The abduction of a Taiwanese woman on a resort island off the East Malaysian state of Sabah has led legislators to ask the Ministry of National Defense yesterday whether it was possible to send special forces to Malaysia for extraction.
Hsu Li-min (許立民), a 57-year-old businessman, was killed by unidentified gunmen on Pom Pom Island off Semporna on Wednesday last week and his female companion, Chang An-wei (張安薇), 58, was abducted by the assailants.
In response to lawmakers’ queries during the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee meeting yesterday, Minister of National Defense Yen Ming (嚴明) said that although Taiwan has the capability, armed forces are reserved for the use of armed conflict between nation and the ministry should not step into an international incident.
“Our anti-terrorist special-forces have the ability for armed extraction, but for them to be deployed on Malaysia’s sovereign soil there must be mutual defense and support treaties between our two countries,” Yen said.
Separately, on the sidelines of a hearing of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee, Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) yesterday said: “We are cooperating with international organizations and have obtained key clues.”
However, Lee refused to go into detail, saying he would not like to fuel speculations that could endanger the hostage’s safety or cause trouble for investigators.
Lee confirmed on Wednesday that Taiwan had received a telephone call from the Philippines, during which a ransom was requested in connection with Chang.
He also revealed that the government was informed as early as Friday last week that Chang, 58, had been taken to the Philippines and was still alive.
Malaysian authorities said Chang may have been taken to Sulu or Tawi Tawi on the southwestern tip of the Philippines. However, Ramon Zagala, a spokesman for the Philippine military, said he could not confirm the information. He promised to continue monitoring the situation in the southern Philippines.
Meanwhile, a funeral was held in Sabah for Hsu at 11am yesterday, with his brother and nephews in attendance. The body will be cremated and his ashes brought home.
Typhoon Champi is forecast to turn northward earlier than previously expected, sparing Taiwan a direct hit but still bringing heavy rain to the north of the country on Friday and Saturday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Typhoon Champi had strengthened and increased in size over the past 12 hours, and as of yesterday afternoon, was packing sustained winds of 198kph near its center, CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen (鄭傑仁) said. However, due to the weakening of a Pacific high-pressure system the storm is now expected to turn northward earlier than initially forecast, likely around Japan’s Ishigaki Island, Cheng said. As Champi brushes
A sea warning for Typhoon Champi might be issued tonight, while the storm’s trajectory would determine whether a land warning is to be issued tomorrow night, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Champi was about 1,536km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), packing maximum sustained winds of 198kph, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said. The storm was moving west-northwest at 23kph and was expected to strengthen over the next 24 hours before weakening slightly as it approaches cooler waters east of Taiwan, Tseng said. Champi is expected to turn north tomorrow, with the angle of the
DEFENSE PROCUREMENT: Taiwan could become the largest operator of V-BAT drones outside the US if the contract is finalized, the Ministry of National Defense said The navy and the coast guard reportedly plan to acquire 292 units of MQ-35A V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) surveillance drones. If the contract is awarded and finalized, it would make Taiwan one of the largest buyers of the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the US-based defense technology company Shield AI. The Coast Guard Administration budgeted NT$1.2 billion (US$37.1 million) to buy 12 drones, which have been delivered, Shield AI said in a report on Oct 13. The navy is planning to spend NT$36 billion under a four-year program code-named Project Yuan Hsiao (遠鴞) to acquire 280 V-BAT drones,
A patrol vessel donated by the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) to the Philippines would not be used in waters near Taiwan or areas where Taiwanese fishing vessels operate, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. The vessel, formerly the CGA's 500-tonne-class Kinmen (金門), was commissioned into the Philippine Coast Guard on Oct. 2. Speaking at the Legislative Yuan, Cho said the Philippines had pledged during the donation process that the vessel would be used only for designated missions and would not operate in waters related to Taiwan. The vessel could even provide assistance to Taiwan if needed, he added. Responding to questions from Chinese
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