The government must step up efforts to carry out maritime bathymetry surveys to step up Taiwan’s “data over sovereign territory,” Institute of National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said on Friday.
Su made the comments following a National Audit Office report that said Chinese military exercises near Taiwanese waters since US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei early last month have severely affected the government’s efforts to carry out maritime bathymetry surveys.
The Ministry of the Interior’s bathymetry surveys, which began in 2004, only cover 27.67 percent of Taiwan’s territorial waters, which span 53,251km2, the report said.
Photo: CNA
If the maritime area near Taiwan’s territorial waters is included, that total area is 80,000km2, shrinking the coverage of the surveys — which primarily record depth and geography — to about 18.24 percent, it said.
As of April 15, more than 70 percent of completed bathymetry surveys were of questionable quality, with 60 percent of the data at least 10 years old, which could affect the accuracy of digital maps, it said.
The state of the data is a concern for maritime safety and might affect national security, the report said.
Ocean floor geomorphology is closely linked to minelaying, Su said, adding that depth, hydrological regime and currents affect anti-submarine warfare.
“Bathymetry surveys are inseparable from national defense,” Su said.
If the government could cite accurate and up-to-date data on submarine geomorphology within its territorial waters, it would help it contend with foreign claims in contested waters, he said.
Lu Li-shih (呂禮詩), a former navy lieutenant commander, said that a government-conducted general bathymetry survey is plausible.
However, the government should focus its efforts on critical areas based on military requirements, Lu said.
Ministry of National Defense exercises, including the Han Kuang exercises near Jialutang Beach (加祿堂) in Pingtung County’s Fangshan Township (枋山), would benefit from local bathymetry surveys, he said.
The surveys would have allowed the military to determine the most likely landing areas of an invading force and lay mines or tetrapod obstacles to increase the difficulty of such an operation, he said.
The Ministry of the Interior said that it has promulgated the Regulations on Water Depth Measuring (水深測量作業規範) and the Depth Standards and Systems (深度基準及深度系統), and is working closely with the Ocean Affairs Council and other agencies to determine how annual bathymetry surveys should be conducted.
Moreover, it has signed collaboration accords or memorandums of understanding to facilitate data sharing, it said.
The interior ministry is applying for project funding with the National Development Council, hoping to prioritize sea areas with no data to conduct bathymetry surveys, it said.
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
REPORT: Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining loitering munitions matching the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 or the Anduril Altius-600, ‘Foreign Policy’ said Taiwan is seeking US-made kamikaze drones in an apparent concession to pressure from Washington to focus on asymmetric capabilities to defeat or deter a Chinese attack, Foreign Policy said in a report on Wednesday. Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions or other devices with similar capabilities, it said, citing four sources familiar with the matter commenting on condition of anonymity. The Switchblade 300 is a tube-launched drone designed for attacking ground troops, while its larger sibling, the Switchblade 600, could be used to destroy tanks and entrenched troops. Ukraine has utilized both systems extensively in its fight against
Police officers yesterday morning apprehended the prime suspect of a triple homicide case, after raiding the suspect’s hideout in Taichung. They transported the suspect to New Taipei City for questioning and recorded his statement last night. The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), is believed to have used his hands to strangle his wife, surnamed Chen (陳), 29, along with his three-year-old son from a previous marriage and his wife’s mother, 69. The three dead bodies were wrapped in blankets when they were discovered inside their apartment in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) on Saturday. Chang was holding a
STRIKING A BALANCE: A nutritionist said that only 9 percent of respondents were concerned whether they had a sufficient balance of vegetables and fruits Nearly 60 percent of respondents said that they are affected physically and mentally due to lack of a regular breakfast routine, while only 9 percent ate a balanced diet, a Formosa Cancer Foundation survey showed. Thirty percent of respondents do not eat breakfast at home, saying it is more expedient to buy it, said Hsu Kuei-ting (徐桂婷), the foundation’s nutritionist, citing its most recent poll on nutritional intake for people aged 20 to 60. The poll showed that 60 percent believe they do not eat breakfasts that have balanced nutrition. At 62 percent, convenience was the most commonly cited factor in deciding whether