The Ministry of Justice yesterday rebutted a newspaper report saying that it had proposed offering large rewards to people who informed on Chinese spies.
Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) told a press conference that the ministry had not held any meetings to discuss rewarding people who informed the government about Chinese espionage activity.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) yesterday reported that the ministry had suggested offering a maximum of NT$15 million (US$430,000) for such tips.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The report said the ministry and its Investigation Bureau were concerned that Chinese espionage was becoming rampant and was a major threat to national security.
The Liberty Times report said the ministry believed the reward offer would help crack down on such spies.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Pan Meng-an (潘孟安) told a seperate press conference that if the ministry had such a measure, he would report President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to the ministry for his activities.
“Ma promoted his diplomatic truce with China and a reduction in national defense. He has allowed Taiwan’s capital and high technology to enter China and has said Chinese leaders are sincere, even as they increase the number of missiles aimed at Taiwan,” Pan said.
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) should also be investigated for “promoting and leaking information related to high technology to China,” Pan said.
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄), who have visited China and met senior Chinese officials, should also be investigated, he said.
Chinese espionage has been a hot topic since Wang Ren-bing (王仁炳), a senior specialist at the Presidential Office, was detained on Jan. 16 for allegedly handing over classified documents between March and April last year to his friend Chen Pin-jen (陳品仁), who allegedly gave them to Chinese intelligence officers.
Asked for comment, KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) backed the idea of cash rewards for people who reported suspected Chinese spying activity. Wu said it was everyone’s responsibility to defend the country.
KMT Legislator Wu Ching-chih (吳清池), however, disagreed, saying such a move might harm cross-strait relations.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
ENTERTAINERS IN CHINA: Taiwanese generally back the government being firm on infiltration and ‘united front’ work,’ the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said Most people support the government probing Taiwanese entertainers for allegedly “amplifying” the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, a survey conducted by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association showed on Friday. Public support stood at 56.4 percent for action by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Culture to enhance scrutiny on Taiwanese performers and artists who have developed careers in China while allegedly adhering to the narrative of Beijing’s propaganda that denigrates or harms Taiwanese sovereignty, the poll showed. Thirty-three percent did not support the action, it showed. The poll showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported the government’s investigation into Taiwanese who have
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
88.2 PERCENT INCREASE: The variants driving the current outbreak are not causing more severe symptoms, but are ‘more contagious’ than previous variants, an expert said Number of COVID-19 cases in the nation is surging, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) describing the ongoing wave of infections as “rapid and intense,” and projecting that the outbreak would continue through the end of July. A total of 19,097 outpatient and emergency visits related to COVID-19 were reported from May 11 to Saturday last week, an 88.2 percent increase from the previous week’s 10,149 visits, CDC data showed. The nearly 90 percent surge in case numbers also marks the sixth consecutive weekly increase, although the total remains below the 23,778 recorded during the same period last year,
RSS