Personnel from Taiwan's coast guard authority inspect a boat that was capsized in the waters near Kinmen on February 14, 2024. Photo: VCG

As controversy grows over the recent tragic boat incident, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been met with a backlash in the island of Taiwan for not only failing to disclose the investigation results and handle the situation properly but also for making up lies and hyping erroneous claims only to serve secessionist aims.

Kuan Bi-ling, a member of the DPP and head of the regional ocean affairs department, has come under fire in recent days. Rather than providing explanations to the families of the deceased and compatriots from both sides of the Straits, Kuan hyped the so-called line-crossing issue which was later refuted by the mainland. Then she claimed that Taiwan must protect its "restricted waters," even using "Kinmen compatriots" as an excuse, triggering anger among local residents. Subsequently, Kuan fabricated multiple claims and said there was no video recording for the time of the incident.

A screenshot of a chat between what appears to be Kuan and a former official from Taiwan has sparked heated discussion on the internet, as it shows Kuan saying, "The two Chinese fishermen deserve to die. If we don't collide with their boat when they cross the border, they will become more and more arrogant. Now we need to be tough on China, otherwise, these kinds of incidents will continue to happen..."

Kuan said on Sunday that the screenshot was fake, and said the attacks against her are part of a "cognitive warfare" effort to demonize her.

In response, a former deputy mayor of Taipei accused Kuan of "lacking a sense of shame," saying that as a key figure in this incident she should try to calm the situation rather than exacerbating it to serve her own political interests.

Hsu Chiao-hsin, a Kuomintang representative, noted on Sunday that Kuan is only trying to divert people's attention away from the incompetence of her ocean affairs department. Hsu posted a screenshot on social media platforms that suggested Kuan was directing other DPP members to support her claims.

Vice Dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University Zhang Wensheng told the Global Times that Kuan has been a figure with strong "Taiwan independence" tendencies, and her statements on cross-Straits affairs are all based on this standpoint.

"The handling of the Kinmen boat incident is extremely misleading, and she tried to cover up the improper enforcement actions of the coast guard with a series of lies," Zhang said. And what Kuan referred to as "cognitive warfare" is a consistent tactic of the DPP to throw mud at the mainland, Zhang added.

Besides attempts to shift the blame to serve her own political purposes, Kuan has also been accused by observers and politicians in Taiwan of making up lies and being incompetent in dealing with major incidents.

As the head of the ocean affairs department of the island, Kuan is responsible for the incident. Taiwan media reports said there had been multiple collisions between vessels in the process of the fatal incident in which Taiwan authorities chased a Chinese mainland fishing boat, leading to its capsize in waters near Kinmen Island, just a few kilometers from Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province. This led to the deaths of two fishermen on February 14.

However, the initial press release from the Taiwan ocean affairs department did not mention the collision. It was only after several days, when the media reported on the matter, that Kuan posted on social media mentioning "third-party liability insurance coverage," downplaying the incident. Subsequently, she refused to release the video footage, citing "non-disclosure of the investigation," and argued that there was "no hidden agenda."

In addition to repeatedly lying, Kuan's statements on social media have also come under fire. A number of politicians from the island have said that the authorities have placed some morally and ethically corrupt individuals in positions of power, and once something goes wrong, all their faults will be exposed.

They speculated that the reason Kuan insists on lying and refuses to admit any fault is because she intends to run for mayor of Kaohsiung.

Zhu Songling, professor of the Taiwan Research Institute at Beijing Union University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that within the DPP camp, there are many politicians like Kuan who hype up cross-Straits relations, treating the mainland as an imaginary enemy to garner attention and boost their own support.

Huang Chih-hsien, a TV commentator in Taiwan, said that even with two lives lost, the Taiwan regional authorities still have yet to apologize, and have not expressed any condolences. A price will have to be paid for being "so callous," Huang said.