Military: Singapore denies transfer
Singapore's Defense Ministry has denied a foreign wire service report that the ministry will move its "starlight" project from Taiwan to China's Hainan island. In response to an inquiry Wednesday from the Singaporean daily Lianhe Zaobao, a ministry spokesman said the report was completely unfounded. AFP quoted unnamed Taiwan military sources as saying last Sunday that Singapore has decided to move at least part of training facilities and some of its troops in Taiwan to Hainan. The Ministry of National Defense has denied the report. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said Tuesday that it has not heard about the reported development. Under its "starlight" project, Singapore has since 1975 sent troops to Taiwan to receive combat training.
Foreign affairs: US declares its support
In a section of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act passed Wednesday, the US House of Representatives declared its support for Taiwan as "a mature democracy that fully respects human rights," and reiterated that "it is the policy of the United States that any resolution of the Taiwan Straits issue must be peaceful and include the assent of the people of Taiwan." The act, House Resolution 1646, now goes to the Senate where final approval is expected soon. Representative David Wu, the first Taiwan-born US congressman, said that "Through this bill, Congress has expressed America's strong support for the people of Taiwan and their right to freely determine their own future." The bill also recognizes Taiwan as a non-NATO ally for the purpose of transferring defensive articles and services.
Crime: Bomb hoax suspect arrested
Taipei aviation police announced yesterday that they arrested a man involved in a bomb hoax on the EVA Airways flight taken by first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) to the US. EVA Airways received a phone call from an anonymous man Sept. 19 claiming that explosives had been planted on the plane. However, the plane was allowed to take off after a thorough search was carried out and no explosives were found. The suspect, surnamed Tsen, 33, called EVA Airways from a public phone booth in Taichung County, a police spokesman said. Having checked thousands of phone calls and conducted follow-up investigations, police found that Tsen's voice was similar to that of the suspect phone call, he said. The suspect, accused of committing intimidation and an offense against aviation security, was turned over to the Taoyuan District Court for further interrogation.
Air safety: Conference comes to Taipei
The 33rd International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) meeting will be held in Taipei from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3, the Aviation Safety Council (ASC) said yesterday. This will mark the first time that the US-based international flight safety promotion organization has held its annual conference in Taiwan since its inception in 1964. The ASC, an ISASI member, obtained the right to host the 2002 ISASI congress in 1999. ASC officials said the conference will focus on accident investigation results and technologies, initiatives for the betterment of flight safety, new threats to aviation safety and future challenges. Billy Chang (張國政), director-general of the Civil Aeronautics Administration and ASC Managing Director Kay Yong (戎凱) will attend the three-day meeting.
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
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