PLA finds it difficult to keep its secrets
A food vendor in Guangxi knew secret war games were going on when he walked on to an artillery base to sell refreshments.
Knowledge of the manoeuvres on the southwest border area was meant to be highly classified but the vendor told investigators he guessed there were war games on because soldiers were stocking up on food and outdoor equipment from his shop, the PLA Daily said.
The vendor said he knew the location and exercise arrangements, and estimated the scale from the amount of provisions soldiers bought.
The newspaper said the military should pay special attention to soft or unintentional leaks and instil a firm sense of the need to keep military secrets. Such leaks were time bombs that could cost lives in a war, it said.
One military source said accidental leaks were not unusual in the People's Liberation Army's daily operations. Most soldiers shopped and dined near their barracks, especially in remote areas where no shops were available on base, and it was next to impossible to stop leaks.
'Most soldiers don't have the awareness to keep their mouths shut about military information and that really hurts some secret planned military missions,' the source said.
The source said artillery and submarine personnel were especially vulnerable to leaks because their locations were particularly sensitive.
In another case, a contributor to the popular military-themed chat room, bbs.tiexue.net, claimed a farmer spotted a cruise missile team in Fujian province mountains days after it secretly entered the area. The contributor said the farmer heard the song We Are the Proud Cruise Missile Troops each morning.
