(Military News Agency, Fang Zheng-tai, Taipei 5th)

In the name of the Minister of National Defense Gao Guan-Gci and the Chief of the ROCA General Yen Teh-fa , the Vice-chief of General Staff of the Ministry of National Defense, Lieutenant General Wang Hsing-wei, paid a visit of condolence to the TRI service officers in their rescue mission at the TransAsia Airways crash site. Not only did he transmit the cares of the superiors but also demanded the cadres to fulfill their responsibilities as to take care the physical conditions of the brothers and sisters as well as to ensure the successful completion of the missions.
Using the breaks, the Vice-chief of General Staff expressed their sympathy and encouragement for the efforts of the officers in Combat Zone 3 who backed-up the rescue mission of TransAsia Airways accident. Condolence bonuses were offered as an encouragement of the officers’ labors.
The Vice-chief of General Staff also pointed out that disaster rescue and prevention is one of the missions of the national armed forces. After the accident, all units have joined the site for rescue at their fastest speed. The local reservist organizations have also joined their lines. All the active and standby officers have been working together without giving up any hope. Together with the police officers, fire fighters and civil rescue teams, they have been working on the rescue at the golden hours.
The first rescue mission ended at 4 am in the morning. The national armed forces got prepared three hours later as to be ready for the cooperation with the police officers and fire-fighters. The Vice-chief of General Staff demanded the captains of all teams to be aware of the working and physical conditions of the subordinates. Timely breaks and sufficient physical energies shall be demanded in response for the mission. The cadres were also requested to pay attention on the precautionary measures to keep warm as temperature has decreased, in particular, the clothing for the officers who carried out the underwater missions.
In addition, the Vice-chief of General Staff was satisfied by the performances of the marine officers and the M3 Amphibious Rig. They have shown the results and the outstanding efficacy earned from daily trainings. The General Welfare Service of MND has also rewarded the officers in time. The national armed forces’ solidarity as well as the spirit and determination to guard the people’s safety and welfare could be clearly seen during the incident.