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MND airs direct links provisions

The Ministry of National Defense yesterday made public for the first time its recommendations to the government regarding the maintenance of national security while opening direct flights with China.

The recommendations, announced by Kang Ning-hsiang (康寧祥), the deputy defense minister for administrative affairs, are based on security assessments that the ministry has made over the past two years in respect to the direct-flights issue.

They contain four main points: first, the direct flights between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have to be treated as international flights and managed according to international laws; second, direct-flight planes are not to fly straight across the Taiwan Strait; third, the direct flights have to be conducted on the basis of fixed routes, fixed destinations and fixed times; and fourth, direct flights must not affect the radio frequencies and airports that the military currently uses.

"We suggest that Kaohsiung's Hsiaokang international airport be the first airport to operate direct flights with China. Taoyuan's CKS international airport will be the next. Taipei's Sungshan airport is not to be taken into consideration," Kang said.

"National security is our primary concern in the selection of airports suitable to run direct flights with China. We chose the Kaohsiung airport as the first to be opened for the services mainly because it is located in the south of the island and because if anything happens, the military will have more time to respond," Kang said.

"Taipei's Sungshan airport is totally different. It is located in the capital, close to the country's financial and military command centers," he said.

"We also suggest that direct-flight planes should not fly straight across the Taiwan Strait. We have to take precautions against the possibility that Chinese fighter planes might sneak across the Strait under the cover of direct-flight planes flying toward Taiwan. They need only four minutes to reach Taiwan."

Kang made the remarks yesterday at a joint meeting of the defense and budget committees of the legislature as he responded to concerns from several lawmakers over the ministry's view on the issue of opening direct flights with China.

It was the first time that the ministry had made public its recommendations on the driect flights issue.

DPP lawmaker Li Wen-chung (李文忠), a member on the defense committee of the legislature, expressed support for the ministry's recommendations, especially in respect to the exclusion of Taipei's Sungshan airport from operating direct flights with China.

"Sungshan airport sits only 5.8km away from the presidential office and 4.6km away from the sites of the Executive Yuan and Legislative Yuan. If China is able to land troops via Sungshan airport, the presidential office will be subject to attack within 10 minutes," Li said.
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