The former director of the National Security Bureau's (NSB) special service center, Peng Tzu-wen (彭子文), was reported to have received a stern lecture from a High Court judge yesterday when he appeared in court for a trial in which he is accused of leaking national secrets.
"Try not to be so talkative, because you are a military official," Judge Wang Fu-shing (王復生) was quoting as saying by Chinese-language newspapers, in his remarks to Peng.
When Peng's lawyer referred to Peng as "the general" in the courtroom, the judge snapped, "no titles of office are allowed in my court."
Visibly shocked
Peng and his lawyer seemed visibly shocked by the judge's outburst, the report said.
Peng was indicted in August for leaking national secrets and for potentially putting President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) life in jeopardy, after he disclosed details concerning the deployment of special agents around the president's official residence.
Peng has since been a frequent guest on TV talk shows, using his professional knowledge. He revealed on air details concerning the deployment of special agents' and other plans regarding national emergencies.
Peng told the public that the Presidential Office and the Ministry of National Defense's underground channels would be open on the October 10th National Day, and that two helicopters would be on standby at the Taipei military airport in case of an emergency.
Peng also revealed on TV that he would not "take a bullet for president Chen." Peng is alleged to have leaked the secrets in retaliation after being turned down for promotion. Peng retired as the director of the NSB's special service center in 2003.
Prosecutors have accused Peng of violating the National Secrets Law (國家機密保護辦法).
Peng yesterday told the judge that the NSB and Justice Ministry's Investigation Bureau had illegally recorded his phone calls and that this evidence should be inadmissible in court.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)