Chen tells intelligence community to remain alert

President Chen Shui-bian, second right, shakes hands with members of the National Security Bureau yesterday after giving a speech to encourage them in their work. PHOTO: CNA

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday urged the government's intelligence community to adjust themselves to democracy and to keep reminding themselves to continue guarding against the nation's enemies (敵我意識).

The president also showed his support for Tsai Chia-ming (蔡朝明), director general of the National Security Bureau, who was said to be scheduled for replacement over the recent leaking of classified documents to the media, encouraging the NSB to grasp the crisis as an opportunity for reform.

Following a series of scandals that have rocked Taiwan's intelligence agency, Chen yesterday inspected the NSB, urging all officials to strengthen their discipline or risk endangering the nation's national security.

He said he hoped that the NSB officials would keep in mind their responsibilities and missions, while the country enjoys the fruits of democratization.

"The achievement of democratization," Chen said, "should not become a factor that decreases our loyalty to the country and it [democratization] should also not be used as an excuse to neglect the government's intelligence system, which is currently losing its discipline and work ethic," Chen told NSB officials.

The president stressed that some members of the government's intelligence system had been letting down their guard against the enemy, adding that recent events -- such as the corruption case of former NSB accountant Liu Kuan-chun (劉冠軍) and the leaking of classified documents to the media -- proved that the problem is getting serious.

Liu, formerly one of the bureau's top accountants, fled the country after allegedly stealing NT$192 million (US$5.48 million) from a secret bureau fund.

A government report has said a large number of intelligence and military officials have either visited China illegally or gone to live there, taking with them secret documents and information regarding the nation's national security.

"If we aren't clear about what our mission is and don't strengthen our discipline, China will take advantage of our weaknesses," Chen said in his first address to the bureau since taking office two years ago.

Chen also worried that those problems may allow China to exert its influence to exacerbate internal conflict in Taiwan, destroy the interaction between Taiwan and the international community, smear Taiwan's image in the international community and paralyze the country's national security affairs.

"The cross-strait intelligence battle and strategy struggle are more intense than ever before," Chen said, without elaborating.

Chen said that, now that Taiwan is a democracy, agency officials must act professionally in the interests of Taiwan's security.

He also emphasized they should not be influenced by their personal political beliefs.

Chen reiterated that it is an unavoidable trend to institutionalize the intelligence system and put it under proper scrutiny. The administration of any democracy should be held accountable for such matters, he said.

"If the related legislation concerning the national secret-protection law and the laws for protecting the intelligence personnel could be completed expeditiously, our national secrets and personnel in the intelligence services will be able to feel protected," the president said.