An absurd article in Japan’s Nikkei Shimbun recently alleged that 90 percent of the military retirees who served after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) forces came to Taiwan in 1949 have, at some point in their careers, collaborated with China in return for financial compensation.
The report said that, for this reason, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) does not have full command of Taiwan’s military.
The Nikkei report is utterly untrue. It has severely damaged Taiwan’s image in the international community and the dignity of the armed forces. The Japan that Taiwan knows is cautious and attentive to factual information, a characteristic not shown in the Nikkei report.
I am a military retiree. My father came to Taiwan from China and my mother is Taiwanese. I am a second-generation waishengren — a Taiwanese whose recent ancestors came from China.
I was determined since childhood to serve my country in the military. The anti-communist education that I received has deeply influenced me — the slogan “Eliminate the Evil Communist Bandits” has been engraved in my mind for decades.
Preventing espionage and protecting national security was a constant part of life throughout my 35 years of service. Although I retired from the armed forces last year, my ingrained military training has kept me from talking about any official matters. It is impossible for me to risk providing the enemy with Taiwan’s military intelligence.
I participated in the annual Han Kuang military exercises many times, but I have never discussed any of its details with relatives or friends. I am not an exception. A great number of military officers who received a similar education as mine think and behave the same way. Those who have become spies and sold intelligence to China are very few. They have disgraced the name of the armed forces, and we are repelled by them.
Veterans Affairs Council Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) retorted that the Nikkei report was “complete nonsense.”
His emotionally charged comment is understandable. As military retirees, we will risk our lives for the country, and we will endure all kinds of hardship to defend Taiwan.
For the sake of our dignity and moral character, the Ministry of Defense should demand an explanation from the Nikkei Shimbun. Taiwanese veterans deserve to be treated with justice.
I also call on Taiwanese not to be divided over this issue. Our society is a harmonious, inclusive one, and it must be protected.
Chang Ling-ling is a retired colonel in the armed forces reserves. She is a resident of New Taipei City.
Translated by Liu Yi-hung
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