Wed, Mar 22, 2000 page3

• Military on alert, but not alarmed

  NATIONAL DEFENSE Though not preparing for war, the nation's armed forces are keeping a close eye on activity in China after threatening remarks by Beijing

  • By Brian Hsu / STAFF REPORTER
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  Taiwan's armed forces remained on a state of alert yesterday to guard against potential attacks from China, but officials from the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said the cross-strait situation was not as tense as some had speculated.

  Military spokesman Kung Fan-ding (孔繁定) said although armed forces were on an around-the-clock watch, troop combat readiness had not been raised to the level of preparing for war.

  Kung admitted, however, that there have been a considerable number of Chinese fishing boats showing up off the frontline Matsu island group in recent days.

  "But the boats were engaged only in fishing activities. They went there in large number because the weather is better and it's the fishing season," Kung said.

  Kung made the remarks at a regular military press conference -- the first since last Saturday's presidential election.

  With the election of Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), speculation in the media has mounted over how the army might resist moves toward independence, while remaining loyal to the president.

  "The military will act according to the Constitution and government policy. Current government policy opposes Taiwan independence. We will continue to educate enlistees and conscripts about the possible consequences of declaring independence," Kung said.

  "We will be loyal to the leader of the country as long as he is elected by the people. According to the Constitution, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces. There is no doubt about this," he said.

  Kung conceded the military did not condemn the independence movement as it had in the past. But it would continue to educate its personnel on the downside of declaring independence, he said.

  Kung also denied there had been any irregular military deployments in China which could be directed at Taiwan.

  He declined to explain, however, why military leaders have been inspecting the offshore islands of Penghu and Kinmen in recent days.

  Military leaders also held an unusual meeting on Monday to discuss how to put troops on alert for potential provocative action from China, sources said.

  Recent reports say that China's People's Liberation Army has deployed over 100 fighter planes to coastal Fujian Province facing Taiwan, and sent troops from other provinces to mobilize in Zhejiang and Fujian Provinces, which are directly opposite Taiwan.

  Zhu Rongji (朱鎔基), China's premier, warned at a press conference last Wednesday that he could not reveal whether there would be a military exercise directed toward Taiwan in the near future, but that the answer would be found a couple of days after the election.

  In response to Zhu's threat of using force against Taiwan, Kung quoted Minister of National Defense Tang Fei (唐飛) as saying that, "The armed forces will not take the initiative for war but they will not shy from war, either."

  "The military will fight for the country and its democratic system. Tang has made clear the point on several occasions," Kung said.
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