Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen says military must safeguard national security in wake of Black Hawk crash
- ‘Continuing to stand by our posts is the best way to remember chief of general staff Shen Yi-ming,’ leader says
- Helicopter crash ‘made us realise that our soldiers need to work hard but their families need to work even harder’, she says after visiting relatives of the eight people killed
The military had to ensure the security of the Taiwan Strait and that was the best way to remember Shen Yi-ming, Taiwan’s chief of staff, who was the highest ranking officer to die in the crash, she said after a meeting with Defence Minister Yen Te-fa and senior officers.
“We must guarantee the safety of our surrounding Taiwan Strait, and the military must closely follow military developments in the Taiwan Strait, so they can respond and deploy as soon as possible to ensure our national security,” she said.
Tsai paid tribute to those who died when the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter carrying 13 people crashed on Thursday morning in a mountainous region of northern Taiwan. She said she had also ordered a full investigation into what brought down the aircraft as it was en route from Songshan airport in Taipei to Yilan county to take part in New Year military activities.
She said that in a rare move Shen had been posthumously promoted to become a first-level general – the highest rank. He was also awarded the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun with Grand Cordon, Taiwan’s second-highest military honour which is granted to those who have made an outstanding contribution to national defence.
