Taipei, July 9 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian lauded the armed forces Friday for their assistance in post-disaster relief and rehabilitation after typhoon Mindulle-induced floods wreaked havoc in central and southern Taiwan last week.
Chen commended the military for its role in post-disaster relief operations while addressing a joint graduation ceremony of the nation's five military academies.
Against this backdrop, Chen went on, post-disaster relief and rehabilitation should be one of the basic abilities of a modern armed forces.
Chen said he was moved when he learned that Hsu Shao-hua, a noncommissioned officer with the army's 10th Army, had postponed his wedding because he was busy with post-disaster rehabilitation work in mountainous Tungshih township, one of the worst-affected areas.
Chen also praised the Liyang military base in Kukuan, another hard-hit area, for opening its barracks to accommodate flood victims and offering them food.
The military has so far dispatched more than 60,000 troops to take part in post-disaster relief and rehabilitation operations.
In his speech, Chen also stressed the importance of delinking the military from politics, saying it is one of the most important parts of his military reform plan.
Noting that safeguarding national security and promoting the people's well-being are the military's sacred mission, Chen said the armed forces should fight for the nation's survival and development and for the safety and well-being of the 23 million Taiwan people. "Uniformed service members should never waver on nor become suspicious about this conviction. With Taiwan moving toward a mature democracy, the military should delink from politics and remain free of any party affiliation. And the military's duty and conviction of fighting for national survival and the well-being of the people should remain unchanged and unequivocal, regardless of transition of power between political parties," Chen added.