NSB expects probe over diplomat flap

The National Security Bureau (NSB) recently began conducting lie detector tests of its personnel regarding the leaking of the president's schedule and security arrangements.

Now, due to the furor surrounding the "secret" visit to Taiwan by former US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Donald Keyser, a senior level official in the NSB has disclosed that there is speculation that the NSB's security has been penetrated, and there will be another series of lie detector tests to check if personnel have been leaking information.

"The information the FBI has regarding Keyser's visit to Taiwan last year is exceedingly detailed. The National Security Bureau does not exclude the possibility that such detailed information was provided by an inside source, and the NSB is going to conduct an overall investigation of special agents placed by the US in Taiwan," a senior NSB official said.

The official said that Keyser is retired and the information that he exchanged with Taiwanese NSB personnel was not confidential, and thus the reason for the arrest was "beyond comprehension."

US officials have visited Taiwan unofficially in the past, thus the FBI's special treatment is even more unusual, the official said.

The official also said that it is surprising how the FBI could know so much about Keyser's visit to Taiwan last year. Some feel that, without an internal information leak, no one would know about such a "specially handled" case, thus there is speculation of penetration by US intelligence personnel into the NSB.

"When Keyser `secretly' visited Taiwan last year, even former minister of foreign affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) didn't know of the visit. Yet the US had a clear picture of the visit, which shows that there must be some sort of communication channel between our internal operation and the US," the official said.

NSB chief Hsueh Shih-ming (薛石民) has been under a lot of pressure due to the incident, and he has reportedly been unable to sleep without medication. His staff said that although Hsueh says that he doesn't feel the pressure is great, but doctors who examined him said the pressure on Hsueh is beyond the level his body can take.

Regarding the NSB being criticized relentlessly, Hsueh said that people can say whatever they like, as long as national security is not endangered, as the media and politicians have to make a living, too.

Sources from the NSB also said that the focus of the incident has been placed on the female intelligence agent, Isabella Cheng (程念慈), in a most unfair and erroneous way by the media. It has blurred the focus of the case, and Cheng has become an innocent bystander.

"Cheng is a law-abiding public servant, with the role of an `assistant,' not an intelligence agent with an undercover identity. Her everyday life in the States is open, and the local media is not unfamiliar with her," the source said.

The effect of the Keyser case on the US-Taiwan relationship is yet to be determined. But the biggest impact for Taiwan would be the adjustment of NSB's special agent assignments in the US. The official disclosed that there had been internal factional conflicts; with some NSB officials wanting to get rid of Huang Kuang-hsun (黃光勳), and some wanting to use the "opportunity" to further their personal agendas.

"Keyser's incident definitely wasn't initiated by us, and most definitely could not be directed at Huang Kuang-hsun. But it's true that some people might want to use this to create the impression that Huang is incompetent, and block the internal operation of the NSB in order to attack Huang," the official said.