Vietnamese fisherman injured in Taiwanese missile misfire

By Viet Anh   July 2, 2016 | 04:46 pm PT
Bui Trong Van, 44, a Vietnamese fisherman on board a Taiwanese fishing boat, was injured after the vessel was hit by a supersonic missile in the first day of July, Tran Duy Hai, chairman of the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, told VnExpress on July 2.

The ship-to-air missile was misfired from a 500-ton navy patrol vessel during pre-inspection in southern Taiwan ahead of a mock exercise, killing a Taiwanese fisherman on Van’s boat.

According to Hai, Van was slightly wounded in the incident. The man from Vietnam’s central province of Nghe An has left hospital with stable conditions.

“The Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei has sent an official to the area but has not been able to meet Van because it is the military zone. Communication with Taiwanese authorities on the issue is under way,” Hai said.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen waves her hand as she boards the nations first domestically built stealth-missile 500-ton Tuo Jiang twin-hull corvette at Suao Naval Base in Yilan, Taiwan June 4, 2016. Photo by Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen waves her hand as she boards the nation's first domestically built stealth-missile 500-ton Tuo Jiang twin-hull corvette at Suao Naval Base in Yilan, Taiwan June 4, 2016. Photo by Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Initial findings indicate the missile did not explode and that it sank into the sea, according to Reuters.

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to the island.

Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.

Taiwan's Defence Ministry said it had not detected irregular movements by China's military after the accident.

The incident came as Chinese President Xi Jinping warned on Friday that the biggest threat to the ruling party is corruption, as he used the party's birthday to also warn against any moves in Taiwan towards independence.

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