The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday announced the initial punishment of demotions and job transfers for two officers who are now under judicial investigation by prosecutors for their roles in a warrantless military police of a private residence for documents reportedly relating to the White Terror era.
Political Warfare Bureau Security Division head Major General Chao Tai-chuan (趙代川) was removed from his post and transferred to Army Command Headquarters, while Taipei Military Police Station commander Colonel Lu Cheng-fang (呂正芳) was transferred to Military Police Command Headquarters to serve as an advisory officer.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday afternoon summoned Lu and Military Security Brigade head Colonel Wang Shih-wei (汪世偉) for questioning over their conduct in the case.
Photo: CNA
Chao and Lu were the commanding officers of their units when they contacted a man surnamed Wei (魏), who was allegedly offering three White Terror-era investigation documents for sale online. They detained Wei for questioning and executed a search of his residence last month without contacting or receiving authorization from public prosecutors.
The two officers’ demotions were the first round of punishment, said ministry spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和), who promised that all military personnel involved in the case would fully cooperate with the ongoing judicial investigation.
“Further disciplinary measures are to be announced within a week, pending the outcome of an internal investigation being carried out in the ministry, following Minister of Defense Kao Kuang-chi’s (高廣圻) pledge to do so at Monday’s legislative session,” Lo said.
In response to demands by legislators to curtail military police’s functions and even calls to disband the unit completely, Lo defended the military police, saying they played important roles in law enforcement and investigations of military personnel, protection and security for top government offices, and support of judicial agencies in criminal investigations.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said at a public appearance that he has been in constant contact with Premier Simon Chang (張善政) regarding the case, adding: “I established principles on how the case was to be handled, which were: conduct a full investigation, get to the truth, punish offenders and undertake corrective measures.”
“Military police are an outstanding branch of our armed forces. They have roles as judicial police officers under the scope of the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法) allowing them to investigate criminal matters. However, their actions were clearly out of line in this case, as they entered a civilian residence to conduct an investigation,” Ma said.
“I hope the public can view this matter in a calm manner. While some military personal have committed transgressions, the public should remember that our armed forces have always been the first on scene to carry out rescue and relief efforts after disasters, sacrificing their rest on those occasions,” Ma said. “We should not paint everyone with the same brush just because of a few bad apples.”
Meanwhile, ministry officials said major military exercises are to take place next month, in August, October and November, which are to incorporate: computer-assisted command post simulations; war games involving all branches of the armed forces; joint operations with live-fire combat, anti-missile defense and anti-amphibious landing exercises; and other field training drills.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2