Amendments to the Act of Military Service for Officers and Noncommissioned Officers of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍軍官士官服役條例) were yesterday approved to put a stop to military personnel convicted of espionage collecting a pension, while empowering judges to hand out more severe punishments for spying.
The amendments block military personnel found guilty of espionage or violating the National Security Act (國家安全法), the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪汙治罪條例) from receiving a pension or other benefits.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳), who chaired a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, said the ruling is a victory for the public, after Taiwanese military officers who have been caught spying for China and leaking classified information to Chinese intelligence operatives have only received light sentences and have still been eligible to collect a pension and other retirement benefits.
The bill proposed changes to Article 24 of the act.
Committee members, as well as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who co-chaired the meeting, voted to forward the bill to the legislature for approval.
Political pundits expect the amendments to be passed, as the DPP holds a legislative majority and the party is known to support improving laws to protect national security.
“I am here on behalf of Taiwanese taxpayers who are fed up with having their tax money used to pay for pensions and other benefits for military personnel convicted of espionage. They have sold out our nation and betrayed their fellow military colleagues,” DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said.
Wang said the amendments are necessary, especially in espionage cases involving high-ranking officials selling military secrets for money.
Wang cited as an example a high-court conviction in the second ruling against Chinese intelligence officer Zheng Xiaojiang (鎮小江), who recruited at least nine military officers, including retired army major-general Hsu Nai-chuan (許乃權).
Hsu was given a two year, 10-month prison sentence, while Zheng received a four-year prison term — both could get out of jail early on good behavior.
Wang also cited convictions against Ko Cheng-sheng (柯政盛), a retired vice admiral and former deputy commander of the nation’s naval fleet, who only received a 14-month prison term in a 2014 high-court ruling for passing classified materials to Chinese officials.
However, under existing laws, Ko, who retired in 2003, can still receive a monthly pension of about NT$90,000 (US$2,752) for the rest of his life, and is also eligible for an 18 percent preferential interest rate on bank deposits.
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