‘Apache helicopter
scandal’ officers to be impeached
By Jason Pan /
Staff reporter
The Control
Yuan has voted to impeach 601st Air Cavalry Brigade Lieutenant Colonel Lao
Nai-cheng (勞乃成) and two
other officers over security breaches and rule violations in what came to be
known as the “Apache helicopter scandal” earlier this year.
A nine-member
Control Yuan committee yesterday said that it had voted unanimously to impeach
Lao, a pilot-instructor for the US-made AH-64E Apache attack helicopter.
Brigade
commander Major General Chien Tsung-yuan (簡聰淵) was impeached after a unanimous vote, while
brigade personnel section head Lieutenant Colonel Tao Kuo-chen (陶國禎) was impeached after an
8-1 vote.
Lao took a
group of 26 relatives and friends, including a Japanese man and five domestic
caregivers who were foreign nationals, on a private tour of a restricted-access
base which houses Apache helicopters and other advanced aircraft.
That visit on
March 29 led to a firestorm after one visitor, TV personality Janet Lee (李蒨蓉), posted photographs on
Facebook that drew widespread public criticism.
The Control
Yuan report accused Lao of “wasting” the NT$40 million (US$1.28 million) the
government spent to send him to the US
“Lao took the
nation’s assets as his own private property. He used the Apache helicopter as a
social networking tool and took the helicopter helmet as a prop for a private
party. During the investigation, Lao continued to lie about his actions and
tried to cover them up. He has brought dishonor to the military,” the report
said.
Chien was was
the first person to breach base security with a tour for his relatives and
friends on Feb. 20 this year, the report said, adding that Lao followed Chien’s
example.
The
investigation said that Tao was in charge of security and access to the base on
March 29, but violated registration requirements and other regulations in
permitting Lao’s group to bypass security checks.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2015/07/08 /2003622542
Structure of the Lead：
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HOW- not given
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5.lieutenant- 陸軍中尉；海軍上尉
6.brigade- 旅；隊
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I think this event was very serious, and it should be solved. Moreover, I know the training of a pilot will spend much money and time, but this event was really found. I think only this way can make our judicature fair.
回覆刪除This is so ridiculous.Just because you are a polite doesn't mean you can bring all your family member to the military airport and take the flying helmet to the party.The government should be more aware of these things.
回覆刪除I think that this behavior is inadequate, it caused serious damage on the military image and the state secret might be leaked out. It was very insensible to take the helmet as a toy. The military should be responsible for this incident and need to administer seriously.
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