Members of the public and lawmakers were outraged upon learning that retired vice admiral Ko Cheng-sheng (柯政盛), convicted of spying for China, can continue to collect his pension, estimated to be at least NT$80,000 (US$2,526) a month.
In the ruling by the Supreme Court on Monday, Ko was found guilty and handed a 14-month jail term for violating the National Security Act (國家安全法), attempting to set up a spy ring in Taiwan and passing on classified military information to China.
After the court’s decision, it was revealed that Ko is still eligible to collect a generous monthly “lifetime pension,” which is given to retired military commissioned officers based on their period of service. The former vice admiral is also eligible for the special 18 percent bank deposit interest rate which is reserved for civil servants, military personnel and public school teachers.
Photo: Taipei Times
According to government sources, based on his rank of vice admiral and factoring in the 18 percent preferential interest rate, Ko stands to collect a pension of between NT$80,000 and NT$90,000 a month from the government.
In an interview with a military official, who declined to be named, the officer expressed his outrage at the situation.
“He was a senior officer and deputy commander of the nation’s fleet. However, China bought him off with money, so he sold our military secrets to them and tried to form a spy ring to conduct espionage and gather classified information for China,” the official said.
“He is a traitor, yet he can still collect his fat monthly pension. This is just too much. How can people in our society accept this?” the official said.
Critics said that Ko received a relatively light sentence for being convicted of espionage, especially since he jeopardized national security. Some called for a judicial amendment to hand out heavier punishments, including life imprisonment.
A legal expert said that Ko was charged with contravention of the National Security Act, which carries a lesser punishment, and that a conviction does not preclude those found guilty from collecting their lifetime pension.
The expert said that Ko could only be ruled ineligible for his pension if he had been charged with “offenses against the internal and external security of the state” (內亂外患罪), found guilty of corruption, or convicted and given a life sentence or the death penalty.
In response, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) yesterday said that in cases of individuals convicted of serious crimes, “the military supports the government in considering to amend the law and to deliberate on making changes to the lifetime pension program in order to uphold social justice.”
A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan’s economic waters over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The Liaoning aircraft carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed about 300km southwest of Japan’s easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a ministry spokesman said. “We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,” the spokesman said. China’s growing
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
PUBLIC WARNING: The two students had been tricked into going to Hong Kong for a ‘high-paying’ job, which sent them to a scam center in Cambodia Police warned the public not to trust job advertisements touting high pay abroad following the return of two college students over the weekend who had been trafficked and forced to work at a cyberscam center in Cambodia. The two victims, surnamed Lee (李), 18, and Lin (林), 19, were interviewed by police after landing in Taiwan on Saturday. Taichung’s Chingshui Police Precinct said in a statement yesterday that the two students are good friends, and Lin had suspended her studies after seeing the ad promising good pay to work in Hong Kong. Lee’s grandfather on Thursday reported to police that Lee had sent
A Chinese ship ran aground in stormy weather in shallow waters off a Philippines-controlled island in the disputed South China Sea, prompting Filipino forces to go on alert, Philippine military officials said yesterday. When Philippine forces assessed that the Chinese fishing vessel appeared to have run aground in the shallows east of Thitu Island (Jhongye Island, 中業島) on Saturday due to bad weather, Philippine military and coast guard personnel deployed to provide help, but later saw that the ship had been extricated, Philippine navy regional spokesperson Ellaine Rose Collado said. No other details were immediately available, including if there were injuries among
RSS