President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) inspected military units yesterday and was briefed on developments over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) amid growing tension over the disputed archipelago, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The Taiwanese military has found that Japanese patrol ships and aircraft, as well as Chinese fishing boats, surveillance vessels and missile patrol vessels, are operating near the Diaoyutais, Ma said at a gathering with military police after his inspection visit to an air force radar squadron and a navy radar station.
“We have a full grasp of the situation,” Ma said, adding that the air force, the navy and the Coast Guard Administration are keeping a close eye on the waters around the Diaoyutais and other nearby islets in the region.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Ma’s remarks came amid an escalating territorial dispute over the Diaoyutais after the Japanese government, which already administers the islands, recently decided to nationalize the island group by buying three of them from a private owner.
Meanwhile, the ministry said in a statement that it has beefed up air patrols over the Diaoyutais and waters surrounding the islands.
Reaffirming Taiwan’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutais, Ma reiterated the government’s policy of resolving the disputes on the principles of safeguarding sovereignty, shelving differences, pursuing peace and reciprocity and jointly exploring resources.
The president also repeated his call for all sides involved in the dispute — Taiwan, Japan and China — to adopt the East China Sea peace initiative he proposed early last month and to address the issue through peaceful means.
The Diaoyutais, known as the Senkakus in Japan, lie about 120 nautical miles (220km) northeast of Taiwan.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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