DPP condemned for concealing truth about fatal boat incident

BEIJING - A mainland spokesperson on Wednesday condemned Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for concealing the truth and lying about a recent incident in Xiamen-Kinmen waters that led to the deaths of two people who were on a mainland fishing boat.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks at a press conference. Zhu also slammed the DPP authorities for not having apologized since the incident, which happened half a month ago, and criticized the DPP authorities for attempting to shirk its responsibilities.

The incident seriously hurt the feelings of compatriots across the Taiwan Strait, and aroused strong indignation from all sectors of society on the mainland and sparked widespread doubts on the island, Zhu said.

"We strongly urge the Taiwan side to make public the truth about the incident as soon as possible, severely punish those responsible, apologize to the families of the victims, meet their legitimate demands and give an explanation to the bereaved families and compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait," Zhu said.

"We are resolute in protecting our compatriots' legitimate rights and interests, and never allow such incidents to happen again," Zhu noted, adding that the mainland reserves the right to take further measures, and that all consequences shall be borne by the Taiwan side.

She called on relevant parties in Taiwan to respect the fact that fishermen from both sides of the Taiwan Strait have been operating in these traditional fishing areas for a long time, stop detaining mainland fishing boats and rudely treating mainland fishermen, and ensure the safety of their lives and property.