JOIN USM'lorean not detained illegally, says Taiwan
However, the Taiwanese Mission in India has categorically denied reports that Captain Glen Patrick Aroza has been ‘illegally detained’ in Taiwan and said that he has never been put behind bars in the last four months.
“He has been put up in a guest house of the shipping company he is working for. He has been asked not to leave Taiwan till the judicial procedure is complete,” Wenchyi Ong, Representative (equivalent to Ambassador) of the mission told Deccan Herald on Thursday.
Responding to reports of ‘detention’ of captain Glen on the charge of a ship, which was captained by him, colliding with a Taiwanese fishing trawler, Ong said what the Indian media did not mention was that two Taiwanese were killed and one injured due to that collision.
However, Ong said the very fact that prosecution had not pleaded for the captain’s imprisonment and allowed him to move freely and communicate with others, could show that “judiciary is not harsh on him.”
In this situation if the lawyers, hired by the captain’s employer N Y K Ship Management Pvt Ltd, could put up a good fight, then Glen might stand a good chance to get a lighter sentence.
Absurd claim
“Captain can go wherever he wants to go within the country and can carry his computer and use internet. That’s how he is communicating with his family. It is absurd to say that we have detained him,” he said adding that Taiwan follows a transparent legal procedure.
However, Ong refused to elaborate on the matter further as the matter is sub-judice and the court would decide the Mangalorean’s fate.
He also mentioned that senior officials in the External Affairs Ministry are in touch with the Taiwanese Mission here and even the captain’s wife Preeti visited the mission twice to plead for her husband.
“Diplomatically, India and Taiwan are not blaming each other for this incident, but both sides are seeking to minimise the consequences and we are trying to sort out the problem as soon as possible,” he said.
Mentioning that his counterparts in the External Affairs Ministry are doing their job Ong said what the Indian diplomats have asked for is to “expedite a fair trial.”