Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (???) said Monday that a military transport aircraft was being dispatched to deliver meat for frontline Taiwanese troops on the isle of Xiju, after a shortage there for almost a month.

Speaking to reporters, Chiu apologized for the lack of meat supply to the soldiers, which he said had resulted from a breakdown of the civilian boat that usually transports meat to Xiju, one of the Matsu islands off the southeastern coast of China.

On Monday morning, Taiwan’s military was scheduled to send a C-130 transport aircraft, loaded with meat supplies, to Xiju, he said, adding that he will ensure such a shortage never occurs again.

Chiu publicly addressed the issue after Lii Wen (??), head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Lienchiang County Chapter, told the media Sunday that the private supply boat had not been to Xiju for 21 days, which was affecting the wellbeing of not only the military personnel but also the civilians on the island.

Also on Sunday, a series of photos began circulating on social media, showing complaints written on the sand at a beach on Xiju, purportedly by soldiers there, saying they had to eat canned foods with rice because they had no fresh meat supplies.

Later in the day, the Army’s Matsu Defense Command confirmed that the meat supply vessel had been out of service for a while and that the supply chain to the area had been affected by weather conditions.

The Defense Command said a two-day supply of meat would be delivered by boat to Xiju at 7 a.m. Monday, while a C-130 military transport plane was scheduled to take 5.2 tonnes of frozen meat products to the islet later in the day, which would amount to another 10 days’ supply.

The Army’s Matsu Defense Command is in charge of safeguarding Matsu’s Nangang and Beigang islets, as well as Dongju, Xiju, Dongyin and some other small isles that are part of the offshore Lienchiang County in the Taiwan Strait.

Meanwhile, speaking on the sidelines of a Legislative session in Taipei, Chiu addressed public concerns about the MND’s proposed revisions to a national mobilization act, saying that if they are approved, they would apply only in the event of a war.

Specifically, the proposed amendments to the All-out Defense Mobilization Readiness Act will not require students to go into active military service during wartime, he said.

The proposed revisions are meant to better prepare the whole country in the event of a war, Chiu said.

According to the proposed revisions, government controls may be enforced on all information networks, including online media platforms, publishers and television broadcasters, if a war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait.

In addition to the proposed revisions, the MND has also asked the Ministry of Education (MOE) to provide the All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency with a list of all Taiwanese students aged 16 and over in the country, so that there will be a record of the exact number of people who can be mobilized in the event of a cross-strait war.

According to local media speculations, the proposals are an indication that the DPP government is actively preparing for a general mobilization, amid rising cross-strait tensions.

Amid concerns expressed by parents, however, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (???) said on March 1 that his party would not let the revisions clear the legislative floor, as they have implications for freedom of the media and the welfare of students.

In response, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (???) said last week that the proposed amendments would only apply only if emergency mobilization orders have to been issued during a war.

The proposed revisions will not affect people’s rights and freedoms during peacetime, she reaffirmed.

The proposed amendments are intended mainly to prevent the spread of misinformation during wartime, to ensure that only “accurate information” concerning the war would be circulated, so that people’s morale would not be affected by the enemy’s cognitive warfare, she said.

In addition, the MND has already made it clear that young students would not be responsible for producing weapons nor would they be called into active military service in wartime, Lin said.

Students aged 16 and over would only serve in supporting roles such as disaster relief and civil defense, if China invades, Lin said, citing a previous MND statement.

The proposed amendments are intended to protect national security, Lin stressed, adding that the MND would take into consideration diverse public opinions before finalizing its draft amendments and sending them to the Cabinet for review.

The government welcomes the public’s opinions on the proposals, she said, calling for calm and rational debate on the issues.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel