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Two soldiers die as helicopter crashes into building
　

LOST CONTROL: At 10:10am, the helicopter asked the control tower for permission to land, but one minute later it had crashed into a residential building in Lungtan
　

By Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Jul 17, 2008, Page 1
　

Two soldiers died yesterday after their army helicopter crashed into a building in Lungtan Township (龍潭), Taoyuan County, Ministry of National Defense officials said.

The AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter hit a four-story building before falling to the street below at 10:11am.

Pilot Lieutenant Colonel Yu Chien-wen (喻建文), 41, and copilot Captain Lee Huang-yu (李黃宇), 27, were both trapped in the cabin of the helicopter.

They were removed from the wreckage and taken to Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital after rescuers used hydraulic equipment to pry open the cabin.

An army press statement said the helicopter took off at 9:38am from its base in Lungtan to perform a routine training mission around the Lungtan and Pingchen Township (平鎮) area.

At 10:10am, the helicopter asked the control tower for permission to land, but one minute later it crashed into the residential building.

The statement said the helicopter did not issue an emergency call before it crashed.

The army has launched an investigation into the incident.

The helicopter had been in service for 14 years.

Chief of the General Staff General Huo Shou-yeh (霍守業) told reporters at the hospital yesterday afternoon that Yu was an outstanding and experienced pilot, adding that according to witnesses, the crew had tried to pull up so that the chopper would not hit the building, and they had done their best.

Huo said Yu had 1,792 hours of flight experience, while Lee had completed 450 hours.

“We regret that we lost two outstanding pilots,” Huo added.

The AH-1W helicopter team was established in 1993.

Yesterday’s incident marked the third accident involving members of the helicopter team.

The armed forces has 61 AH-1W helicopters, which were procured from the US.

The army also said that it would compensate the owner of the building for losses resulting from the damage.

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KMT caucus rejects tax-refund review
　

CONFLICT: The DPP argued that the proposal would be more effective in boosting demand, but the KMT said it would run counter to the Cabinet’s stimulus package
　

By Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Jul 17, 2008, Page 3

The pan-blue-dominated legislature yesterday rejected a motion by the opposition to fast-track review of a proposal aimed at turning half of the Cabinet’s special budget request into a budget for tax refunds to spur domestic demand.

The tax refund bill proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus would have allowed taxpayers with an annual income of NT$495,000 (US$16,300) or less to receive a tax refund of NT$6,000 from last year’s tax returns.

The proposal would also have provided couples who earn NT$995,000 or less a year with another NT$6,000 in refunds and an additional NT$4,000 for each of their dependents.

The DPP caucus asked that the proposal be allowed to skip preliminary review, arguing that the measure would be more effective in expanding domestic demand than the stimulus package introduced by the Cabinet.

The Cabinet has proposed a special budget of NT$130.1 billion (US$4.28 billion) to help local governments finance a variety of spending programs, with a view to raising GDP growth by 0.45 points to 4.78 percent this year.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) said yesterday that the DPP proposal conflicted with the Cabinet’s proposal to boost domestic demand.

He said the KMT caucus hoped to discuss the issue with DPP and Non-Partisan Solidarity Union caucuses in the next legislative session in September if the public and the government both supported the tax refund idea.

In related developments, the legislature resolved after a cross-party negotiation to postpone discussion of a proposal that would allow farmers to choose whether to join the national pension system at the first plenary meeting of the next legislative session on Sept. 23.

The pension program will be launched on Oct. 1.

However, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) expressed concern that the government might not have enough time to inform farmers of the new regulation if the legislature approved the proposal on Sept. 23.

Wu said conflict could ensue if the government failed to promote better public understanding of the measure, adding that he was “very, very worried.”

Meanwhile, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and two high-ranking Cabinet officials visited Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday to solicit his help in passing several major budget requests before the current legislative session ends tomorrow.

Joined by Vice Premier Paul Chiu (邱正雄) and Cabinet Secretary-General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan (薛香川), Liu told Wang that the central government hoped to win the legislature’s full support for the state-run enterprises’ budget requests, the central government’s request for an additional NT$45.5 billion budget and the premier’s National Communications Commission (NCC) nominees.

“The legislature will deal with these proposals in the next few days. We acknowledge their significance and hope to gain the Legislative Yuan’s support,” he said when approached by reporters.

Wang said the legislature was expected to discuss the budget requests during the plenary session today since cross-party negotiations on the requests had been completed.

As for the NCC nomination list, Wang said the premier should lead the nominees in seeking support from legislators.

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S Korea to continue ban on tours to North
　

SOURING RELATIONS: South Korea has demanded that North Korea guarantee the safety of tourists after a holidaymaker was shot on Friday. Pyongyang blames Seoul

AFP, SEOUL
Thursday, Jul 17, 2008, Page 5

South Korea said yesterday its ban on tours to a North Korean resort will stay in force until Pyongyang gives firm safety guarantees, following the shooting of a holidaymaker that shocked the nation.

“The tourism at Mount Kumgang cannot resume ... unless we secure a firm guarantee of the safety of tourists,” said South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who called last Friday’s fatal shooting intolerable and demanded a joint probe into it.

Mount Kumgang earns the impoverished North tens of millions of dollars each year.

A soldier shot a 53-year-old housewife who strayed into a closed military area adjoining the resort, further souring relations between the neighbors.

The North cut official ties with the South earlier this year and refuses to let it send government investigators to the scene. It blames Seoul for the tragedy, while expressing regret at the death.

“North Korea should immediately comply with a joint investigation by the South and the North,” said Lee, as quoted by his spokesman.

The president said the South’s government and civilians had provided “massive aid” to the communist state over the past decade, including through Kumgang.

“It is intolerable that, for whatever reason, North Korea has shot and killed an unarmed civilian tourist,” he said.

The unification ministry, in a message that the North refuses to receive, has called the case a “shocking and clear-cut violation” of agreements guaranteeing the safety of southern tourists.

The North said the woman, who was taking a dawn stroll on the beach near her hotel, had gone “beyond the clearly marked boundary fence” and intruded deep into a military area.

According to a report seen by tour boss Yoon Man-joon, the North says its soldier told Park Wang-ja three times: “Stop or I shoot.” It says he then fired a warning shot before aiming three rounds at her. She was hit at least twice and died on the beach.

The report was disclosed by Yoon, president of Hyundai Asan, which developed and operates the Kumgang resort and other projects aimed at reconciliation. He returned on Tuesday from a four-day visit to the North.

Explaining the delay in notifying the tour operator of the killing, the North reportedly said it had not been immediately able to identify Park as a tourist since she had no identification papers.

The Seoul government has set up an investigation team to interview local witnesses to the tragedy. It was due to make an interim report later yesterday.

Inter-Korean relations have worsened since Lee took office in February, promising a tougher line on Pyongyang. Despite the killing, Lee last Friday offered to enter dialogue with the North, who rebuffed the proposal.