Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱), who has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, has had surgery and could be discharged from hospital in a few days, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday
Ministry spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖) said Kao’s cancer was discovered in the early stages and he was recovering well following the surgery. The minister does not require chemotherapy after the operation and he is expected to return to work soon, the spokesman said.
Yu added that whether Kao hosts a military drill scheduled for next week would be evaluated by his doctor, Hsu-Wen-hu (許文虎), at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
Local media speculated that since Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) has announced that the government would have a minor Cabinet reshuffle in the coming days, Kao’s health might play a role as to whether he remains in the post.
Kao’s last public appearance was at the flag-raising ceremony in front of the Presidential Office on New Year’s Day.
The ministry said Kao was diagnosed with lung cancer during a regular health exam last month.
Local media have said that former chief of general staff Huo Shou-yeh (霍守業) has been queried by the Presidential Office about his interest in taking up the ministerial post, while also speculating that Deputy Minister of National Defense Andrew Yang (楊念祖) might have a chance of becoming the first civilian to serve in the post during President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard