The China Post
Date: July 14, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Tsai Ing-wen boarded a South China Sea-bound

warship and addressed its crew during a tour of a naval base Wednesday morning, less than a day after a controversial international ruling on the area.

This vessel represents the Republic of China and “the uniform that you are wearing represents what Taiwanese citizens have entrusted to you,” Tsai told officers and crew on the deck of the Kang Ding-class frigate, which departed on the routine patrol mission soon afterward.

In addition, Tsai said, the patrol represents Taiwanese citizens’ determination to safeguard the country’s interests.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/13
By: H.H. Liu and Flor Wang

Taipei, July 13 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) vowed on Wednesday to protect Taiwan’s interests in the South China Sea a day after an international tribunal delivered a ruling seen as having an adverse impact on Taiwan’s claims in the region.

“Just yesterday, new changes took place in the South China Sea, and now is the time for us to demonstrate our resolve to safeguard the country’s interests,” Tsai said aboard the Di Hua frigate (迪化艦) at Zuoying naval base in Kaohsiung before it set off on a routine patrol mission in waters near the Spratly Islands.

Tsai was referring to the ruling handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on a case brought by the Philippines against China that focused in part on whether islands claimed by China were entitled to 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-01
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Navy Commander Admiral Huang Shu-kuang said Friday he had requested disciplinary measures against himself from the Ministry of National Defense over the fatal accidental firing of a missile.

On Friday morning, a Chinchiang-class corvette located near Kaohsiung fired a supersonic Hsiung Feng III missile by accident. It landed in the Taiwan Strait near Penghu County after hitting a Taiwanese fishing trawler and killing its captain.

The blunder happened during a drill and was explained as a result of “a grave human error” by a missile operator who probably did not follow standard operating procedures, the military said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/01
By: Elaine Hou, Justin Su, Sophia Yeh and Cheng Chi-fong

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) apologized Friday after a missile

launched from a Taiwanese Navy corvette by mistake earlier in the day slammed into a Taiwanese fishing boat in the Taiwan Strait, killing its captain.

“The MND sincerely apologizes for the incident that caused the death of the captain and injured the other crew members,” said MND spokesman Maj. Gen. Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) at a second news conference held Friday by the military after the incident occurred in the morning.

The ministry has also asked the Navy to provide compensation and assistance to the families of the victims, Chen said.

Navy Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) said at the news conference the Hsiung Feng III supersonic anti-ship missile ripped through the fishing boat, causing the captain’s death, but it did not immediately explode or cause the vessel to break up.     [FULL  STORY]

‘NATIONAL SECURITY’:KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang said that the incident should prompt the president to call a meeting to stop the issue from escalating

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 02, 2016
By: Chen Yu-fu / Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers said the Ministry of National Defense had failed

and demanded that Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) take responsibility following the reportedly mistaken launch of a supersonic anti-ship missile that hit a fishing boat, killing one person.

The Republic of China Navy said that a Hsiung Feng III missile was launched by mistake from a Chinchiang-class patrol boat docked at Kaohsiung’s Zuoying Military Harbor during an exercise.

The missile traveled about 40 nautical miles (74.1km), hitting a Taiwanese fishing boat in waters off Penghu, killing the fishing boat’s captain and injuring three crewmen.

KMT lawmakers said that the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) should have contacted China immediately after the incident to inform Beijing that the missile launch was accidental.     [FULL  STORY]

A video of Taiwan military personnel abusing a dog to death has gone viral on the Internet and sparked an investigation.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/06/27
By: Olivia Yang

On June 26 Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Hsin-yu (陳信瑜) posted an 80-second video on

YouTube showing a white dog dangling from a chain around its neck for about 40 seconds before hanging to death. As the animal draws its last breath, Taiwanese soldiers can be heard saying, “Don’t become a stupid dog in your next life.” The clip ends with the soldiers shouting the Marine Corps’ motto.

The incident occurred around the Taiwan Marine Corps’ camp near Shoushan in Kaohsiung. Director of the Kaohsiung Concern Stray Animal Association Wang Jin-chun (王春金) says that stray dogs have been spotted around the camp and that one of the squad leaders told his soldiers he “didn’t want to see the white puppy anymore,” leading to the hapless dog’s mistreatment.

A preliminary investigation also shows that three soldiers beat the dog with wooden sticks before hanging it alive on a chain.

On Facebook, Wang has identified the squad leader’s name as Chen You-tsai (陳祐才). Two other soldiers involved are Chang Feng-yu (張峰瑜) and Hu Chia-wei (胡家瑋). Both the association and the Kaohsiung City Animal Protection Office have launched an investigation.

Wang says Chang had already admitted to abusing and killing the dog before throwing it into the ocean. He initially agreed to make an official statement with the animal protection office. However, Su Shih-lin (蘇世霖), the director of the political warfare office, said Chang was no longer willing to cooperate and that the military would conduct its own investigation.     [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2016/06/16
By: J. Michael Cole

Despite the security breach, military officials maintain that national security was never

compromised.

Never mind Chinese spies or saboteurs. All it took was a monkey with enough audacity to climb over several wire fences around Chiashan Air Force Base on the eastern coast of Hualien County on June 14. The adventure cost the agile simian his life — he got zapped after deciding that toying with a transformer box was a good idea. And then the power at the airbase went out for a full seven minutes. The lights also flickered at more than 9,600 households in the area.

Soon after discovering the charred remains of the intruder, officials restored power by switching on a secondary transformer at the northern end of the base. Huang Yu-chi (黃裕智), director of the Political Warfare Office at the base, said that equipment and national security were unaffected, and that all operations were normal.     [FULL  STORY]