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.
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