National Security Bureau (NSB) Director Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明) said yesterday that the SARS virus was part of China’s biochemical warfare program.
“We have information indicating that the SARS virus was a biochemical warfare formula, and United Nations experts had the same intelligence as that obtained by the NSB,” he told the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee.
Tsai made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲).
Meanwhile, Tsai told DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) that the police would provide security for Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) during his visit to Taiwan, not the bureau’s security detail.
Tsai Chao-ming said protests could be expected during Chen’s visit but the bureau was confident that his safety could be ensured.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) asked Tsai Chao-ming if he supported President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) decision to invite Chen to visit Taiwan.
Tsai Chao-ming said the decision was the government’s to make and his bureau was willing to provide the necessary security.
Late last night the bureau issued a statement denying Tsai's remarks on SARS matter. The bureau said Tsai had been misunderstood.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
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