President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday apologized for the handling of a cluster of COVID-19 cases on board a navy ship that has left 28 crew infected, saying that as commander-in-chief, she holds ultimate responsibility for the military.
In an address at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Tsai acknowledged that the outbreak on the supply ship Panshih (磐石) has drawn a great deal of attention from the public.
As commander-in-chief, “the military’s business is my business,” Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
Although the military has done much to bolster Taiwan’s disease prevention efforts, it made many errors in its handling of the Panshih case, she said, apologizing for those errors causing a public health risk.
Tsai said that she had asked the military to rectify the situation as quickly as possible, adding that the military’s identification on Tuesday night of four areas of negligence in its handling of the case represented only the beginning of a full investigation into the matter.
“We will not attempt to evade responsibility for this,” Tsai said.
The nation remains in a state of readiness not only against the novel coronavirus, but also in terms of national security, she said.
Citing movements over the past month by the Chinese military, Tsai said that Taiwan’s armed forces would continue to conduct essential training and maintain a standard level of combat readiness.
The president was responding to growing controversy over the Panshih, which as part of a three-ship “Friendship Flotilla” that conducted a training mission in Palau from March 12 to 15.
The flotilla returned to Zuoying Naval Base in Kaohsiung on April 9, but the ships’ crews were not allowed to disembark until Wednesday last week due to a directive that sailors are only allowed to disembark 30 days after docking in another nation.
After the Central Epidemic Command Center on Saturday and Sunday announced that 24 people on board the Panshih had been infected with COVID-19 — a number that has since risen to 28 — suspicions were raised that the military failed to report possible cases of the disease on board the ship.
On Monday, the Ministry of National Defense said that it had reviewed the ship’s medical records, which showed that 70 crew members made 71 medical visits, with five having a fever.
However, that night it said that a second review of the ship’s medical records found that 148 crew members sought medical treatment 226 times, including 10 visits for upper respiratory symptoms.
On Tuesday evening, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) announced the removal of two admirals from their posts pending further investigation of the navy’s handling of the incident, saying that he was willing to accept any punishment from Tsai, including handing in his resignation.
Following her speech, Tsai was asked to address not only the government’s response to the incident, but also the overall purpose of the training mission, given the clear risks posed by the global spread of the disease.
Some media personalities have speculated that the flotilla might have made other stops, as it could have returned to Zuoying sooner.
Asked about the speculation, Tsai said that she could not reveal the flotilla’s exact mission, but added: “If you are asking me whether there were other destinations besides Palau, the answer is ‘no.’”
Separately, the president was asked to comment on Yen’s assertion on Tuesday that he approved the mission on Feb. 20 and reported it to Tsai, who he said “respected” the decision.
Tsai confirmed that she had been informed of the mission during a routine report from the ministry, but played down her role in the military’s planning process.
“The decision was already made — the president should respect it,” Tsai said.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
New Taipei City prosecutors yesterday indicted nine entertainers over their alleged connection to a fraud ring that produces falsified documents to help people evade military service, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and show host William Liao (廖威廉). Twenty-eight people were charged with contravening the Punishment for Violation of Military Service System Act (妨害兵役治罪條例) and Article 214 of the Criminal Code for “causing a public official to make a false entry in a public document.” Prosecutors alleged the fraud ring was ran by a man, Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), and his three assistants, and that they were paid to help people dodge compulsory