Taiwan defence minister apologises over helicopter scandal
- POSTED: 07 Apr 2015 21:05
- UPDATED: 07 Apr 2015 21:50
Taiwan's Defence Minister Kao Kuang-chi has apologised over a scandal involving a top Apache helicopter pilot who gave 26 friends and family an illegal tour of an army base.
TAIPEI: Taiwan's Defence Minister Kao Kuang-chi on Tuesday (Apr 7) apologised over a scandal involving a top Apache helicopter pilot who gave 26 friends and family an illegal tour of an army base.
The scandal was exposed after Taiwanese TV presenter Janet Lee posted photos on Facebook that showed her posing in the cockpit of an Apache helicopter. Unwittingly, Ms Lee revealed a serious breach of security at the Cavalry Brigade in the northern city of Taoyuan, where the island’s elite fleet of US-made Apache helicopters are stationed.
The expose has triggered a public outcry and forced the island’s top brass to launch a thorough investigation. They have since discovered that one of the Apache unit’s top army pilots Lao Nai-cheng invited dozens of relatives and friends including Ms Lee for a tour of the hangar on the restricted military base.
Lieutenant Colonel Lao was also seen in photos online wearing his pilot helmet at a party, which he smuggled off-base illegally.
“Colonel Lao has accumulated two major demerits and, for both of his misconducts, will face legal action by the Prosecutors’ Office in Taoyuan,” said David Lo, a military spokesman.
But Mr Lao is not the only one who has breached security regulations. The Defence Ministry also found that his superior organised a similar tour of the base.
The Ministry is not taking the officers’ negligence and abuse of power lightly and has imposed penalties on 17 senior officers - of these four, including Lieutenant Colonel Lao, were removed from their posts.
Minister of National Defence Kao Kuang-chi apologised for the scandal. “The security lapse and disciplinary breach, which occurred in some of our military units, has triggered a deep public outrage and tainted the military's reputation,” he said. “As the Defence Minister, I’m disheartened and would like to express my deepest apologies to the public.”
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has ordered the island’s armed forces to conduct a disciplinary review, tighten the discipline of the military and restore the public's faith in it.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have also examined evidence to see if the accused parties have leaked classified information to the public and violated security laws, such as the National Security Information Protection Act.
If found guilty, Mr Lao could receive a sentence of up to 15 years. Civilians found guilty of leaking classified information could face a minimum prison term of five years.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/taiwan-defence-minister/1770878.html
1. Who was the leading role of this scandal?
2. Where did this event take place?
3. Why did Taiwanese TV presenter Janet Lee be punished?
4. What punishments did they get?
5. When did Taiwan's Defence Minister Kao Kuang-chi apologize?
6. How did Minister of National Defence Kao Kuang-chi feel?
Keywords:
1. scandal (n) 醜聞
2. expose (v) 揭露
3. cockpit (n) 座艙
4. elite (n) 菁英
5. hangar (n) 機庫
6. discipline (n) 紀律
7. prosecutor (n) 起訴人
