Mainland sends back 4 crew members from Taiwan ship suspected of illegal fishing

BEIJING, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Tuesday arranged for the return of four crew members from a Taiwan ship who were suspected of illegal fishing near the waters off Quanzhou in Fujian Province, according to a mainland spokesperson.

The four crew members will not be prosecuted as their offenses were minor, while another member remains under further investigation, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told reporters.

The boat was seized by the mainland's coast guard on July 2. Zhu said that the mainland attaches great importance to protecting its fishery resources and maintaining order in the sea areas.

The coast guard has acted in accordance with the law and guaranteed the legitimate rights and interests of the crew members, she added.