President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday concluded his post-inauguration military inspection tour by visiting the military police's headquarters in Taipei, instructing the service to join the government's "anti-black gold operation" against rampant illegal financial practices.
In a closed-door briefing with the president and Vice President Annette Lu (
The four teams will be based in Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and eastern Taiwan, forming a comprehensive rapid response investigative force under the military, the official said.
At the same time, Chen also asked the military police to boost their capability in defending government leaders and the capital against possible attack.
The military police were previously viewed as the president's personal force during the tenure of Chiang Kai-shek (
Despite the changes, the military police are still responsible for the safety of the president, the Presidential Palace and the capital.
"The Chinese military has been devoted in recent years to the development of the capability to wage a regional high-tech war, as well as to launch a surgical strike against the enemy," Chen said in a speech to military police leaders.
"In a future scenario, where Taiwan is under attack, the capital and the Presidential Office are very likely to suffer severe damage. The operation of the state machine will be seriously affected as a result," he said.
"To prevent this from happening, the military police should become a modernized, specialized, rapid response force. This is one of the major tasks of the defense build-up in years to come."
A defense official, who declined to be identified, said one of the military police's modernization goals is the acquisition of new weapons -- such as TOW anti-tank missiles -- and the strengthening of the service's combat hardware.
In yesterday's visit to military police headquarters, Chen received a similar welcome as in previous trips to other service commands: a presentation of honor guards for review and a rolling out of the red carpet for him and other dignitaries.
Chen's military inspection tour kicked off on June 16, as he presided over the 76th anniversary celebrations for the army academy. He later visited the headquarters of the navy, army, combined services force and the air force.
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