President Tsai vows full investigation of missile incident

2016/07/04

President Tsai Ing-wen said July 2 that the government will fully investigate the unauthorized launch the day before of an anti-ship missile by a Republic of China (Taiwan) navy corvette resulting in the death of a fishing boat captain and injury to three crew members.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the captain’s family and agree with his wife that this incident should never have happened,” Tsai said upon returning from her nine-day trip to Latin America at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.

Earlier in the day, Premier Lin Chuan announced that the matter is to be investigated by a specially convened team from the Taiwan High Prosecutor’s Office.

“Investigators must thoroughly interview every witness and examine each piece of evidence to determine whether the missile launch involves a lapse in military discipline,” Lin said. “The Ministry of National Defense should fully cooperate during the process.

“In addition, the MND must waste no time in contacting the families of the affected fishing boat crew members and initiating talks on state compensation for their losses.”

According to Lin, the MND must quickly get to the bottom of the matter and publicly disclose the relevant facts on its website. “But as this is a national security issue, the ministry should take all necessary measures to ensure the nondisclosure of confidential information,” he said, adding that investigators from the Taiwan High Prosecutor’s Office must also adopt a similar approach.

The premier also called on the MND to review all aspects of the incident, including military discipline, operational procedures and personnel training.

As part of government efforts to closely monitor the situation and mobilize necessary resources, Premier Lin has directed the MND Minister Feng Shih-kuan to oversee operations at the ministry’s response center at MND headquarters in Taipei City, while Vice Premier Lin Hsi-yao departed July 1 for Kaohsiung at the head of a group of high-ranking MND officials to comfort the families of those affected and gain a better understanding of the incident.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=245978&ctNode=2194&mp=9)