A colonel who was a deputy section chief at the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology left classified documents on a planned rocket in the basket of a Taipei rental bicycle has been given a major demerit and moved to another position, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
After attending a meeting at the ministry in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area, the colonel, surnamed Hsieh (謝), rode a YouBike to the Dazhi MRT Station, but forgot to take the classified documents when parking the bike, ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) told a news conference in Taipei.
The next user of the bike happened to be a military police and finance officer surnamed Tseng (曾) who was headed to the ministry for a meeting, he said.
Photo: Hsu Chu-min, Taipei Times
After discovering the classified documents, Tseng immediately delivered them to the ministry’s security division, which then launched an investigation, he said.
The division found that the documents had not passed into other people’s hands or been leaked, and ordered the institute to review and penalize anyone involved in the misconduct, he said, calling it a case of personal negligence.
Hsieh received a major demerit and was moved to another position, and supervisors involved received demerits or warnings, he said, adding that Tseng was recognized for recovering the documents.
Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) has also asked the institute to review its classified information protocol, Chen said, adding that he hopes the incident would serve as a learning opportunity and remind military members to stay alert.
Local media reported that the incident occurred at the end of last year and that the documents contained information about a project code-named “Chi Lin” (麒麟) involving the development of low-earth orbit rockets to be used for delivery.
Also at the news conference, Chen rejected speculation that the frequency with which US warships pass through the Taiwan Strait has increased.
The waters surrounding Taiwan have always been busy international waters, he said, adding that the military has a firm grasp on the passage of foreign vessels and aircraft near Taiwan.
The ministry usually waits until missions are complete before announcing them to the public, he said, calling it the responsible way to handle such matters.
On Tuesday, the ministry confirmed that a US Navy warship and supply ship had on Monday sailed northward through the Strait.
It was the second such passage this year, and the fifth since July last year, the ministry said.
PATROL PARTNERS: The ‘Chiayi’ and the ‘Penghu’ departed for a two-day joint patrol of Palau’s exclusive economic zone, the CGA’s second diplomatic visit to the country The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) set a record for its southernmost deployment of a coast guard vessel as the vessels Chiayi and the Penghu reached Palau’s Pulo Anna Island on Saturday in a cooperative exercise between the two countries. The island, about 217 nautical miles (401km) southwest of Koror in the Palauan state of Sonsorol and 1,220 nautical miles from Taiwan’s southernmost point, Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), is the furthest south a CGA vessel has sailed. The two vessels are in Palau for the coast guard’s second diplomatic visit to the country. They docked at Malakal Harbor on Tuesday last week. The coast guard
BATCH 1: The military has plans to assign the weapons to the army to defend Taiwan proper, as well as outlying islands and the navy for the Marine Corps, the official said Taiwan is to receive 500 Stinger missiles and 178 launchers from the US by the end of the year, the first batch under a planned two-stage acquisition totaling 2,621 missiles and 763 launchers, a defense official said yesterday on condition of anonymity. The portable missiles would play a vital role in the nation’s air defense capabilities, the source said. The army plans to deploy 2,235 missiles and 657 launchers to defend Taiwan proper and outlying islands, they said, citing military documents. The navy is allotted 295 missiles and 85 launchers to arm the Marine Corps and some surface vessels that lack air defense
The government is monitoring online rumors that a pneumonic plague outbreak has spread from Russia into China, and it might enhance quarantine measures, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During a legislative meeting, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that rumors had circulated that the disease had spread across several Chinese provinces. He asked Cho whether the government was prepared to prevent the disease spreading to Taiwan, given the volume of traffic between the two sides, and how concerned the government was about the alleged outbreak. The Ministry of Health and Welfare had implemented border quarantine measures after briefing the Executive
The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted a recommendation on EU-China political relations that rejected China’s efforts to restrict Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and exchanges. The recommendation, addressed to the European Council, the European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, includes several references to EU-Taiwan relations and expresses support for closer ties, saying they would bring positive benefits and have strategic importance. Describing Taiwan as a valuable partner in trade and technology, the European Parliament said it “rejects China’s attempts to coerce international organizations, third countries and other actors into restricting Taiwan’s international participation and
RSS