• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

TAIWAN TO BUILD AIRPORT IN SPRATLYS

ROC Central News Agency

2005-12-15 16:47:37

    Taipei, Dec. 15 (CNA) Vice Minister of National Defense Huo Shou-yeh confirmed Thursday that the government will build an airport on one of the biggest islets of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

    However, Hou emphasized that the airport to be located on Taiping Island is not intended for military use but instead for humanitarian purposes such as emergency rescue efforts by the Coast Guard for sick or injured sailors or fishermen.

    Hou was responding to questions by legislators during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's National Defense Committee.

    Hou said that the plan to build the airport has been proposed by the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) will assist by sending soldiers there for the construction work.

    According to Hou, the airport will only be equipped with simple facilities, including a 1,150-meter runway and a control tower.

    He pointed out that the airport will only be capable of handling the takeoff and landing of C130 aircraft, and not other military aircraft, fighters or anti-submarine aircraft, so the airport will not pose any military threat to the surrounding islets.

    The Spratly Islands, which consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs surrounded by rich fishing grounds and oil deposits, are claimed either entirely or partially by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

    Taiwan, China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have stationed small numbers of military forces on some of the islands.

    Expressing his disapproval with the government's plan to build an airport on Taiping Island, opposition Kuomintang Legislator Su Chi said the move is unnecessary because it is likely to trigger an international dispute in light of the sensitive strategic and political implications involving the Spratlys.

    Su said he will demand that the MND deliver a special report on the issue to the legislature and that he will also investigate whether the true purpose behind building the airport is different from that stated by the MND and whether the plan is being financed by a secret budget.

    During a separate meeting of the legislature's Home and Nations Committee, CGA Director-General Shi Hwei-yow said that it is necessary for the government to build the airport to serve practical needs and to defend Taiwan's sovereignty claim over the Spratlys and its fishing rights in waters near the islands.

    Shi pointed out that the government currently has 200 Coast Guard officers stationed on Taiping Island, which is located 861 nautical miles from Taiwan, and that it takes eight days and costs NT$40 million in fuel expenses for the Coast Guard to carry out one resupplying mission by sea between Taiwan and Taiping Island.

    Although there is a landing pad for helicopters on the 0.49 square-kilometer Taiping Island, helicopters cannot fly the long distance between Taiwan and the island, Shi said.

    He said the plan to build the airport was first included in the Ministry of the Interior's policy guidelines on the Spratlys in 1993, adding that China and Malaysia have competed to build airports on islands or reefs of the Spratlys in recent years to affirm their sovereignty claims.

(By Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/Li