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KMT plans to send arms budget back to ministry

The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) legislative caucus said yesterday that it would send a draft budget plan for procuring six Patriot PAC-III anti-missile batteries from the US back to the Ministry of National Defense (MND) for revisions.

Secretary-general of the KMT legislative caucus Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆) made the remarks in response to a report by the China Times yesterday saying military authorities were hoping the opposition camp would "freeze" the procurement budget rather than return it to the ministry, thereby giving the budget a chance to survive in the next legislative session.

"We will not accept a proposal to freeze the budget for Patriot PAC-III anti-missile batteries instead of returning it to the MND, because [such a measure] would be illegal," Tsai told reporters.

As the next legislative session is scheduled to convene on Feb. 27, Tsai said that the ministry could draft another list for a supplementary budget for military procurement and submit it for review.

Tsai also questioned why the MND had floated such a message prior to the expiration of a three-year limitation on re-opening discussion on the procurement plan.

"Is the purchase of these anti-missile batteries so urgent for Taiwan? " he asked.

If the ministry is pushing for the procurement because of pressure from US arms dealers, the KMT will strongly oppose it, he added.
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