Taiwanese military declines to comment on report of cruise missiles

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The Ministry of National Defense declined Monday to comment on a blog that claimed to reveal the location where Taiwan-developed cruise missiles and disguised command vehicles for the missile system are supposedly housed.

"We won't elaborate or comment on the information circulating on the Internet," said ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Luo Shou-he, but he assured that the military has measures in place to protect the country's significant military facilities.

Luo was responding to questions on a report in the Chinese-language United Evening News on Monday that cited information and photos on the blog, which collects information on Taiwan's military and weapon systems.

The blog shows satellite images of what it said portray one of the places where the missile system is located, as well as photos that it said are vehicles used for operations of the surface-to-surface Hsiung Feng 2E missile system. Some of the vehicles are painted as normal trucks for disguise, the blog said.

Local media have also reported that the military has completed the mass production and deployment of Hsiung Feng 2E missiles, described as a deterrent against the military threat from China.

The military has publicized little information on the missiles, which are developed by the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology in Taoyuan, the military's main research and development unit.