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INVESTIGATION TASK FORCE TO BE FORMED OVER NAVY PURCHASE PLAN

ROC Central News Agency

2005-12-19 19:53:36

    Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan's National Defense Committee decided Monday to form a seven-member investigative task force aimed at clarifying doubts on the ROC Navy's "Kuang-hua Six" plan to purchase a fleet of fast-attack missile boats.

    The ROC Navy's program to build 30 fast-attack missile boats is called " Kuang-hua Six." A prototype has already been built. Test firings with surface-to-surface Hsiungfeng II missiles have been accomplished. The members of the task force are to be chosen according to each party's proportional representation in the legislature.

    The legislature's defense committee suspects the procedure of the tender held by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) was defective and is vowing to shed light on it with this investigative task force. A meeting will be held next Monday to determine their working agenda.

    The task force will have the right to have access to the official documents related to the "Kuang-hua Six" procurement plan. If needed, it will also have to interview persons involved. It will be led by a convener who is also spokesman.

    It has been reported that this purchase plan might be delayed because a private shipyard, Jong Shyn Shipbuilding based in the southern city of Kaohsiung, contested the result of the tender won by the state-run China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC).

    At first, Jong Shyn's plea was not accepted. But the company further appealed to the Public Construction Commission under the Executive Yuan, claiming that the decision to attribute this ship-building contract to the CSBC was defective.

    Following the appeal, the MND assigned the case to the Bureau of Investigation under the Ministry of Justice (MJIB) in October and asked the CSBC to suspend the contract in November.

    Still then, the MND's procurement authorities evaluated the CSBC as the best tender following discussions in mid-November.

    The platforms to be built under the "Kuang-hua Six" plan are 150-ton fast-attack missile boats that will carry four Hsiungfeng II surface-to-surface missiles.

(By Taijing Wu) ENDITEM/mw