A report based on classified information allegedly provided by a runaway intelligence official has laid bare a secret government committee established in 1994 to promote ties with the US and Japan.
The committee -- code-named Mingte (明德) -- is comprised of top government officials, mainly from the intelligence community, National Security Council (NSC) and other government agencies.
During the rule of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), members of the task force included then NSC secretary-general Yin Chung-wen (殷宗文), then National Security Bureau (NSB) director Ting Yu-chou (丁渝洲) and NSC advisers Lin Pi-chao (林碧炤) and Eugene Chien (簡又新), according to the latest issue of Next magazine.
Some of these individuals are said to still be members of the task force.
After exposing secret operations dating from the Lee administration, the office of Next magazine was searched by law enforcement officials and the author of the report has been questioned.
Investigations by the NSB showed the report was based on photocopies of classified documents once kept by ex-NSB chief cashier Colonel Liu Kuan-chun (
Funds for the secret operations that the reports exposed are alleged to have come mostly from an account code-named Fengtien (
It had a principal of NT$3 billion, which had generated over NT$600 million from bank interest and stock investments since 1994.
The Mingte committee was established in 1994 with extra income generated from the fund.
During the cross-strait crisis of 1996, the task force played a role in bringing about a peaceful resolution by seeking help from Japan and the US.
It was because of Japan's insistence that the US sent two carrier battle groups to the Taiwan Strait, Next magazine said.
Because of the committee's efforts, Taiwan established closer ties with the Japanese and US governments on regional security, the magazine said.
The committee has also maintained good relations with government leaders of the two countries, some of whom were identified in the Next report.
The recent visit to the US by Defense Minister Tang Yao-ming (
NSB Director Tsai Tsao-ming (
Tsai said that the exposure jeopardized national security and threatened to take legal action against any news organization that possesses or prints classified documents.
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