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Air show keeps PRC
tourists out
NO CHINESE ALLOWED: The rule to enforce ID
checks on visitors to an air base came after Chinese tourists entered another
air base and snapped photos of military hardware
By Lo Tien-pin / Staff Reporter
Paratroopers land at an
open-house event and air show organized for the public by the Taiwanese air
force at Songshan Air Base in Taipei yesterday to celebrate the 74th anniversary
of Air Force Day, which is today.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
To avoid a repeat of incidents where
Chinese tourists have been able to get into Taiwan¡¦s military bases,
identification checks of visitors were stringently conducted yesterday at an air
show held by the Taiwanese air force for the public at its Songshan Air Base in
Taipei.
Visitors either had to present their picture ID cards at the gate or have
accompanying visitors sign vouchers for them before being allowed into the base.
The precautionary measures came in the wake of an incident in May at Hualien Air
Base, where several Chinese tourists entered the base on a military shuttle bus
without undergoing security checks and even took some pictures of the air
force¡¦s Mirage 2000, F-16A/B and Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) aircraft that
were on display that day.
At the air show yesterday, the air force¡¦s Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team
launched the show with an aerobatic performance, followed by a demonstration of
parachuting techniques from the Airborne Brigade Skydiving Team. Jet fighters
then soared through the air in formations and emitted colored smoke ribbons in
the sky.
A variety of aircraft ¡X including the F-16, IDF, Mirage 2000, C-130 Hercules,
S-70C helicopter ¡X and armaments, such as MIM-23 Hawk missile, and others, were
also on display.
There was special seating at yesterday¡¦s show for members of the military¡¦s
former Black Bat, Red Fox and Black Cat squadrons, as well as the former army
1st Special Forces.
Black Cat was the codename for the air force¡¦s 35th Squadron, which worked with
the CIA during the Cold War on deep nighttime penetration over Chinese airspace
for reconnaissance operations, usually using U-2 spy planes.
The Black Bats referred to the air force¡¦s 34th Squadron, which flew numerous
clandestine missions in the Korean and Vietnam wars in support of the US, while
the Red Fox Squadron was another reconnaissance-based squadron that was founded
as early as 1945.
One note of interest at yesterday¡¦s air show was that the special seating area
also included one designated for the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).
According to the director of the foundation¡¦s Secretariat, Wan Ying-hao (¸U^»¨),
SEF members ¡X some of whom came with their families ¡X who attended the show
yesterday were all legitimate members of the foundation.
As SEF members are usually involved in work related to cross-strait
negotiations, Wang said that having them watch the air show and witness the
might of Taiwan¡¦s military would help them grasp the concept of defense of
national sovereignty, which Wan added could be helpful when it came to dealing
with cross-strait negotiations.
Wan acknowledged there were Chinese personnel who had previously contacted the
SEF and professed a keen wish to see Songshan Air Base, as well as the military
show, but the SEF stood by the government¡¦s policy and relayed that stance, as
well as the nation¡¦s military regulations, to the Chinese. They accepted it, Wan
said.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER, WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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