Prof. Kuen-chen FU and Asia-Pacific Fishery Preservation Assist the Piracy Survivors from Chinese Mainland to Prosecute a Taiwanese Fishing Company

After learning about the details of theNAHAM 3 case and the tragic experience of the crewmembers, the Asia-Pacific Fishery Preservation (APFP), upon the agreement by the members, decided to help them by providing legal aids.

APFP, a non-governmental organization, has a professional team composed of Chinese and foreign experts in law and fisheries. Prof. Kuen-chen FU, Dean of South China Sea Institute of Xiamen University, is a founding member and CEO of APFP. With professional and rich experiences in legal services, APFP has established contacts with multiple marine fisheries agencies.

In June 2017, Prof. FU began the search for qualified lawyers for the case. Fortunately, he succeeded in finding two well-known lawyers from Taiwan: Ching-Fang Wu and Sting Cheng. Afterhearingabout the crew’s tragedy, the two lawyers expressed their willingness to take the case and represent the crewmembers almost free of charge,with the purpose of helping the survivors protect their legal rights and interests. In the following year from July 2017 to July 2018, with the effective cooperation of the crewmembers, the two lawyers proceeded with the preparation work smoothly. On August 31, 2018, they formally filed a lawsuit againstCHIEN CHANG OCEAN ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. and its directors,Hung Kao-hsiung andHung Chen-neng,before the Kaohsiung District Court of Taiwan, requesting the company to pay retroactively to the crewmembers for the period when they were imprisoned by pirates, andthe twodirectors to be jointly liable to compensate TWD 2 million for the mental injuries suffered by the crewmembers.

This is only the first step taken to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the piracy survivors through legal means. After that, the case will be tried by a judge, whose judgment should be implemented. And there are still many other procedures to go through. However, the APFP and the crewmembers will not flinch from difficulties. They believe that the judge will eventually deliver a fair and just verdict, and the crewmembers will succeed in protecting their legitimate rights. The help and legal aids provided by the two Taiwanese lawyers not only show the profound friendship between citizens on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but will also enhance their affections towards each other.