A Ministry of National Defense colonel arriving at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) on Monday night allegedly threw a glass bottle and fought with a Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) security guard at the airport station.
Colonel Yen Chung-kang (嚴仲康) of the ministry’s Department of Strategic Planning was believed to be intoxicated when he allegedly had a dispute with the station security guard at about 10pm on Monday, in which he smashed a glass bottle on the ground and hit the guard, police said, adding that the guard is not pressing charges.
Police said that according to a witness’ report, Yen was acting erratically in the station, agitating other passengers and prompting one passenger to alert the guard.
Police were called to the scene when the guard was unable to de-escalate the situation, police said, adding that Yen remained confrontational after police arrived, and only calmed down after a friend arrived and spoke with him.
“Yen is an older officer who came from the navy. He has always liked to drink, but it is unusual for him to get drunk and be raucous enough to end up in the news,” one member of the military said on condition of anonymity.
The ministry yesterday said that it would give Yen a major demerit and reassign him to the navy as a consultative officer.
“If no regular position opens up for him in the navy within the coming year, he will be asked to resign from the military,” the ministry said, adding that the reassignment was effective immediately.
Monday’s incident was Yen’s second infraction, after he became intoxicated and harassed a female reporter eight years ago, a senior military officer who chose to remain anonymous said.
The incident eight years ago greatly angered then-minister of national defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱), who also gave Yen a major demerit and reassigned him, the officer said.
Since taking office, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) has placed great emphasis on military officers maintaining a professional image, and has asked members of all military branches to be prudent in their speech and conduct, the officer said.
Yen De-fa’s command taking immediate disciplinary action against Yen Chung-kang shows the minister’s resolve in maintaining that professionalism, the officer added.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we