The Executive Yuan yesterday admitted that the Ocean Researcher V — the nation’s largest maritime research vessel — which sank near Penghu in October, had carried out secret missions for the military, in addition to its declared purpose of scientific study of the nation’s surrounding water.
The 2,700-tonne vessel had several teams of scientific researchers onboard when it struck a shallow reef in rough weather on the night of Oct. 9, leaving two people dead and 25 injured.
Following the inquires of legislators, the Executive Yuan released a written statement confirming that the Ocean Researcher V was employed in the military’s “Star Falcon Project” (星隼專案) last year.
The project was run by the Ministry of National Defense and involved the tracking and surveillance of the nation’s medium-to-long-range guided missiles, with electronic equipment installed in vessels able to record and gather flight signals and other data.
The ministry allocated NT$2.38 billion (US$76.22 million) for the project, as the military test-fired guided missiles it had developed, which have a range of more than 1,000km, a distance beyond the range that ground-based radar stations can accurately gather data of the missile trajectories.
Most of the missile launches took place at a secret base in Pingtung County. The Star Falcon Project had the specific aim of extending the range of radars at the base to cover the surveillance of the nation’s offshore territorial waters.
The ministry confirmed it had developed module packages of the radar and electronic surveillance equipment for deployment aboard ships capable of being mounted on mobile vehicle platforms, which can then be removed after specific missions.
According to the Executive Yuan statement, Ocean Researcher V had carried out the tasks for the Star Falcon Project during one planned scientific expedition last year. Following the completion of the task the surveillance equipment was disassembled and transported back to the military’s research center for data analysis.
The statement, quoting responses from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Applied Research Laboratories, did not specify which of the ship’s expeditions was involved, and did not specify if more than one mission was carried out.
Legislators raised more questions following the confirmation, expressing concerns that the military might have subverted scientific research aims to suit its operational needs, and that the lives of researchers aboard were placed in danger by the vessel’s engagement in clandestine missions, with or without their knowledge.
“The research ship’s sinking was a significant blow to the nation’s progress in science and military technology development. We must conduct a more detailed investigation to find out what happened to the ship,” Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) said.
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over
RSS