Taiwan President apologises over coronavirus in navy ship

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has apologised to the nation after an outbreak of coronavirus on the navy ship, Panshi.

"I am the Commander-in-Chief, the military's business is my business and my responsibility. There are major shortcomings in the navy's pandemic prevention measures during this mission, and the public is now bearing the risks. I want to give my apologies," she apologized during a speech in a live broadcast.

So far the island had been earning praisefrom all over the world for handling the pandemic in an impressive manner. However, the situation quickly changed after 28 people tested positive onboard the frigate Panshi.

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Taiwan, considering its close proximity and economic ties to Chinastarted scanning the inbound flights from Wuhan in the initial stages itself. This not only helped the country tocontain the spread, but also helped it togain praise for swift actions. It has also won diplomatic praise for shipments of masks and other protective equipment overseas, including to Europe.

However, the recent outbreak on the navy ship added to the total number of cases and increased the toll to 425 positive cases and 6 deaths.

The vessel had arrived in Palau on March 15 and left again after three days, only to return to the port of Kaohsiung on April 9. The crew members were allowed to disembark six days later and the first few positive cases were found over the weekend.

After being grilled by the experts, the fleet's commander, Rear Admiral Chen Tao-hui, said, "I swear with my life that I absolutely didn't cover-up any infection. As soldiers we would rather die at sea, die in the ship. I would not let the virus endanger our countrymen who we should protect."

He apologised on Wednesday for "major shortcomings" within the military after a cluster of coronavirus infections emerged on a navy vessel recently returned from a goodwill mission to Palau.

So far 28 people on board the frigate "Panshi" have tested positive for the virus after returning from a trip to the Pacific island nation -- one of just 15 countries that still diplomatically recognise Taipei over Beijing.

The government has faced criticism in recent days over why the navy pushed ahead with the mission despite the pandemic. They also had to face the question of whether officials hid the fact that some sailors were running fevers during the voyage.

Since the first cases were identified, the authorities have been tracking where crew members have been and who may have had contact with them. Chen and another admiral have been removed from their posts pending further investigation.