Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday urged prosecutors to investigate allegations that some lawmakers have intervened in the indigenous submarine program and leaked national defense secrets to China.
The lawmakers issued the call after Indigenous Defense Submarine program head Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光) on Thursday told the media that there were “certain legislators” allegedly making it difficult for the program to purchase critical equipment, which was previously listed in the “red zone,” and a contractor who had failed to obtain the bid forwarded the information they had to the Chinese military.
Huang made the remarks on the sidelines of the launch ceremony for Taiwan’s first domestically made submarine, named Hai Kun (海鯤), or “Narwhal.” The Ministry of National Defense has divided required components into three categories, with “red” for imported technologies that the nation cannot research and develop.
Photo courtesy of National Sun Yat-sen University
DPP Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said that breaching national defense secrets contravenes the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), and politically, legislators are elected officials that have not only the trust of Taiwanese, but also that of international allies who have helped with the indigenous submarine program.
Cheng urged prosecutors to look into his accusations, adding that a lack of an investigation would be a dereliction of duty by the Ministry of Justice.
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that certain bidding companies had backed out and it was discovered that they had been under Chinese pressure.
DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said that some legislators attempted to freeze large amounts of the program’s funding and made handwritten copies of the contract during the review process, adding that it was no surprise Huang would make such accusations.
Retired navy captain Kuo Hsi (郭璽) on Thursday said that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) was the legislator in question.
Ma yesterday urged Huang to name the legislator he accused of sabotaging the project.
Ma yesterday said Kuo was acting as Huang’s “hitman,” while urging Huang to name the legislator he accused of sabotaging the project.
She said that Huang is aiming to rush the submarine program’s budget through the legislature during President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) final term in office.
Ma said Huang is attempting to achieve this goal by making allegations against legislators and hinting that if they do not fall in line, they would be called “traitors” or people “chasing after petty profit margins.”
Additional reporting by Chen Cheng-yu
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS