• Military

• WMD Menu                           

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

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Kinmen Commander apologizes for military-civilian brawl

ROC Central News Agency

2011/12/21 20:59:23

Kinmen, Dec. 21 (CNA) The head of the Kinmen Defense Command apologized Wednesday for a military-civilian brawl in which nine officers and enlisted men stationed on the outlying island were injured in the early hours of that morning.

Gen. Wang Shih-tu, who is himself a native of Kinmen, said, however, that the fight -- the first of its kind in 60 years on the island -- was an isolated case and that he will streamline discipline in his command.

The altercation broke out when a group of drunk civilians barged into a military vehicle service depot, which was involved in drill, at about half-past midnight.

A scuffle ensued when the security chief of the facility, identified only as Maj. Chung, and its head staffer, identified as Maj. Hu, along with several enlisted men, intervened in an attempt to stop the racket. Chung, Hu and seven of the soldiers were assaulted with clubs and fists.

Chung suffered a severe laceration to the head, while Hu received a fractured left hand. They were rushed to the Kinmen Hospital for emergency treatment along with the injured soldiers, who suffered abrasions and bruises.

Chung and Hu were later transferred to the Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei for further treatment, while four of the soldiers remained in the Kinmen hospital and three others returned to their barracks after treatment.

The Army said initial investigation found that the drunk civilians were incited by a volunteer draftee surnamed Chang -- who had been disciplined by his superiors the previous day for driving a Humvee without permission in the facility -- to create a disturbance as "revenge" for his disciplinary measure.

Rallied by Chang, the civilians, mostly youngsters, began two rounds of clamouring in front of the depot from 8 a.m. a day earlier before their third round of provocation ended in the bloody fracas.

Chang will now face trial by a military court.

The incident, which took place less than four weeks before the Jan. 14 presidential and legislative elections, caused a stir in military circles, prompting Deputy Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yen Te-fa and Army Commander Gen. Lee Hsiang-chou to fly to the island to comfort the injured later in the day.

Chief of the General Staff Gen. Lin Chen-yi said he had ordered all military facilities nationwide to enhance security precautions at their entrances. (By Chen Shou-kuo, Chn Pei-huang & Bear Lee) ENDITEM/J