Taiwan defence minister resigns after corporal's death

Taiwan's defence minister has resigned, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said Monday, after the death of a corporal who was allegedly abused by the military in a case that has sparked outrage across the island. Jiang, who announced the resignation of Kao Hua-chu during a press conference to reveal a cabinet reshuffle, did not elaborate on the reasons for the minister's stepping down. "The reshuffle is aimed at responding to the general public's expectations. We hope the new cabinet can work to enhance the people's wellbeing," the premier said without taking questions. Observers say the move was aimed at pacifying outrage over the death of Corporal Hung Chung-chiu. Hung died on July 4 of heatstroke apparently caused by being forced to exercise excessively. It was just three days before he was due to be discharged following completion of his compulsory year-long military service. Allegations of abuse and misconduct have snowballed in local media, including claims that Hung's superiors refused to give him water during an exercise session despite his repeated requests. Hung was reportedly at odds with his superiors for making complaints against them, with local media saying he had been placed in solitary confinement for taking a smartphone onto the army base. Both President Ma Ying-jeou and Kao have previously apologised for the tragedy, vowing to thoroughly investigate the case and severely punish those responsible. Four military officials have been detained by authorities on abuse charges in connection to the case, while punitive measures have been taken with regards to 26 others. The investigation has so far failed to appease public ire, however, with thousands of people demonstrating outside the defence ministry in Taipei earlier this month. Analyts have said the death has dealt a further blow to the defence ministry's plans for a professional military. The ministry wants to phase out its decades-old compulsory 12 months of service by the end of 2015, replacing it with four months of military training for men aged over 20. The government hopes volunteers will then enlist for a longer period of military service, making for a better trained, more highly skilled military. However in the six months to June the military recruited just 1,847 people -- 31 percent of its target of 5,887 -- as warming ties with Beijing saw tensions ease in recent years. The ministry had planned to recruit 17,447 people before the end of February next year. But Colonel Hu Chung-shih, who is responsible for the initiative, admitted at a recent press conference that "the Hung case will surely have negative impacts on the plan". Taiwan currently has around 275,000 service personnel, down from a peak of 600,000 during the Cold War. The relatively large army is a legacy of decades of tensions with China, which regards the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification. However, ties have improved dramatically since Ma, of the China-friendly Kuomintang party, took office in 2008 on a platform of beefing up trade and tourism links with China. He was re-elected in January 2012. Monday's cabinet reshuffle also involved ministers in charge of financial regulation, veterans affairs, public construction affairs, aboriginal affairs and a minister without porfolio.