104-01-Week One Apache helicopter scandal Lao,Janet Lee

Lao family apologizes over Apache scandal

By Joseph Yeh ,The China Post

April 10, 2015, 12:07 am TWN

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Family members of Lt. Col. Lao Nai-cheng (勞乃成), who was caught at the center of the ongoing Apache scandal, yesterday apologized to the public over Lao's alleged role in allowing civilians to take photographs of the AH-64E Apache helicopter without undergoing proper procedures.

With tears in their eyes, Lao Tse-kang (勞則康) and Lao Nai-hui (勞乃慧), father and the elder sister of Lao, respectively, yesterday bowed in front of cameras as they apologized on Lao's behalf during a press conference in Taipei.

A former deputy chief of staff to the R.O.C. Army, Lao Tse-kang apologized to the public over his son's behavior, which he said has "seriously damaged the image of the R.O.C. Armed Forces and led to many senior military officials being punished."

"I felt deep remorse for letting down my country, the R.O.C. Armed Forces and all military personnel (because of the incident)" Lao Tse-kang said.

He noted that the investigation regarding his son's alleged involvement in the case is still ongoing and he has full respect for the probe results no matter what they might be.

Lao Tse-kang said he hopes that his son can repent for his mistake and continue to devote himself to his specialty in the military.

If the military ultimately decided to discharge him from his service, Lao Tse-kang said he hopes the younger Lao will donate his entire retirement pension to charity if he can still receive his pension by then.

The press conference was held in the wake of public anger over the scandal when Lao was found to have allegedly allowed local TV personality Janet Lee (李蒨蓉) and other civilians access to the AH-64E Apache late last month, even allowing some to wear a NT$2 million tactical helmet.

The case came to light after Lee posted photos of the tour on her Facebook page, drawing media criticism of loose security in Taiwan's military.

It was also found that Lao had not returned an Apache flight helmet after a training mission last October but had worn it as part of a Halloween costume at a party at his home.

Lao, the deputy head of a helicopter squadron in Taoyuan under the Army Aviation Special Forces Command, has since been removed from his post and is currently under military and prosecutors investigation.

Commenting on the helmet incident, Lao's elder sister Lao Nai-hui (勞乃慧) yesterday stressed that the party was in fact a "family reunion" and held as a Halloween party for children of the family, saying that Lao was not attending a party at a night club.

She also noted that her younger brother is a decent person. She said public scrutiny has put Lao's whole family in the spotlight. She will let the judges determine whether her brother should take full responsibility for the incident.

But she also hopes that the legal system will ultimately restore Lao's integrity if it later proves his innocence.

Meanwhile, Lao Tse-kang yesterday confirmed that he had previously been doing business in China following retirement.

But he noted that he had left the job three years ago and he did not break a travel ban imposed on retired military personnel.　

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2015/04/10/433271/Lao-family.htm

Structure of the Lead：

WHO- Janet Lee , Nai-cheng Lao

WHEN- April 10, 2015

WHAT-apologized

WHY- Janet Lee posted photos of the tour on her Facebook page, drawing media criticism of loose security in Taiwan's military.

WHERE- TAIPEI, Taiwan

HOW-not given

Keywords：

deputy: 副的;代理的

remorse ,  repent: 悔恨

pension: 退休金
allegedly: 據稱
come to ligh: 曝光
decent: 正派的