Taiwan sentences Chinese captain to 26 years for ordering killings at sea

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the final appeal against a 26-year prison sentence for the Chinese captain of a Taiwanese fishing boat found guilty of killing four Somalis.

Wang Fengyu (汪峰裕) commanded the Kaohsiung-registered Ping Shin No. 101 in September 2012 when it was reportedly attacked by pirates off Somalia. After another ship rammed the attackers’ vessel, four of the alleged pirates fell into the water. 

Wang reportedly ordered two Pakistani mercenaries on board to open fire and kill the Somalis. The incident came to light because of a video recording made by a crew member that was later posted on YouTube. Police detained Wang when he arrived in Kaohsiung in August 2020.

Early court verdicts gave him 13 years in prison for each of the victims, with the total condensed into one 26-year prison term. After appeals, the total sentence was cut to 13 years because the judge ruled that Wang had only ordered the killing of the last of the alleged pirates.

However, the Taiwan High Court in Kaohsiung overturned the ruling, judging that Wang could have prevented the earlier killings, thus sentencing him to 26 years. The Supreme Court rejected a final appeal against the lower court verdict, in effect confirming the 26-year prison term for Wang.