President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday called for calm following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, saying it was not expected to have a strong impact on Taiwan’s diplomacy or defenses in the short term.
Ma’s remarks followed an announcement by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) that the ministry had formed an emergency task force to cope with any developments on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of Kim’s death.
The ministry created task forces within its Taipei headquarters and its representative office in South Korea, ministry spokesman James Chang (章計平) said.
“We are also keeping in contact with Taiwanese living in both South and North Korea to ensure their personal safety,” Chang added.
The ministry will continue to monitor developments in the North and the possible impact Kim’s death might have on the East Asian region, Chang said.
Ma said during a press conference at his re-election campaign office that the National Security Council had invited defense, foreign, security, economic and Mainland Affairs Council officials to a brainstorming session to discuss the possible impact of Kim’s death.
“The council will brief me on the conclusion of the meeting later in the day,” Ma said.
Ma said the public should remain calm because the nation’s economic fundamentals remain sound.
On reports that South Korea’s military has been on emergency alert since news of Kim’s demise emerged and that Japan’s Cabinet held an emergency meeting yesterday morning, Ma said those two countries were very close to North Korea.
“While Taiwan is located a bit farther from North Korea than either South Korea or Japan, we attach great importance to the possible impact of Kim’s death and will carefully deal with all relevant issues,” Ma said.
Presidential Office spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) said Ma was scheduled to call a news conference later in the day to brief the public on the government’s response measures.
Meanwhile, Ministry of National Defense spokesman David Lo (羅紹和) said the ministry was also closely watching developments on the Korean Peninsula.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
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