TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Monday (Oct. 23) criticized Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) for suggesting that Taiwan's indigenous submarine could become an "iron coffin."
Amid allegations of leaking secrets about Taiwan's first domestically made submarine the Hai Kun (海鯤), or "Narwhal" in English, Ma spoke at an election campaign rally at a temple in Nantou County on Sunday (Oct. 22). She said that the NT$50 billion invested in the submarine would be worthwhile if it succeeds, but if it does not, "it will be an iron coffin," reported Rti.
She claimed that "sacrificing the precious lives of military officers in order to collude with foreigners to defraud Taiwanese people of their hard-earned money would be a real betrayal of Taiwan." Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) on Monday (Oct. 23) criticized Ma for consistently evading the issue of the leaked submarine secrets and urged her to clarify whether she had leaked crucial Taiwan classified information to foreign governments.
On Monday morning, the MND issued a press release in which it stated that in response to claims that the domestically-made submarine "could turn into an iron coffin," the use of derogatory terms to describe military equipment like tanks and submarines may have a negative impact on the morale and image of the armed forces. It called on all sectors to engage in rational discussions about national defense and security issues and to jointly support the military's efforts in building defenses and preparing for war.
The MND emphasized that Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) has said that "domestic submarine construction is a good thing," and any "one-sided statements or overinterpretation will only lead to unnecessary turmoil."
At present, the entire case has entered the judicial investigation stage. The MND pledged to cooperate with the prosecution to clarify the case and continue to control subsequent evaluations according to the planned milestones, in order to ensure that the goals are achieved on time and with the expected quality.
