Taiwan Sentences Two Chinese Men for Illegal Entry by Rubber Boat

A Taiwan court has sentenced two Chinese nationals to prison after they illegally entered Taiwan by rubber boat from China’s Fujian Province in July. The two men received prison terms of nine and six months, falling short of the two-year sentences sought by prosecutors. Authorities said the pair crossed the Taiwan Strait in a rubber boat and landed in New Taipei’s Bali District. Investigators said the men traveled around Taiwan for about a week before they were apprehended. Following the incident, Taiwan’s coast guard apologized for a lapse in surveillance that allowed the two men to enter undetected.