Minister of National Defense Tang Fei (
"The violations are mistakes by certain individuals. We will review the cases. I hope the military personnel involved will learn something from the incidents," Tang said.
"But it is also the constitutional right of servicemen to participate in politics. The right should not be denied to them," Tang said.
Tang made the remarks at a ceremony marking the completion of a housing complex for servicemen and their dependants in Taipei County, responding to inquiries from the press over a string of alleged violations of political neutrality by military personnel in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, administrative vice defense minister Lieutenant General Sun Tao-yu (
"As Kung made the statement, he did not have a complete understanding of what he was talking about. What I understand is that military personnel have the right to participate in politics," Sun said. "In our participation in politics, we will follow the principle of not abusing military resources and not campaigning for any election candidates."
Sun admitted, however, to the fact that the military has yet to make more efforts to achieve a 100 percent level of political neutrality in the election.
"We have disciplined some naval personnel in Kaohsiung's Tsoying port facility for having arranged military vehicles for use by Lien's wife, Lien Fang Yu (連方瑜) and campaigners on March 2," Sun said.
Sun declined to comment on how the military will handle other similar cases, which the DPP legislative caucus enumerated at a public hearing yesterday at the legislature.
According to DPP lawmaker Parris Chang (
"A Taipei reserve command commander recently disregarded the neutrality code to accompany Lien's wife to visit residents at a military village in the city," Chang went on to say.
In response, Sun said the military would severely punish the reserve command commander if the accusations are proven true.
At the same time at the legislature, a group of lawmakers supporting independent presidential candidate James Soong (
Two veterans from a retired servicemen's village in Taoyuan, speaking as eyewitnesses, alleged that the army's sixth corps commander, Lieutenant General Tai Po-te (
The move, the veterans said, was aimed at welcoming the arrival of a wife of a deceased son of late President Chiang Ching-kuo (
Officials with the Ministry of National Defense Ministry said the ministry will also severely punish Tai if the allegations were found to be true.
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