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Ministry defends airport construction

"We continued the construction ... for further development of the island -- not to flatter the president."

Yu Sy-tue, Ministry of National Defense spokesman

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday lashed out at the Ministry of National Defense for not consulting environmental protection authorities prior to resuming construction of an airport on Taiping Island (太平島) in the South China Sea.

KMT Legislator Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) said that Taiping Island, part of the Nansha or Spratly Islands, is an important military outpost for Taiwan but it is also home to green turtles -- a protected species that serves as an important indicator of the state of the environment.

Kuo said it is acceptable that the ministry seeks to build the Taiping airport based on strategic considerations, but the ministry should not have rushed the process.

A report in Thursday's Chinese-language United Daily News alleged the process was rushed just to complete construction in time for a planned inauguration ceremony to be presided over by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in December.

The report said the ministry has quietly resumed the building of the airport despite the fact that the relevant budget had been killed by the Legislative Yuan and instead used NT$715 million (US$21.67 million) in funds appropriated from the Executive Yuan Second Reserve Fund.

KMT Legislator Shuai Hua-ming (帥化民), who long held the position of president of the College of Defense Management at the National Defense University, said it is justifiable for the ministry to build an airport on the islet for strategic and defense purposes.

However, he called for the ministry to act in a manner that befits a ministry, rather than proceed with the plan in a stealthy manner.

In response, the ministry said yesterday it is necessary to continue the construction.

"We continued the construction for medical supply purposes and for further development of the island -- not to flatter the president," the ministry's spokesman Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖) said.

"People are worried that our construction may damage the island's natural resources. I assure you that none of the animals or plants on the island will be killed during our construction," he said.

Yu said that the money came from the ministry's reserve account earmarked for this year's annual budget, which must be used by the end of this year.

"It is my understanding that the president has no plans to visit the island by the end of the year," he said.

Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
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