With the easing of tensions across the Taiwan Strait, streamlining of ROC military forces and development of regional tourism, the Executive Yuan in January of this year approved the handover of administration of Dadan and Erdan islets (excluding the perimeters where soldiers are garrisoned and quartered) from the military to the Kinmen County Government (KCG) starting July 1, 2014.
At the invitation of the KCG, Premier Jiang Yi-huah today led relevant Cabinet members to Dadan islet's Shengming hall to officiate the handover ceremony.
The KCG should treasure the "pure lands" that countless soldiers and civilians risked their lives to protect, maximizing the benefit of tourism to the islands with minimized development, said the premier. He enjoined related ministries and agencies to work together to facilitate a smooth and successful transfer so that the two islets will become major assets for domestic and overseas tourism in the greater Kinmen area.
"Dadan and Erdan are the frontline among frontlines," Jiang stated, and over the past several decades, they have served as important military shields for both the greater and lesser Kinmen areas.
In particular, immediately after the ROC won the Battle of Kuningtou, its soldiers at Dadan islet valiantly beat back the Chinese Communist forces despite being greatly outnumbered, garnering yet another major victory and thus laying the groundwork for several decades of peace and stability in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.
"Soldiers serving at Dadan and Erdan have risked their lives and undergone immense hardship to protect the safety of the whole citizenry and ensure social stability and economic prosperity," Jiang said. "The government can never and will never forget this history or their contributions."
Dadan and Erdan islets were national military strongholds, the premier further pointed out. However, since the relinquishment of battleground administration in 1992, implementation of the mini-three-links in 2000 and commencement of direct cross-strait flights in 2008, the ROC's military strategies have changed. Nevertheless, the government will not withdraw troops from Kinmen or the Dadan and Erdan islets; rather, it will maintain "the most effective deterrent forces" on these islands while handing over the strongholds and lands under wartime control to the KCG step by step so it may utilize them to help revitalize the economy and develop tourism-related industries.
The KCG formally applied for the transference of administration over Dadan and Erdan in 2011, the premier stated. The Executive Yuan then scrupulously considered the matter; after cross-ministerial discussion, it decided to form an ad hoc task force to study the issue and finally approved the handover in January this year.
In light of the assistance extended by various ministries over the past two years, the KCG will safeguard the assets handed over to it and take inventory of them within one year, the premier reiterated. The Ministry of Culture, for instance, has given the KCG recommendations on the identification of major historical and cultural attractions, preservation of ancient sites, and architecture of great historical significance. Jiang hopes that these relics and sites will first be opened to schools and educational groups as well as veterans who served on the Dadan and Erdan islets, then expanded in scope and target audience.
Executive Yuan Secretary-General Lee Shih-chuan, Minister without Portfolio Lin Junq-tzer, and Spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun were among those who accompanied the premier on a Hai Lung (Sea Dragon) navy submarine trip to Dadan, where they participated in the handover ceremony. There, the premier served as witness to the signature of the handover documents by Kinmen County Magistrate Li Wo-shih and Kinmen Defense Command commander Pan Jia-yu and the subsequent formal turnover of administration of the two islands to the KCG.
Afterward, the premier visited the famous "psychological warfare wall" displaying the motto "unify China under the Three Principles of the People" in writing large enough to be seen from the mainland Chinese coast. This wall is Dadan's most unique tourism resource, Jiang said, and he ordered the KCG to preserve and utilize it well in order to pass down its historical significance to future generations.
Afterward, accompanied by the region's military and civilian leadership, the premier took a tea break at the Shenquan tea house, a place soldiers stationed on Dadan often go to relax. The many years of toil by soldiers on the island were fully apparent in the photos and cultural relics displayed there, and they left a deep impression on the premier and other officials.