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Defense minister backs Chen's right to take Taiping trip

Minister of National Defense Lee Tien-yu (李天羽) said at a luncheon with reporters yesterday that the president has the authority to visit any part of the nation's territory at any time and the military was obliged to facilitate any such visit.

"He [the president] has the authority to do that," Lee said. "It is our job to make sure that any trip the president makes is as safe as possible."

Lee's comments referred to speculation that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was planning to visit the newly completed airstrip on Taiping Island (太平島), the biggest atoll of the Spratly Islands (南沙群島), located 1,600km southwest of Kaohsiung.

The Spratly Islands, which consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs surrounded by fishing grounds and oil deposits, are claimed either entirely or partially by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Lee said the runway, which is 1,198m long and 7m wide, can accommodate aircraft as large as a C-130 Hercules. It takes approximately seven to eight hours to reach Taiping Island from Kaohsiung.

The minister confirmed that the runway is now ready and that Air Force Commander-in-chief Peng Sheng-chu (彭勝竹) had visited the new facilities to personally inspect the completed airstrip.

If the president was planning to visit the island, the ministry would help organize a trip for reporters as well, Lee said.

Meanwhile, Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing yesterday reassured Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) that he supported ongoing diplomatic ties between his government and Taipei, rather than China.

Tomeing, who had earlier voiced support for forging ties with Beijing, pledged to Lu in a speech that the Marshall Islands -- one of only 23 countries that recognizes Taiwan -- would not forsake Taipei. He also said his country would continue to support Taiwan's efforts to join the UN and the WHO.

Lu arrived in the Marshall Islands yesterday at the start of a three-nation Pacific tour that also includes stops in Nauru and the Solomon Islands. All three Pacific island nations have changed government in the past two months.
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