Military commanders are moving quickly to contain the damage done after pictures of Singaporean “Starlight Program” soldiers carousing and drinking beer at an army base in Taiwan were uploaded to social media.
Reports indicated the photographs came from inside the base of the army’s 584th Armored Brigade in Hsinchu County, allegedly showing Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers fraternizing with their Taiwanese counterparts, with beer cans, poker cards and food cluttering tables at a base club.
There were also pictures said to be the same group of off-duty SAF soldiers and Taiwanese Starlight Program support staff reveling and drinking in a clubhouse with a refrigerator full of beer and bottled drinks.
Chien Shih-wei (簡士偉), a spokesperson for the army’s 6th Corps Command, which administrates the 584th Armored Brigade, yesterday said that a Taiwanese soldier surnamed Hsu (許) was responsible for uploading the pictures and that Hsu would be punished for breaching military rules.
According to Chien, Hsu took three fellow Taiwanese soldiers, all support staff for the Starlight Program, to the clubhouse for a party with the Singaporean unit on Thursday.
Hsu breached military rules against alcohol consumption and smartphone use while on base, Chien said, adding that a review of the case by a disciplinary committee would be conducted. Hsu could receive demerits or a reprimand as punishment.
The Starlight Program began in 1975 as a secret military project between Singapore and Taiwan, with SAF soldiers training in Taiwan. It became public knowledge in the last decade.
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