TENSIONS RISING:The timing of the release sparked speculation about the government’s intentions, as it follows revelations about China’s activity in the region

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 25, 2016
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday released information on the numbers of personnel it has deployed at coastal stations and defense installations across Taiwan proper and on outlying islands, sparking great interest as it also includes figures for territories in the South China Sea.

In a report, the agency said it had a total of 13,467 service personnel at the end of last month, 6,448 fewer than its highest total of 19,915 in 2000, when the current iteration of the CGA was first established.     [FULL  STORY]