The Ministry of National Defense refused to comment yesterday on reports that it had suspended a plan to station missiles in Matsu as a result of pressure from the US.
The ministry's response came after the United Evening News reported on Monday that the military had been planning to deploy missiles on the island, which lies just off China's Fujian coast.
"We will not comment on the story. We will not confirm or deny anything at this moment," ministry spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (
The deployment, reportedly the brainchild of former defense minister Lee Jye (
Although Minister of National Defense Lee Tien-yu (李天羽) has kept a low profile on the matter, he is reported to have visited Matsu last week, ostensibly to "encourage the troops and celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with them."
The report said the military had allocated a budget and sent missile experts to Matsu earlier this year to prepare for the deployment of surface-to-surface missiles, the paper said.
However, the defense ministry recently suspended the plan but would continue mass production of the missiles, the newspaper said.
Taiwan is seeking to boost its defenses against China, but Taipei's military build-up is being closely scrutinized by the US.
Taiwan-China ties have worsened in recent months as the former has applied to join the UN using the name "Taiwan" instead of "Republic of China (ROC)" and intends to hold a referendum on joining the UN in March.
On Monday, China admitted that in late April and early May its warships had sailed past Taiwan's east coast -- through the channel between Okinawa and the smaller Japanese islet of Miyako -- on their way to a military exercise at sea.
The naval maneuver was first reported by Japan's Asahi Shimbun on April 28, but China had kept silent on the issue until Monday.
The Asahi said two missile destroyers and two frigates from China's North Sea Fleet had left Shanghai on April 28 for the exercise and returned home on May 11.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
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Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
Former Taiwan People’s Party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) may apply to visit home following the death of his father this morning, the Taipei Detention Center said. Ko’s father, Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發), passed away at 8:40am today at the Hsinchu branch of National Taiwan University Hospital. He was 94 years old. The center said Ko Wen-je was welcome to apply, but declined to say whether it had already received an application. The center also provides psychological counseling to people in detention as needed, it added, also declining to comment on Ko Wen-je’s mental state. Ko Wen-je is being held in detention as he awaits trial
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