
