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New Kinmen commander named

The Ministry of National Defense yesterday appointed the army's eighth division commander, Lieutenant General Wu Ta-peng (吳達澎), to command the Kinmen Defense Headquarters, replacing Lieutenant General Cha Tai-chuan (查台傳).

"While I am a navy man, I have consulted with high-ranking army officials about the appointment. They all recommended and supported Wu's promotion," Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) said at the legislature yesterday.

He said Wu had served as a brigade commander in Kinmen and he knew the island very well. Both ruling and opposition legislators again questioned yesterday whether politics had been involved in Cha's recall. They also asked about the replacement of Kinmen's deputy commander, Lieutenant General Hu Chieh (胡捷) and the command's chief of staff, Real Admiral Sun Ching-hsiang (孫慶祥). The three were the highest-ranking military officers in Kinmen.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Hsiu-yen (盧秀燕) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tang Huo-sheng (湯火聖) asked if Cho had been replaced just 10 months into his assignment because he had been promoted by Lee's predecessor, Tang Yao-ming (湯耀明).

"There must be power struggle in the military. Lee is dropping high-ranking generals who were promoted by Tang," Lu and Tang said.

People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) and DPP Legislator Shen Fa-hui (沈發惠) were both critical of the way the recall had been handled.

"It was very rude to suddenly recall and remove a commander," they said. Lee said that Cha had been very upset about being replaced.

"Yesterday when he was in my office, he argued with me," Lee said. "His reaction surprised me and thought that a frontline commander should not act like this."

Lee confirmed reports in Chinese-language newspapers that when Cha had undergone a health checkup at Tri-Service General Hospital on Monday, he had angrily removed the monitoring wires on his body, shouting "I am fine. I am not sick."

"I am very sure Cha has been sick," Lee said. "He recently passed out three times."

"The post of Kinmen commander is one of the military's most important positions," he said.

Lee said President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had seen the results of Cha's checkup and he had agreed that a frontline commander could not afford to have health problems.

Lee admitted that Cha's sudden recall was a little rude to the officer, but he said the reshuffle had nothing to do with a power struggle or dropping those seen as Tang's men.

"While Cha was promoted by Tang, Wu was also was considered a favorite of Tang," he said. "I don't think any factional struggles were involved."

Lee said Hu had been replaced because of his work performance.
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