Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/02
By: Lu Hsin-hui and S.C. Chang

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Saturday that a Navy ship’s misfiring

of a missile a day earlier that caused one civilian death and three injuries was something that “absolutely cannot be forgiven.”

The president gave a directive to related government agencies to inform neighboring countries and mainland China about the incident, reassuring them that Taiwan’s determination to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and throughout East Asia remains unchanged.

The president made her comments at a National Security Council meeting after hearing a briefing on a Chinchiang class corvette’s firing of a Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile from a southern Taiwan port.

According to Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺), the president used strong words to chide the Ministry of National Defense: “If there were SOPs and they were not followed by the officers and soldiers, then it shows an utter contempt of disciplines and a complete lack of competency.”     [FULL  STORY]

STEP DOWN:The Huang family has refused an apology from the Minister of National Defense, who has said that he would resign to regain trust and respect for the military

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 03, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) yesterday apologized to the family of

the captain of a fishing boat who was killed after the navy fired a supersonic anti-ship missile by mistake and hit the vessel that was operating in waters off Penghu.

Feng traveled to Kaohsiung to offer the apology in person to the family of Huang Wen-chung (黃文忠) at their home.

He promised to help them receive state compensation and repair the damaged fishing boat, which was towed to Kaohsiung.

Accompanied by Navy Commander Admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), Feng also vowed to improve discipline in the military.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 3, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — After returning to Taiwan on Saturday, President Tsai Ing-wen expressed her deepest regrets over the death of a Taiwanese fishing boat skipper who was killed when a missile was accidentally fired from a Navy vessel on Friday, and laid out strict instructions after being briefed on the incident late Saturday night.

As commander in chief, Tsai stated that she cannot accept such an undisciplined military and ordered the defense minister and Navy Command Headquarters to carry out their orders immediately, according to Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺).

The Navy Command Headquarters is to conduct a revamp and review of fleet management and personnel training — both in training and combat operations. She expected to see results in the shortest time possible, she said.     [FULL  STORY]

An overview of key developments in relations between Taiwan and China this week.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/07/02
By: Shuhei Omi

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on June 25 confirmed communications channels with

Taiwan were suspended. An Fengshan (安峰山), spokesperson for the office, said the suspension was due to the Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) administration’s failure to recognize the “1992 consensus.”

The “1992 consensus” refers to an alleged understanding made by representatives of Taiwan and China on a “one-China” principle, but with each side free to have its own interpretation of what it stands for. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) disputes the existence of such a consensus.

On June 27, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Katharine Chang (張小月) said the previous attitude of “finding common ground and accepting differences” had created a solid basis for cross-strait relations in the past two decades, the Central News Agency reported.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-02
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Mine sweepers were searching the area Saturday where a missile

sunk into the sea after hitting a fishing trawler, according to Navy officials.

On Friday morning, a junior officer on a Chinchiang-class corvette in Kaohsiung mistakenly fired off a supersonic Hsiung Feng III missile, which tore through a fishing vessel and killed its captain in the Taiwan Strait, southeast of the Penghu islands.

There were misgivings that the missile and its technology might fall into the hands of China, but military spokesmen said there had been no suspicious movements from that area.

After discussions between the military and the manufacturer of the missile, it was reportedly decided to go and search for the missile and to recover it if possible. Some parts might contain sensitive geographical and technical data, reports said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/02
By: Elaine Hou and Lu Hsin-hui

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) expressed her deepest condolences

Saturday to the family of a fisherman who was killed after the Navy fired a supersonic anti-ship missile by mistake and hit a Taiwanese fishing boat, saying that such an incident “should not have occurred.”

In a speech at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport upon her return from a nine-day trip to Latin America, she said that Taiwan continued to face many challenges domestically when she was abroad, noting the missile blunder that occurred on Friday.

Expressing her deepest condolences to the family of Huang Wen-chung (黃文忠), she said she agreed with Huang’s wife that “this incident should not have happened.”

She pledged that the government will deal with the fallout of the incident with a responsible attitude.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: July 1, 2016

President Tsai Ing-wen departed Paraguay June 30, successfully concluding the second leg of

an official nine-day visit to Republic of China (Taiwan) diplomatic allies Panama and Paraguay.

Tsai, who is abroad for the first time since taking office in May, thanked Paraguay’s President Horacio Cartes and the people of the South American nation for their hospitality and said the three-day stay helped bring her up to speed on the latest developments in bilateral economic and political relations, as well as deepen exchanges between the two sides.

“Although Taiwan and Paraguay are geographically distant, they share the same values and a strong desire to build a better future for the people,” she said during a farewell reception hosted by Cartes in the capital Asuncion. “We will work closely with Paraguay in continuing to strengthen democracy, peace and the rule of law.”     [FULL  STORY]