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Sunday, January 1, 2012

South Korea Beefs Up Steps to Fight Chinese Illegal Fishing in the Sea

South Korea on Monday (December 26, 2011) said it will bolster efforts to counter illegal Chinese fishing in its waters, including issuing more firearms to coast guard officers and raising penalties against offenders.

The move comes after a South Korean coast guard officer died when he was stabbed by a Chinese fishing-boat captain earlier this month.

Seoul has been under domestic pressure to make a robust response to the incident, which came amid a rise in fishing by Chinese boats in South Korean territorial waters this year. Chinese fishing crews, seeking richer catches outside their regular fishing grounds, have become a flash point in broader territorial tensions involving China and its neighbors.

As well as clashing with countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam over sovereignty in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea) in resource-related disputes, China was drawn into a diplomatic spat with Japan when a Chinese fishing boat and a Japanese coast-guard vessel collided in the East China Sea last year.

The Korean government says between 2,000 and 3,000 Chinese fishing boats operate illegally in Korean territory each day during peak season. Between January and November this year, 497 ships were caught, compared with 370 last year. A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said he couldn't immediately comment late Monday.

Korean coast guard officers cite increasingly aggressive behavior by Chinese fishermen trying to avoid arrest. Officers boarding Chinese ships have been attacked with metal pipes and knives, according to the coast guard, while Chinese boats have also been spotted banding together to thwart local authorities. In the past 10 years, 53 Korean officers have been injured while seizing Chinese ships. One officer was killed in 2008.

In its latest response, South Korea said it will start placing ex-special forces personnel into coast guard teams responsible for apprehending fishing boats, improve the coast guard's body armor and increase the number of patrol ships. The fishing equipment of repeat offenders also will be confiscated.

Officers will be allowed to use their firearms when their lives are endangered or there is no other way to subdue the perpetrators, said Yim Jong-yong, head of the South Korean prime minister's office.

Mr. Yim said Seoul will step up diplomatic efforts to get Beijing to cooperate in reining in the illegal fishing activities. Following the incident on Dec. 12 when the coast guard officer was stabbed by a Chinese fisherman, Beijing initially called for Seoul to protect the rights of the fishermen. It subsequently said it would work to educate its fishermen.

The Chinese captain involved in the Dec. 12 incident is currently in the custody of Korean prosecutors.

Top 17 overjoyed Photos for New year 2012 Celebration

December 31, 2011 – January 1 2012 the break of the year was welcome by a fabulous fireworks and other traditional and cultural celebration around the World.

17 Photos disclosed as the most ecstatic celebration from around the globe that includes top photos from the Philippines, Germany, Russia, London, Macedonia, Austria, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Afghanistan Lithuania, and Ireland as posted on ninemsn.com.au  Australia.

See other photos in hikot album

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Filipinos watch a fireworks and water fountain display at Manila's Rizal Park, Philippines

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Fireworks exploded from the iconic Big Ben in London, UK

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Confetti drops as a Filipino blows his paper horn in Manila, Philippines

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Fireworks go off over the monument of the Aleksandar the Great in  Skopje, Macedonia

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Fireworks light the sky above the Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Isla Stanton, 5, writes with a sparkler in Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Jessica Ong from Singapore starts her new year celebrations early, Singapore

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- New Year 2012 - Worrld Top Photos-  A soldier with the NATO-led forces gets into the spirit in Kabul, Afghanistan

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Partygoers outside the Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Revellers share a New Year's kiss in Berlin, Germany

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Taipei 101, the world's second-tallest building, ushering in the new year, Taiwan

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- The Giant Ferris wheel at the Prater is illuminated as fireworks go off in Vienna, Austria

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- The London Eye was at the centre of a blaze of pyrotechnics , United Kingdom

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- The Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin shortly after midnight, Germany

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Thousands of locals gather to see the fireworks display at the Red Square, Moscow, Russia

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos- Visitors are  showered with confetti as they celebrate a light show in China

New Year 2012 - World Top Photos-Beijing's Temple of Heaven is lit up with special light displays, China

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