Taiwan Fishing Vessel Captain in the 1999 Fatal Brawl on High Seas Granted Parole

Taiwan Fishing Vessel Captain in the 1999 Fatal Brawl on High Seas Granted Parole

Source: China Times

October 22, 2019

Gong Tai-an (龔泰安), captain of the deep-sea fishing vessel Jin-Qing No.12 registered in the Republic of China, was involved in a fatal brawl on the high seas in 1999, shooting to death nine of his Mainland crew members in a drunken fury, with the other four drowning after jumping into the sea out of desperation.

Gong was later arrested in Mauritius and sentenced to life imprisonment there. In November 2012, after having served for 13 years in prison, Gong was granted parole and deported to Taiwan. Therefore, Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau dispatched agents to Mauritius to bring Gong home under custody for trial. In 2012, Gong was sentenced in Taiwan to 20 years in prison. Because Gong had served 13 years in prison in Mauritius, he was granted parole and released from prison last week after having served for 7 years in prison.

This fatal brawl on the fishing vessel shocked the international community in 1999, and the casualties were the highest in such incidents in Taiwan’s history. As all 13 dead crew members were from the Mainland, the case elicited intensive attention from the governments of both Taiwan and the Mainland. Each claimed having judicial jurisdiction over Gong Tai-an.

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