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Army stepping up efforts to demine 15 minefields on Kinmen, Matsu

ROC Central News Agency

2007-09-23 15:35:35

    Taipei, Sept. 23 (CNA) Army authorities are stepping up efforts to demine 15 minefields on the Taiwan-held outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu with a view to further developing the local tourism industry and economy, military sources said Sunday.

    According to sources, the Army Command Headquarters will spend more than NT$510 million (US$15.45 million) between 2007 and 2009 demining 15 minefields on Kinmen and Matsu, both of which lie closer to China's southeastern province of Fujian than to Taiwan proper.

    The military deployed land mines in coastal regions of Kinmen and Matsu after the Republic of China's seat of government moved to Taipei in 1949 after the Chinese communists took control of the Chinese mainland.

    With improvements in cross-strait relations, the government has largely cut the number of troops stationed on the two offshore defense outposts and eased many of the restrictions on civilian development in the places since the early 1990s.

    Land mines deployed during the height of cross-strait confrontation in the 1950s have since become obstacles to development on the islands.

    In response to appeals from local governments and travel industry groups, the Legislative Yuan passed a statute last year which requires that all anti-personnel land mines be removed from Kinmen and Matsu within seven years.

    The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has accordingly come up with a comprehensive demining plan, the sources said, adding that the MND will appropriate up to NT$4.2 billion for the purpose in the coming seven years.

    The MND is also working on a new plan for personnel and military equipment deployments in demined areas on the two outlying islands to enhance operational efficiency, the sources said.

    Meanwhile, the sources said the MND is organizing a tour of the two outlying islands for local and foreign journalists later this month so that they can see for themselves the ongoing demining operations.

    As the publicized MND budget plans refer to funds for building and renovating military barracks and the procurement of camouflage paints and anti-thermal infrared camouflage nets, speculation is rife that the military will set up new surface-to-surface missile bases on the outlying islands. However, the MND declined to comment on such reports on security grounds.

(By Sofia Wu)

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