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FINANCIAL SECRETARY: Sir, I think the Agriculture and Fisheries
has frequent contacts with fishermen, but I will
Department has
frequent
certainly look into Mr. Desmond LEE's suggestion.
MR. CHAN KAM-CHUEN: In order to help fishermen avoid straying
into foreign waters, is it possible to use radars, similar to
those used for aeroplanes which can be identified hundreds of
miles away on the radar screen. If each fishing boat were
equipped with such equipment, they could be warned that they
are about to stray into foreign waters.
FINANCIAL SECRETARY: I think, Sir, the answer to that is that
it is technically possible but the cost would be very
considerable, and the cost, of course, would have
have to be borne
by the fishermen themselves.
MRS. FAN (in Cantonese): Sir, can the Secretary for Security
inform this Council whether in the past there have been cases
of fishermen being detained by
by foreign authorities?
yes, how long did they have to wait before they were released?
And if
SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Yes, Sir, there have been examples in
the past of fishermen being detained by other governments for
fishing in their territorial waters. The length of time it
takes to get them released, of course, depends on, frankly, how
they are treated by that government. The fact is they
they have
broken the law by fishing in the territorial waters of another
sovereignty, and maybe under that country's law they will be
liable to punishment.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.