After Shulinkou Air Station was deactivated and closed by the U.S. Air Force in 1977, the U.S. relinquished the base to the Taiwan/R.O.C.(Republic of China) military. Shulinkou was utilized by three Taiwan/R.O.C. military units including a Communications Group and a Military Police (click here for website) reserve unit that is pictured below in the rare shots and videos taken on base.
Shulinkou was initially named ( 馬 山 ) "Ma-San (Horse Mountain) Camp" by the Taiwan military. It was later renamed ( 莒 園 ) "Chu-Yuan (Victory Garden) Camp".
A R.O.C. communications group was based at Shulinkou after the USAF left in 1977 in addition to the R.O.C. Military Police (MP) units. Its mission is unknown...but, according to the article that follows, the ROC communications group or NSA possibly utilized the secure Operations Building on base from 1977 to circa 1985.
Note: Bob Trudo ('58-'59): "At one time a few years ago, there were a few marginally visible [on "Google Earth"] remains of the base [Shulinkou] – but no more. An interesting “Elephant Cage” antenna is still in operation 1.36 miles NE of the old SLK Air Station. There appears to be a huge Intel facility about a quarter mile SW of that antenna with massive SatCom dishes." [17 Nov 2007]
The following excerpt from a 2003 "Asian Times" article sheds some light on the what "possibly" transpired at Shulinkou regarding intelligence operations from 1977 to 1985.
"...With the assistance of the NSA, Taiwan has constructed a signal intelligence (SIGINT) base at Pingtung Lee on Yangmingshan Mountain just north of Taipei, which has been operating for at least 15 years [2003 article]. As the Vietnam War began to unwind in the early 1970s, US military activities in Taiwan began to fold. From 1972-73 the United States closed all SIGINT facilities except the US Air Force (USAF) Security Service Support Base, 6987th Security Group, at Linkou, just 10 kilometers northwest of Taipei. It remained under US military control until 1977.
After US president Jimmy Carter declared "normalized" relations with the People's Republic of China in December 1978, all formal US government organizations in Taiwan were privatized. The US Embassy was renamed the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in March 1979. The US government turned over the remaining US intelligence and military operations to Taiwan or they became covert enterprises using nationals as cover.
According to a former USAF technician who worked at Linkou until 1985 as a civilian contract worker for the ROC military, the facility was still active at that time. The Linkou facility was moved to Yangmingshan some time after 1985. The time and transition from Linkou to Yangmingshan is unclear..." [2003 Asia Times Online Co, Ltd.]
"In 1977, The U.S. Shu-Lin-Kou Camp was transferred to the Taiwan Military Police HQ and used by the Military Police Special Services Company
(MPSSC, MP special forces) and the Military Police 239th Battalion (riot control battalion).
The camp was initially used as a MP station training camp (rotation of all MP battalions, each battalion had to be retrained 3 months/year).
Shu-Lin-Kou was renamed "Ma-San (Horse Mountain) Camp" but was later renamed as "Chu-Yuan (Victory Garden) Camp".
1989, 205th Military Police Regional Commands HQ was transfer here with headquarters companies including a heavy arms company,
special assault team and special vehicle company.
1991, 205th Military Police Regional Commands HQ was transferred to Ban-Chiao City (southwest of Taipei), only the Station Training Battalion
remained in Chu-Yuan Camp.
1996, "Chu-Yuan Camp" (Shulinkou AS) was closed after the last Station Training Battalion completed their training.
The base was later dismantled." Soavi Cheng [April 23, 2009].
1.) This February 16, 1992 shot was taken from the stairs of Dawg Flight's former barracks. The photo shows that the base still remained intact at that time as we knew it (the trees and shrubs had grown from the 1977 shot of Dawg Flight's barracks above). The WAF barracks stairwell is visible on the far right and the Ops Center's Guard Shack is on the far left. The street between the Guard Shack and Barracks was painted for recreational use (basketball) after Shulinkou closed in 1977.
2.) Taiwan MP units march in formation past the base's former Operations Center Gate Shack.
3.) Another February 16, 1992 shot taken on the second floor stairwell landing right outside the door to the Dawg Flight barracks. The Able Flight barracks stairwell is visible on the far left. The roof of Linkou's former Gymnasium (right background) is visible over Soavi Cheng's (Taiwan MP) right shoulder.
Click on the "blue links" below to view three videos posted on "YouTube" of the old Shulinkou AS ("Chu-Yuan Camp") during 1992 and 1994.
1992 video taken in front of the old Dawg Flight barracks at Shulinkou (click here) This short February 16, 1992 video of a Taiwan MP battalion parade (photos above) was shot in front of the old Dawg Flight Barracks, Operations Buildng and Gate Shack. The camera pans in the last few seconds of the video to show the former Gymnasium, lighted Softball Field, plane fuselage used by the R.O.C. Military Police for training (photos below), the Compound's burn-bag incinerator (black), Operations Building, Gate Shack and several small buildings adjacent to the Ops Center.
1994 video taken inside the Shulinkou Gymnasium (click here) This short January 19, 1994 Taiwan MP training video was shot inside the base's former Gymnasium and at the old Motor Pool (area "#12" on the "1992 Chu-Yuan Camp Map" above).
1994 video taken outside the Shulinkou Operations Building (click here) This short 1994 Taiwan MP training video was shot at the base's former Operations Building and Compound.
1.) A circa 1980 photo of Ming-Tsung Chiu (right) and panyo taken in front of the former Shulinkou Navy barracks where the Taiwan MP Special Service Company (MPSSC) were billeted. Ming-Tsung Chiu was a Taiwan MP sergeant in the MPSSC who served from 1979 to 1982.
2.) The black outfit and beret worn by Ming-Tsung Chiu in this photo (circa 1980) and the group in the next shot were only issued to and worn by the the Taiwan MP Special Service Company (MPSSC).
3.) A circa 1980 shot of Ming-Tsung Chiu (left front) and his MPSSC panyos taken in a room in the former Shulinkou Navy barracks.
1.) A 1992 shot of the Taiwan MPs taken on Linkou's former Softball Field. A China Airlines plane fuselage mounted on a concrete base was used by the MPs for anti-hijack training. The former Operations Building (far left) and Able Flight barracks (far right) are visible in the background.
2.) Another 1992 group shot of the Taiwan MPs holding wooden "mock" rifles. The old Operations Building is in the far left background.
3.) "This is called A-Lu-Ba in Chinese. A [R.O.C.] GI was grabbed by his fellow MPs and then they smashed him with a pole or a tree between his legs. It is a common practice to celebrate an honorable discharge this way in ROC military police units." (April 24, 2009) Soavi Cheng (ROC MP veteran). Note the Softball Field's overhead lighting above the fuselage (upper center). ("Geez...what a discharge ritual...and the Dawgs thought they had it rough by having their uniforms ripped off them by their panyos on their last day of work on the island...!", [2009] The PHANTOM).
1.) A 1992 shot of Soavi Cheng (R.O.C. MP) outside the main entrance to the former Linkou Club that served as the Taiwan military's Enlisted Mens' (EM) Club on base.
2.) Soavi Cheng (Taiwan MP) at the bar inside the Enlisted Mens' Club ( Linkou Club).
3.) The Enlisted Mens' Club (Linkou Club) bar in 1992.
4.) Another shot of the bar inside the Enlisted Mens' Club (Linkou Club) in 1992.
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