Keelung:Taipei Investigators have seized two fishing boats in Keelung as part of an ongoing probe into a legislative aide who jumped bail and reportedly fled Taiwan by boat in late October. The aide, Chang Chun-chieh, was indicted on corruption charges and is implicated in a Chinese espionage case.

According to Focus Taiwan, the Coast Guard Administration, under the direction of Taipei prosecutors, dispatched a patrol vessel to intercept a fishing boat near Pengjia Islet. This boat was suspected of aiding Chang's escape on October 28. The captain, who was fishing at the time, agreed to return with Coast Guard personnel and was handed over to the Keelung investigation team for questioning. Although no prohibited items were found on the boat, and Chang was not aboard, the investigation continues.

Another fishing vessel in Zhengbin Fishing Port, Keelung, was also seized later that morning. Its crew was questioned, and the boat's voyage data recorder was provided to the Fisheries Agency to determine if its route was suspicious. Ocean Affairs Council chief Kuan Bi-ling stated that the direct involvement of the vessels and their captain in Chang's escape was still under investigation.

Chang was previously indicted for conspiring with independent lawmaker Kao Chin Su-mei to misappropriate public funds and is also under investigation for allegedly establishing spy networks in Taiwan with Chinese funding. After fleeing Taiwan, 47 accomplices suspected of assisting him were apprehended, with nine caught through the efforts of the Coast Guard Administration.

In related developments, two of Kao Chin's aides were questioned and detained in connection with the espionage case, and Kao Chin herself has been placed under a travel ban. The investigation into Chang's flight and related activities remains active, with further details pending the clarification of facts by prosecutors.