The vessel that reportedly sunk off Sorsogon and suspected to be carrier of drugs has been confirmed that it does not belong to Taiwan.
What happened?
The sunken cargo vessel ‘Jin Ming No. 16’ has confirmed to have not been registered in Taiwan, and there is no database existing in Taiwan.
Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office said, “As a matter of fact, the said ship was already sold to the Togolese Republic in Africa in 2000. Based on the Philippine authorities’ investigation of the ship’s documents, albeit expired, the record confirms that vessel’s nationality is Togolese, not Taiwan”.
They further added, “The so-called Taiwanese documents submitted to Philippine authorities by the captain (a Mainland Chinese) are actually faked and forged by him, not true and authentic documents”.
Suspected to have come from China:
The TECO added that based on the investigation conducted by Philippine authorities. The vessel is said to have not originated from Taiwan, but rather from Hainan province, part of Mainland China, enroute to Chile.
This information was further confirmed by the ship’s Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) data and also admitted by the ship’s captain and crew.
Drugs floating at sinking site:
The TECO immediately dispatched officials to inspect the sinking site and discovered an unidentified crew member as having admitted to a policeman that the cocaine in plastic bags stuffed in a plastic drum found floating at sea near where the vessel sank had indeed come from the sunken boat. The drugs weighed about 24 kilograms and were estimated worth P125 million.
TECO confirmed, “In conclusion, TECO wishes to reiterate that the cocaine did not come from Taiwan and the ship is not a Taiwanese ship. We will continue to partner with Philippine law enforcement agencies to combat illegal drug trafficking and eradicate the heinous drug problems”.
Disclaimer: This video is intended for informational purpose only. This may not be construed as a news item or advice of any sort. Please consult the experts in that field for the authenticity of the presentations.
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Source: InterAksyon
