After all 15 members of the socialite tour group to the Longtan 601 Brigade were confirmed for non-prosecution by prosecutors, criticism of the Ministry of Defense’s handling of the Apache incident has surfaced in society. The Ministry of Defense spokesman issued a five-point statement on Facebook yesterday (the 24th) regarding Major Lieu Nai-cheng’s case, including:
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The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office completed its investigation over 4.5 months, questioning 37 related personnel in total, conducting 2 searches, searching 16 locations, seizing smartphones, cameras, dashcam recorders, laptops and tablets from the accused Lieu Nai-cheng and 14 others, items from the 601 Brigade’s Second Strike Force surveillance system, sentry host and document files, and reviewed, restored and examined 646 photos and 7 video files, sending them to the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau for authentication, conducting 6 on-site examinations of the helicopter hangar, Apache helicopter, and flight helmet, during which the Ministry of Defense fully cooperated with the investigation.
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While Major Lieu Nai-cheng and other military personnel were not prosecuted by prosecutors, regarding their violations of internal management regulations, the Army Command after completing administrative investigation imposed discipline on Major Lieu Nai-cheng and 17 others; additionally, Lieutenant General Jian Congyuan, Major Lieu Nai-cheng and Major Tao Guozhen were also impeached by the Control Yuan after completing investigation and are currently under review by the Civil Service Ethics Committee; regarding the scope and degree of discipline in this case, the Ministry of Defense absolutely has not covered up the relevant personnel.
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The “Fortress Fortified Zone Law” was established and promulgated on September 18 of Year 20 of the Republic, undergoing 4 amendments, and has now publicly designated 22 “fortress fortified control zones” including Zuoying Naval Port. As for the Longtan Longcheng Camp of the Army Aviation and Special Forces 601 Brigade, it was established under the provisions of the National Security Law and its implementation regulations, jointly announced as a “major military facility control zone” by the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior on July 13 of Year 76 of the Republic, and since the camp’s establishment has not been classified as a “fortress fortified zone.”
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Regarding public wishes to open the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter for tours, the military has repeatedly displayed this model helicopter during camp opening activities, and will continue planning such displays at appropriate opportunities in the future.
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In a democratic rule-of-law nation, there can be different views regarding judicial investigation and trial results, which should be respected accordingly. Regarding this case, the Ministry of Defense has deeply reviewed violations of access control, internal management and information security discipline, and will continue to thoroughly implement and enforce military discipline management requirements to prevent similar cases in the future.
Original post link: Ministry of Defense Spokesman Facebook Post