Taiwanese professor Lin Cheng-cheng (林正成) returned to Taiwan on Sunday following his release after 11 years in a Chinese prison on charges of espionage and was reported by the Chinese-language United Daily News as saying that the Taiwanese government left him to fend for himself during his prison term.
The 58-year-old former dean of the Japanese language department at Tunghai University lamented his time in jail and wondered where the government was when he needed help.
Lin, a native of Pingtung County, was arrested by Chinese police on July 12, 1997, as he was traveling to Beijing to visit friends.
He was thrown in jail after a Chinese court found him guilty of espionage. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was released after serving 11 years.
Lin's family said the Taiwanese government provided no help during his imprisonment. Lin's younger brother told local reporters that the Intelligence Bureau had cut all contact with the family after Lin was arrested and refused to offer any help to get him out of jail.
Mainland Council Affairs Deputy Chairman Liu Teh-hsun (
United Daily News quoted one of Lin's relatives as saying that Lin had agreed to spy for the then Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government in exchange for having his tuition paid for during his study in Japan in the 1980s.
In response, Chang Rong-kung (張榮恭), director of the KMT's Mainland Affairs Department, was quoted by the paper as saying that the KMT government had stopped spying on China in 1991 and denied the party had anything to do with Lin's work there.
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source