Reporters took the Ministry of National Defense to task yesterday after a military-backed newspaper ran a story revealing information that could be confidential.
The printing of sensitive information has become a touchy subject following the nine-year sentence of Army Major Liu Chih-chung (
Some national dailies have even begun using no bylines with defense-related stories.
On Monday, the military-run Youth Daily ran a story about the navy's successful monitoring in January of a Russian-made Sovremenny-class frigate as it passed through the Taiwan Strait to be delivered to China.
In the report, the Youth Daily described in detail the entire monitoring process, which was carried out by a navy Knox-class frigate.
The No. 938 Ningyang trailed the Sovremenny-class frigate, the second of its kind China has ordered from Russia, for as long as 10 hours, the report said.
It moved very close to the Russian-made ship at times, within a distance of only 5,000 to 6,000 meters.
The Ningyang had to brave rough waves while following the Sovremenny-class frigate, with most of the crew members getting sea-sick as a result, the report said.
Such a detailed report of the navy's monitoring of the Sovremenny-class frigate has left reporters at many of Taiwan's privately run news organizations wondering what message the defense ministry was trying to send.
The information was similar to information leaked by Major Liu, reporters argued during the weekly Ministry of National Defense press conference yesterday.
The Power News defense correspondent, Hung Che-cheng (
Hung's report, which ran on May 18 of last year, just days before President Chen Shui-bian's (
"The two incidents should be fundamentally the same since they are both about the military's effective control of waters off Taiwan," Hung said.
Other reporters joined Hung in questioning the ministry's information classification standards.
Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Wang Chueh (王玨) answered the questions on behalf of the ministry, saying the two incidents are very different and cannot be compared.
"The Youth Daily's report on the navy's monitoring of the Sovremenny-class frigate is aimed at introducing to the public the navy's ability to carry out missions under bad weather conditions," Wang said.
"We thank the Youth Daily for making the report. They have not disclosed any military secrets, since the Sovremenny's passage through the Taiwan Strait was reported by other newspapers in January," he said.
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
‘EXTREME PRESSURE’: Beijing’s goal is to ‘force Taiwan to make mistakes,’ Admiral Tang Hua said, adding that mishaps could serve as ‘excuses’ for launching a blockade China’s authoritarian expansionism threatens not only Taiwan, but the rules-based international order, the navy said yesterday, after its top commander said in an interview that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could blockade the nation at will. The object of Beijing’s expansionist activities is not limited to Taiwan and its use of pressure is not confined to specific political groups or people, the navy said in a statement. China utilizes a mixture of cognitive warfare and “gray zone” military activities to pressure Taiwan, the navy said, adding that PLA sea and air forces are compressing the nation’s defensive depth. The navy continues to
MISSILE MISSION: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology said it does not make policy, but would be glad to obtain certification to assemble the missiles The Ministry of National Defense-affiliated Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is in the process of getting certified to assemble an additional 1,985 Stinger missiles on top of those from US arms sales, a senior defense official said yesterday. Washington is to send a team to Taiwan to evaluate the institute’s manufacturing capabilities and information security, said the official, who commented on condition of anonymity. The ministry initially bought 500 missiles for the army and navy, but later increased the order to 2,485 in response to an increase in Beijing’s military activities around the nation, and to meet the army’s urgent need
RSS