‘Everything under control’: Taiwan military confirms mainland civilian drone took photo, video of soldiers

Picture and five-second video were taken over a sentry post on Erdan, just 4km from Xiamen, defence command official says

It has prompted a flood of nationalism on mainland Chinese social media as tensions soar across the strait

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The photo that was taken by a civilian drone from mainland China on August 16, according to Quemoy’s defence command. Photo: Handout

Published: 8:00pm, 24 Aug 2022Updated: 10:07pm, 24 Aug 2022

Taiwan’s military has confirmed that a close-up photo and video showing soldiers at a Quemoy sentry post are authentic after they were widely circulated on mainland Chinese social media.

But it sought to reassure the public that the military was in control of the situation and could promptly deal with any emergency, amid growing concerns over a potential attack from Beijing.

The picture and video were taken by a civilian drone from mainland China on August 16 at Erdan, an islet in the Quemoy archipelago, its defence command said on Wednesday.

The photo shows two soldiers in camouflage gear looking skywards, one of them bespectacled and carrying a rifle, the other holding a camera with a zoom lens. They are standing by the door to the sentry post, with part of its interior also visible.

A five-second video shows two other soldiers throwing rocks at the drone and a third aiming a gun at it.

Taiwan-controlled Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, is close to mainland China.