The Veteran Affairs Council yesterday urged veterans not to participate in celebrations organized by China in June to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the Whampoa Military Academy, adding that it is looking at ways to dissuade veterans from doing so.
The academy was established in 1924 in China’s Guangdong Province, with Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) serving as its first principal.
Several veterans’ clubs in Taiwan are organizing tours so that 500 veterans can join celebratory events organized by China for the academy’s anniversary.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Veteran Affairs Council Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) told a news conference yesterday that the council does not have the authority to restrict the travel of veterans.
However, recent events involving Taiwanese military personnel appeared to be a deliberate attempt to create misunderstandings between the public and veterans, such as the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, or Nikkei, report alleging that 90 percent of retired Taiwanese military officials worked as spies for China, he said.
“I am here to ask all the veterans to be cautious about attending memorial events in China this year. They are advised to refrain from attending these events, because it is really inappropriate,” Feng said, adding that the tour would not convince Beijing to decrease its military activities in the seas and airspace around Taiwan.
Those who are planning to attend should think about the soldiers, military officers and commanders who sacrificed their lives in the Sino-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945 and the Chinese Civil War 1945 to 1949, all of whom were alumni of the academy, he said.
“Instead of the 99th anniversary events in China, we are urging all army veterans to participate in celebratory events for the academy’s 100th anniversary organized by the council next year,” Feng said.
The academy’s cadets were all sworn to protect the national flag and the Constitution of the Republic of China (ROC), which are all in Taiwan, Feng said, adding that the “orthodoxy” of the academy is in Taiwan.
“Those who kept their oath to the Constitution and the flag came to Taiwan after the civil war, rather than surrendering to the Chinese communists,” he said. “We should not participate in any celebratory events organized by China, let alone travel there as a group. What we should be doing is to remember the soldiers and officers who sacrificed their lives to defend the country.”
Army Academy Alumni Association chairman Lo Chi-ching (羅際琴) said that the association does not organize such a tour.
“China organized the celebratory events for the academy to show it is the legitimate heir of the academy’s traditions,” Lo said. “Veterans who join the tour are mostly supporters of unification with China, and can easily fall prey to the Chinese Communist Party’s [CCP] stratagems. They should stay in Taiwan if they really want to celebrate the anniversary, rather than doing so in China.”
Alumni who insist on attending celebratory events in China should pay attention to their words, deeds and attire to avoid any confusion or trouble, Lo said.
The council said in a statement that the academy’s alumni should avoid falling for the CCP’s “united front” tactics, because of the lavish hospitality package promised by China.
They would cause misunderstanding among the public with regard to veterans and military personnel if they participate in China’s celebratory events for the academy, the council said.
“We are deeply baffled by the motive ... of the person who is organizing such a trip,” it said. “Aside from dissuading members of veterans’ clubs from going on the trip, we are asking national security agencies to trace the ... organizer and whether any illegality is involved.”
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