National Defense Minister Yen De-fa bowed in apology in a press conference for the cluster infection happening on a navy vessel. He admitted Taiwan's military was negligent and did not implement prevention measures properly. He personally has already tendered his resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen. Two other officials have been transferred.


On the 21st, National Defense Minister Yen De-fa and other senior ministry officials apologized to the nation for the social unrest caused by the naval COVID-19 cluster infection.

We bow to express our deepest apologies.

Various government agencies have given contradictory accounts of what went wrong on the ship and all are pointing their fingers at each other. Yen says he approved the annual mission and has tendered his resignation to take responsibility. Navy Commanding General Liu Chih-pin has requested punishment, while the head of the fleet, Rear Admiral Chen Tao-hui, and Naval Fleet Command Vice Admiral Kao Chia-pin will be transferred.

I will accept all punishment, including resignation. I will face all punishment coming my way head on. I won't try to run from it. I will live up to all my political responsibilities.

Yen says the military was negligent on four fronts, including incomplete reporting, inadequate testing, inadequate prevention management and failure to distribute masks to all personnel, and failure to undertake preemptive measures in the Navy. Yen also said the fleet had a classified mission during its journey.

On Apr. 12, the Chinese Communists sent the Liaoning aircraft carrier through the Bashi Channel on a southwest course. Under the command of the chief of the general staff, we responded by sending this fleet and two battleships to surveil our air defense identification zone.
After the press conference, President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on Facebook that facing challenges with courage is the military's true nature and investigations and evaluations would only be a new beginning. She also said Yen's top priority will be making changes so this kind of thing doesn't happen again. She did not mention Yen's tenure in her post.



敦睦艦隊疫情造成社會不安，國防部長嚴德發21號晚間率領多位將官鞠躬道歉。

國防部長 嚴德發表示：「我們一鞠躬，表達我們最深的歉意，一鞠躬。」

國軍防疫措施出現漏洞，事後說法又不一，各界都在究責，嚴德發表示海軍年度任務由他核定，已經向總統蔡英文自請處分。另外海軍司令劉志斌上將也自請處分，敦睦艦隊支隊長陳道輝少將、艦指部指揮官高嘉濱中將等兩人調離現職。

國防部長 嚴德發表示：「我接受所有處分，包括請辭，我不會規避，坦然面對，誠實以對，該我負的政治責任，絕對都會負責。」

嚴德發坦言防疫四大缺失，包括疫情通報不夠落實、聯檢小組沒有落實檢驗、官士兵防疫管理不夠確實， 部分官兵沒有全程配戴口罩，以及海軍事前防疫措施相關不足，而敦睦艦隊除了執行守護海疆、國防的任務，嚴德發也證實了外界猜測的機密任務。

國防部長 嚴德發表示：「4月12號，我想各位都記得，是中共遼寧號航空母艦，它從東部外海，經過巴士海峽，往西南方向，我們整個在參謀總部的指導之下，必須要應對，因此，就派了敦睦艦隊，兩艘的作戰艦，在我們的ADIZ、ADIZ(防空識別區)來監控。」

國防部道歉，總統蔡英文在記者會結束後也透過臉書回應，勇敢面對才是國軍本色，調查和檢討，只是一個開端，嚴德發最重要的任務，是徹底改變這次缺失的根本問題，文章當中並沒有回應嚴德發是不是續任。