Taiwan's ex-defence minister wants thanks for missile leak

News Desk

The China Post

Publication Date : 18-03-2013

 

Taiwan's former defense minister Tsai Ming-hsien yesterday insisted that the country's Ministry of National Defense (MND) should thank him for revealing the confidential information that the nation has developed a medium-range missile.

Putting the knowledge in the public arena bolsters confidence in the armed forces and national security, Tsai said.

But an MND spokesman said that the military stands firm in its position that no one should disclose sensitive national security information that has not been declassified.

Responding to questions at the launch of his memoirs in Taipei yesterday, Tsai said that two other former defense chiefs had included many secrets in their respective memoirs, and that he doesn't see why a defense minister serving in the administration of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party should be barred from doing likewise.

Tsai said that what he stated in his book had in the past been mentioned in his answers to lawmakers' questions and reported by mass media both in Taiwan and the United States.

Acknowledging his duty as a former senior Cabinet official, Tsai said that he had already whittled his book to less than 300 pages from the original draft of 400 pages, to prevent the exposure of state secrets.

Tsai said he takes absolute responsibility for all content in his book.

Taiwan's top enemy is China's People's Liberation Army, he said, and national defense and military policies should go beyond the boundaries of political parties.

Tsai said that he will continue making his opinions known as long as the moves are beneficial to Taiwan's security. Speaking out can shore up the people's confidence in national defense, he said.

The MND should thank him for doing so, he added.

Tsai also asserts in his book that the government's new policy of recruiting volunteer soldiers will weaken the nation's military defense.

He suggested a dual-track policy of maintaining the existing conscription system while gradually expanding the role of volunteer soldiers.

Other military and defense issues mentioned in Tsai's book include US nuclear warhead fuses mistakenly delivered to an Air Force base in Central Taiwan in 2006 and the immediate full US military alert following the mysterious shooting of then-President Chen Shui-bian and his running mate on the eve of the 2004 presidential election.

MND spokesman Luo Shao-ho said that all officials, whether they belong to the ruling party or the opposition, as well as in the government and private sectors should not neglect the declassification procedure when considering disclosing any type of sensitive information.

The military however declined to clearly state if Tsai was involved in revealing any national security secrets.

Officials said the issue will be determined by the MND's Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which is responsible for the research, development and design of defense weaponry.

Luo pointed out that, when in office, Tsai himself had pushed for speeding up the recruitment of volunteer servicemen.

The government is transitioning to a two-pronged approach of maintaining conscripts for training as reserves while at the same time recruiting an appropriate number of volunteer personnel, he explained.