DEFENSE
Missile could reach Beijing
Taiwan has developed a missile capable of reaching Beijing and tested it successfully three years ago, the Chinese-language United Daily News reported yesterday, citing a former defense minister. Taiwan’s military successfully fired the medium-range missile in early 2008 in a secret test attended by then--president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former defense minister Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) said in memoirs released this week. Tsai did not specify the range of the missile, but the United Daily News said it was capable of reaching major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Chengdu and Shenyang 2,000km away. The newspaper said Tsai is the first official to confirm Taiwan has developed the technology, though local media have previously reported that Taiwan possessed mid-range missile capabilities. Stephen Young, Washington’s then de facto envoy to Taipei, had expressed concern over the test, but Tsai assured him that Taiwan would not initiate any attack, the former minister said in the book. The Chinese military was prepared to go to war if Beijing-friendly candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) lost the 2008 president election, Tsai wrote, citing Taiwanese and US intelligence.
POLITICS
Envoys to attend memorial
China is sending two representatives to attend the memorial service of former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) mother today. Li Bingcai (李炳才), vice president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, and Wang Yuwen (王育文), deputy director of the political party department of the Taiwan Affairs Office, will attend the ceremony in Taipei, Lien’s spokesman, Ting Yuan-chao (丁遠超), said yesterday. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), as well as ambassadors and representatives stationed in Taipei from other countries — including the US, Singapore and El Salvador — will also pay their respects, Ting said. Lien’s mother, Chao Lan-kun (趙蘭坤), died in Taipei on April 17 at the age of 103.
SOCIETY
Women died of starvation
Two elderly sisters found dead in their home probably starved to death, police said yesterday, in a case that has highlighted rising concern over care of the nation’s aging population. The women, aged 77 and 79, were severely emaciated when their partially decomposed bodies were found on Tuesday in an apartment in Taipei, police said. Their 74-year-old brother, who appeared to be suffering from dementia, stayed with the corpses for several days before telling a neighbor. The neighbor contacted the police, who had to force their way into the apartment to remove the bodies. Police said they suspected that the sisters, who were apparently also suffering from dementia, had died of malnutrition because of a lack of care. Apart from their brother, they had no other living relatives.
TRAVEL
Ivory Coast under ‘red alert’
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday placed the Ivory Coast under “red travel alert” and strongly advised people to postpone trips or to avoid crowds if they visit the country. People planning to visit were also advised to register with the ministry’s Bureau of Consular Affairs so the government could locate them in the shortest time should they encounter any problems, the ministry said. The capture of the former Ivory Coast president ended a standoff on April 11, but the situation is still in turmoil, with shootings and robberies reported in Abobo, Treichville, Adjame and Yopougon districts in the capital, Abidjan, the ministry said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
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