New Party lawmaker Elmer Feng (
Feng said that Lee's decision to go through with the deal cost the government more than the contract was worth.
"According to our investigation, no invoices had been issued to overseas companies for the French Mirage series fighters since 1987," Feng said. "The manufacturer, Dasault Aviation, almost closed its production line in 1991. This was a clear sign that there was something wrong with the company. It might have been suffering from monetary problems or product defects. But the Lee administration still ordered 60 Mirage-2000 fighters and executed the deal."
In a book recently published by the leader of Taiwan's Indigenous Defense Fighter jet development project, retired general Hua Hsi-chun (華錫鈞) said that a committee established to assess the Mirage fighter deal -- comprised of former minister of defense Chen Li-an (陳履安), former chief of the general-staff Liu Ho-chien (劉和謙) and Hua -- was dismissed on Aug. 4, 1992, because Lee had already made the final decision to purchase the Mirage-2000 fighters.
"A Mirage-2000 is twice as expensive as an F-16," Feng said. "Obviously, it was a bad decision by Lee which cost the government more money [than necessary]. The products were not as good as we had expected. I think Lee should explain whether there was any personal interest or favoritism involved."
F-16s, IDFs and Mirage-2000s are referred to as second-generation fighters to differentiate them from older fighter jets such as F-5Es and F-104s. The first fleet of Mirage-2000s was commissioned on May 10 at the air force's Hsinchu base.
Feng also quoted an Oct. 30 story from the French newspaper Le Monde.
According to the story, French investigators suspect, after freezing his Swiss bank accounts, that Andrew Wang (
"Lee is the former president who decided to do this deal," Feng said. "He must have known what was going on."
Feng's petition was accepted by Control Yuan member Ma Yi-kung (馬以工). Ma said that the Control Yuan would organize a committee to investigate the Mirage-2000 deal just as it had done in the case of the Lafayette frigate scandal.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College