A naval captain that National Security Council Secretary-General Kang Ning-hsiang (
Captain Huang Tsai-tien (黃再添), who works as Kang's secretary, does not meet the qualifications for the rank of rear admiral because he has not completed the required courses at National Defense University, deputy administrative defense minister Lieutenant General Chen Ti-tuan (陳體端) said.
Chen said he did not know whether Huang was on the list of recommended candidates for promotion to rear admiral, or its equivalent of major general, that will be announced on July 1. According to military regulations Huang should not be on the list.
Chen made the remarks yesterday at a meeting of the legislature's National Defense Committee in response to inquiries from an opposition lawmaker.
Kang has reportedly pressed for the promotion for Huang, who served as his office chief when Kang was vice defense minister. President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has reportedly agreed to the arrangement.
A defense official, who did not want to be named, said Huang and Kang were involved in the investigation of the murder of Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓) and the scandal regarding the purchase of Lafayette frigates from France.
"According to military regulations, Huang is of course not qualified for promotion to rear admiral. But he has now been transferred to the national security system, which has its own set of operations," the official said.
"Council Secretary-General Kang has the authority to recommend the promotion for Huang. But the decision is in the hands of the ministry," he said.
"We do not know whether Chen [Shui-bian] has approved the recommended promotion. But as far as the ministry is concerned, the case is not difficult to solve since there have been many precedents," he said.
The official was referring to several promotions to rear admiral and major general even though the candidates had neither the necessary experience nor the advanced military education.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS