Hsiung Feng III missile mishap
.svg) | |
| Date | 1 July 2016 |
|---|---|
| Time | 8:40 a.m. |
| Location | Off Dongji Island, Wangan Township, Penghu County, Taiwan |
| Participants | Taiwan |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 3 |
On 1 July 2016, a Hsiung Feng III missile was accidentally launched from a Republic of China Navy vessel from waters off Kaohsiung towards Penghu. The missile hit a fishing boat at 8:40 a.m., killing one person and injuring three.[1][2]
Chronology
[edit]The Chin Chiang PGG-610 (Chinese: 金江號) patrol ship was undergoing a regular simulation training exercise for military equipment on the morning of 1 July (Friday) at Zuoying Naval Base in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung. The missile was accidentally launched at 8:00 a.m. during an inspection at the navy base. The missile cruised around 75 kilometres (47 mi) for two minutes towards mainland China before hitting a Taiwanese fishing boat. The missile did not explode upon impact. The navy sent a helicopter and navy vessels to the area for damage inspection.[3]
The mishap killed the Taiwanese boat's captain and injured its three crew members, from Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam.[3]
The missile did not cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which separates Taiwan and mainland China.[4]
An investigation of the incident concluded in August 2016.[5][6] Three ROC naval officers were charged by the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office.[7] The Ministry of Justice announced in November that the family of captain Huang Wen-chung would be paid NT$34.84 million in compensation.[8] The Control Yuan voted against impeachment proceedings for nine naval officers in July 2017.[9] The Kaohsiung District Court issued its first ruling on the case that September, sentencing Petty Officer Second Class Kao Chia-chun to eighteen months imprisonment, Chief Petty Officer Chen Ming-hsiu to 24 months imprisonment, and Lieutenant Junior Grade Hsu Po-wei to fourteen months imprisonment.[10] The Control Yuan held a second vote and began impeachment proceedings against nine naval officers in February 2018.[11] The next month, the Control Yuan advised that communication between the Executive Yuan and Ministry of National Defense be improved.[12] The Kaohsiung bench of the Taiwan High Court reduced Chen Ming-hsiu's sentence to 21 months in June 2018.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Phippen, J. Weston (1 July 2016). "Taiwan's Deadly Missile Mishap". The Atlantic. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ "Taiwan mistakenly fires supersonic missile killing one". BBC News. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ a b Lu, Hsin-hui; Chen, Christie (1 July 2016). "Accidental firing of missile likely due to human error: Navy". Central News Agency. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Ramzy, Austin (2 July 2016). "Taiwan Navy Accidentally Fires Antiship Missile, Killing Fisherman". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Chen, Wei-han (30 August 2016). "MND explains cause of missile incident". Taipei Times. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ Lu, Hsin-hui; Liu, Kay (29 August 2016). "Poor discipline blamed for Navy's July missile accident". Central News Agency. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ Chang, Che-fon; Liu, Kay (29 August 2016). "Prosecutors find negligence in Navy's mistaken missile launch". Central News Agency. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ Chu, Che-wei and; Wu, Lilian (17 November 2016). "Family of fisherman killed by Navy missile receives compensation". Central News Agency. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Pan, Jason (24 February 2018). "Officers censured over missile gaffe that killed captain". Taipei Times. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ "Three jailed for deadly missile blunder". Taipei Times. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ Hsieh, Chia-jen; Liu, Kuan-lin (23 February 2018). "Control Yuan passes motion to impeach officers for missile firing". Central News Agency. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
- ^ Shih, Hsiao-kung; Chung, Jake (24 March 2018). "Control Yuan slams defense ministry over missile gaffe". Taipei Times. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ Chen, Chao-fu; Wang, Flora (7 June 2018). "Officer receives reduced sentence in accidental missile launch appeal". Retrieved 7 June 2018.