Yin's relations to arms dealers seen as his downfall

The mysterious murder of Taiwan navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓) in 1993 might have been the result of Yin's "close relationship with local arms brokers," an opposition lawmaker quoted a retired navy rear admiral as saying yesterday.

People First Party Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) said that retired Rear Admiral Wang Chin-sheng (王琴生) told him the murder was likely caused by a soured relationship with certain arms brokers.

At the time of the murder, Wang was director of the navy's vessel development center, based in Kaohsiung's Tsoying district. Before that, Wang was the deputy executive officer of the navy general headquarters' vessel construction and management office -- the predecessor of the weapons procurement office, of which Yin held the first post of executive officer.

During his term at the navy general headquarters, Wang handled all of the service's "second-generation vessel" construction or purchase projects, including six Lafayette-class frigates bought from France, four German-made minesweepers, and an Italian-made survey ship.

Wang was questioned by police in the months following the murder on his possible connections with or knowledge of the killing. He retired from the service not long after the murder took place and is now working at a private company.

He graduated the same year as Yin from the military's Chungcheng Institute of Technology.

Wang was interrogated by police concerning Yin's visit to his Kaohsiung office on Dec. 8, 1993, one day before he went missing in Taipei's Neihu district.

Lee visited Wang at his home last Friday night as part of his "truth-finding" interviews of ex-naval officers and arms brokers who are thought to be connected with the case in one way or another.

"I think Yin's death had a lot to do with his keeping too close a relationship with certain arms brokers.

"Once you get too deeply involved with these people, you will find it hard to get rid of them," Lee quoted Wang as saying.

"I never befriended an arms dealer during my period of service," he claimed.

Wang did not identify the arms brokers he referred to, but there were reports that Yin had been on close terms with some retired naval officials who had become arms dealers, such as Chu Peng-li (祝本立).

It has been reported that Yin was photographed with Chu and several others at a nightclub that offered "special services" from its waitresses.

The photos were alleged to have been used by a female agent from a German company -- which provided parts for the four minesweepers bought from Germany -- to blackmail Yin.

The agent apparently wanted to force Yin to carry out portions of the contract between her company and the Taiwan navy which had not yet been signed.

Responding to inquiries from Lee over why Yin visited him just one day before he was murdered, Wang said: "Yin came to me mainly to borrow a car. I feel sad to have been listed as a suspect just because I lent a car to Yin.

"During Yin's stay at my office, we had only a short talk, lasting around 15 minutes. Yin told me that he was troubled by blackmail attempts being made by an arms broker," Wang said.

"I did not know where he went after leaving the office in my car," he said.