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Sinking of the Chian der 3

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Sinking of the Chian-der 3

The sinking of the Chian-der 3 was an incident occurred on 28 May 1986, when the Taiwanese-flagged trawler Chian-der 3 was detected, tracked, fired upon, set on fire and eventually sunk by the Coast Guard Mantilla class patrol vessel Prefecto Derbes (GC-28) of the Prefectura Naval Argentina, at a location 24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi) outside the United Kingdom's Total Exclusion Zone, which covers a circle of 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) from the centre of the Falklands Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas). Two Taiwanese fishermen were killed; four others were injured.

Background

The overlapping of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Argentine mainland and the Falklands and the British exclusion zone for Argentine ships is used by fishing fleets in order to fish without permission, said the Argentine government.

According to an Argentine statement the trawler Chi-Fu 6 was detected fishing in the Argentine zone at 11:45, but she took refuge in the British zone. At 18:25 the trawler Chian-der 3 was spotted again within the Argentine zone of 200 nautical miles (230 mi). Despite requests to stop and warning shots being fired by Prefecto Derbes, the trawler escaped and was chased. At 21:05 the Argentine commander stated that he saw that the trawler stopped and emitting smoke from the engine room. He ordered the rescue of the trawler's crew. According to official sources, the trawler was hit by non-explosive rounds. As a result of the incident, one Taiwanese fisherman was killed and four others wounded. Another member of the crew became missing.

The Taiwan fishermen's union called it a "barbaric act" and the British government condemned it as "unjustifiable and excessive".

References

Sinking of the Chian-der 3 Wikipedia