The Control Yuan yesterday censured the army’s Matsu Defense Command for failing to supply soldiers stationed in Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) Juguang Township (莒光) with adequate provisions.
The incident came to light after local residents in March spotted complaints written on the sand on a beach by soldiers stationed on Dongju Island (東莒島).
The messages said the garrison’s kitchen had ran out of fresh meat and the soldiers had to survive on rice for a while, and that they were usually served steamed buns or instant noodles.
Photo: Yu Chao-fu, Taipei Times
“No more canned food,” another message read.
A Control Yuan probe found that a supply ship experienced mechanical problems and had to delay supply runs to the island twice in February and March.
Inclement weather and rough seas hindered other vessels from reaching the island, it said.
“Due to these reasons, ships were not able to deliver frozen food and other supplies to Matsu, including Dongju and other islands,” Control Yuan members Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻), Pasuya Poiconx and Lai Ting-ming (賴鼎銘) said in the report.
“The words written on the beach were seen by local residents and circulated online, which received media and public attention, and created a negative impression of the nation’s armed forces,” the report said.
“The soldiers were not given a main course during lunch and dinner on March 4 and 5, although canned meat was used as a substitute,” it said.
The report said the meals did not include instant noodles, adding that the soldiers’ complaints did not accurately reflect the facts.
On-site inspections found that the army units stationed on the main island of Nangan (南竿島) had sufficient meat stocks, the report said.
However, officers in charge of the smaller Siju (西莒) and other islets failed to promptly report food shortages, which delayed reaction time, it said.
“The officers also received misleading information from local businesses, resulting in a failure to transport meat from Nangan Island and other islets.
Even when they received orders from the Matsu Defense Command, the officers failed to take timely action, the report said.
“In addition, ranking officers did not follow up or supervise the situation to take remedial actions. Officers at the command as well as those in charge of the island mishandled the situation,” it added.
The Control Yuan members also said the frontline units have sufficient stocks of canned food to be prepared by kitchen staff, which is the usual way to provision the troops.
“In this case, soldiers complained about canned meat being used in meals, but this is the approved way of preparing meals at field kitchens on the outlying islands,” the report said.
“Command officers failed to explain to conscripts that it is normal for soldiers to have canned food and field rations in ready-to-eat packages under some circumstances,” it said.
“Three soldiers were at fault for failing to consider their status in military service. They made false accusations by writing messages on the beach, only because they had to eat military-issue canned food,” the report said.
“Their actions have seriously harmed the reputation of the nation’s military. This shows that the Matsu Defense Command needs to improve its training and education program to enhance esprit de corps among soldiers and officers,” it said.
“The Ministry of National Defense must conduct reviews and take remedial actions,” it added.
Control Yuan members also said shipping lanes to Kinmen County (金門) and Matsu, as well as their nearby islets, are fragile, and might fail during an emergency.
“Therefore the frontline islands must boost their resiliency, and must stock adequate provisions for peacetime as well as in case of a war,” they said.
“The Executive Yuan should coordinate with agencies to prepare contingency plans to safeguard the nation’s security,” they said.
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