National Security Bureau (NSB) Director Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明) said yesterday that the SARS virus was part of China’s biochemical warfare program.
“We have information indicating that the SARS virus was a biochemical warfare formula, and United Nations experts had the same intelligence as that obtained by the NSB,” he told the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee.
Tsai made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲).
Meanwhile, Tsai told DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) that the police would provide security for Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) during his visit to Taiwan, not the bureau’s security detail.
Tsai Chao-ming said protests could be expected during Chen’s visit but the bureau was confident that his safety could be ensured.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) asked Tsai Chao-ming if he supported President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) decision to invite Chen to visit Taiwan.
Tsai Chao-ming said the decision was the government’s to make and his bureau was willing to provide the necessary security.
Late last night the bureau issued a statement denying Tsai's remarks on SARS matter. The bureau said Tsai had been misunderstood.
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