Allegations of spying against National Police University associate professor Wu Chang-yu (吳彰裕) are only the tip of the iceberg, members of the Falun Gong movement said on Saturday.
Wu, who teaches Chinese political history, was arraigned for questioning on Thursday on charges of allegedly spying for China and passing information to Chinese officials about Chinese dissidents, pro-Tibetan activists and the Falun Gong movement in Taiwan.
Wu told prosecutors the information he offered was not confidential and was readily available from multiple sources.
According to National Taiwan University economics professor Chang Ching-hsi (張清溪), who also serves as the chairman of the Taiwanese Falun Dafa Association, the personal information of individuals who openly criticize China for its oppression of Falun Gong practitioners is easily accessible and computer hacking attacks on Web sites related to Falun Gong are common.
The Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) in Shanghai recently detained a Falun Gong member who was not an activist, Chang said, adding that the security officials knew detailed information about the member and recited them to the detained man to intimidate him.
China is using its power to gather information and Taiwanese should be on guard, Chang said.
Ko Yi-chun (柯宜君), another Falun Gong practitioner, said she was present in 2007 when Hong Kong police detained 500 Falun Gong members at the airport who had gone to the territory on the 10th anniversary of its hand over to Chinese control.
All those arrested were returned to Taiwan.
The incident became ever more controversial after Falun Gong members filed an appeal with the Hong Kong Supreme Court, but their appeal was overturned, which some analysts said was a warning sign that the independence of the territory’s judicial system was regressing.
Ko said that after an immigration officer had scanned her passport information into the computer, a police officer came over and took her into a questioning room without giving a reason, adding that after about 10 hours of detention, they wrapped her up in a blanket and forcibly sent her back to Taiwan.
Falun Gong is very liberal and there is no ceremony conducted upon joining nor is there a list of practitioners, Ko said, adding that members are free to come and go as they please.
There are rumors that the Chinese Communist Party has drawn up a blacklist using personal information gathered through “special” channels, which enabled Hong Kong police to accurately pinpoint Taiwanese who have associations with Falun Gong, Ko said.
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff writer
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
RESILIENCE: Deepening bilateral cooperation would extend the peace sustained over the 45 years since the Taiwan Relations Act, Greene said Taiwan-US relations are built on deep economic ties and shared values, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday, adding that strengthening supply chain security in critical industries, enhancing societal resilience through cooperation and deepening partnerships are key to ensuring peace and stability for Taiwan in the years ahead. Greene made the remarks at the National Security Youth Forum, organized by National Taiwan University’s National Security and Strategy Studies Institution in Taipei. In his address in Mandarin Chinese, Greene said the Taiwan-US relationship is built on deep economic ties and shared interests, and grows stronger through the enduring friendship between
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said that it would redesign the written portion of the driver’s license exam to make it more rigorous. “We hope that the exam can assess drivers’ understanding of traffic rules, particularly those who take the driver’s license test for the first time. In the past, drivers only needed to cram a book of test questions to pass the written exam,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told a news conference at the Taoyuan Motor Vehicle Office. “In the future, they would not be able to pass the test unless they study traffic regulations
CAUTION URGED: Xiaohongshu and Douyin — the Chinese version of TikTok — are tools the Chinese government uses for its ‘united front’ propaganda, the MAC said Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) yesterday urged people who use Chinese social media platforms to be cautious of being influenced by Beijing’s “united front” propaganda and undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty. Chiu made the remarks in response to queries about Chinese academic Zhang Weiwei (張維為) saying that as young Taiwanese are fond of interacting on Chinese app Xiaohongshu (小紅書, known as RedNote in English), “after unification with China, it would be easier to govern Taiwan than Hong Kong.” Zhang is professor of international relations at Shanghai’s Fudan University and director of its China Institute. When giving a speech at China’s Wuhan
RSS