Lieutenant General Huang Yi-bing (黃奕炳), deputy commander of the army, yesterday bowed to apologize for a brawl between soldiers and civilians at a military facility on the outlying island of Kinmen the previous day, which ended with nine military personnel being injured after civilians broke into the compound.
Huang described the incident as a “simple case” of revenge involving friends of a soldier who had been upset by a punishment meted out by his superiors.
The army would tighten security and conduct a thorough review of security measures at all military bases and make the necessary improvements, Huang said at a press conference, adding that the army would also enhance the training of its personnel in dealing with emergencies.
An investigation by the military found that the civilians were incited by a volunteer serviceman surnamed Chang (張). The soldier, who was disciplined by his superior, surnamed Kao (高), on Tuesday, allegedly incited them for revenge. Chang has been detained by military prosecutors.
Of the nine civilians referred for prosecution, three have been placed in custody and six released on NT$100,000 bail, Kinmen district prosecutors said yesterday.
On Tuesday at 8:30pm, between eight and 12 men riding in three cars started a commotion in front of the base, calling for Kao to come out and explain the incident with Chang, Huang said.
A second lieutenant, surnamed Wang (王), who was in charge of the headquarters battery battalion-level maintenance building, went out to attempt to diffuset the situation, trying to calm the civilians after receiving reports of a commotion, but he was beaten by the civilians after a disagreement, receiving a slight graze to the ear, Huang said.
Just after midnight, a car drove to the entrance of the base, whereby its passengers assaulted the troops on guard duty, before proceeding as far as the front of the maintenance building, Huang said.
The car and its four passengers were taken to a police station after being suppressed by the troops who were alerted to the situation, Huang said, adding that the commander had told his troops not to attack the civilians because “they were irrational civilians and not enemies.”
While the base commander and the chief staff officer were still debating how to toughen base security, a third set of civilians arrived in two cars and eight people who were clearly intoxicated began to attack soldiers with wooden sticks immediately after exiting the vehicles, Huang said.
Huang said that while the second civilian attack occurred inside the base, the third happened outside the main gates.
Asked whether military personnel could use their weapons in the event of violent attacks, Huang said they could fire blanks as a deterrent and, if that did not work, they could use live bullets.
“It is the military’s responsibility to safeguard the country and ensure the security of military sites,” Huang said.
The Control Yuan launched an investigation into the incident yesterday.
Huang Wu-tzu (黃武次), one of the Control Yuan members leading the probe, asked: “How can troops protect the country when they cannot even protect themselves?”
Huang Wu-tzu said that the military failed to take proper precautions after the first provocation.
Lee Ful-dien (李復甸), the other initiator of the investigation, said he would look into other possible flaws on the part of the military when handling the incident.
He said it might be that the military did not take immediate action to stop the youths because the officers handling the case were sympathetic to them.
This might be related to the fact that those officers were also native to Kinmen, he added.
General Wang Shih-tu (王世塗), head of the Kinmen Defense Command, visited Kinmen County Commissioner Li Wo-shi (李沃士) yesterday to exchange views on the incident.
Wang, who is himself a native of Kinmen, said the relationship between the military and Kinmen residents is harmonious.
He said the military personnel responsible for the situation would be punished after the Ministry of National Defense has completed its own investigation.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS