President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said Taiwan should strengthen its defenses against Chinese espionage, following a string of spy scandals showing that Chinese intelligence-gathering continues despite thawing relations.
Taiwan needs to “actively prevent” any leak of secrets to China and must counter infiltration attempts by beefing up its counter-intelligence, Ma said in a statement issued by the National Security Bureau.
He made the comments on Thursday at an intelligence meeting discussing security issues related to expanding cross-strait exchanges, the statement said.
The Military High Court last month handed down life sentences to General Lo Hsien-che (羅賢哲), former head of communications and electronic information at army command headquarters, and Colonel Lo Chi-cheng (羅奇正), who used to work at the Ministry of National Defense’s Military Intelligence Bureau, for spying for China, in the nation’s biggest espionage scandals in recent years.
INFILTRATION
The general was allegedly “persuaded” by a Chinese female spy to gather information for Beijing, while the intelligence officer reportedly assisted China in unraveling several of Taiwan’s spy networks in China.
A retired Taiwanese agent recently warned that at least 10 Chinese moles were believed to have infiltrated the nation’s security units.
COMPUTER SECURITY
In other news, defense ministry officials said the military had taken steps to ensure the security of its computer networks.
The officials were responding to reports that US computer security company McAfee has discovered vast cyberattacks that have targeted more than 70 governments, nonprofit groups and corporations around the world to steal vast quantities of data.
According to the McAfee report, some organizations that have fallen victim to the attacks dating from mid-2006 are Taiwanese, and experts have pointed the finger at China as the source of the hacking.
INDEPENDENT SYSTEM
Ministry spokesman David Lo (羅紹和) said on Thursday that the military’s computer systems are monitored around the clock to ensure security.
Lo said the military has long adopted its own independent system separate from civilian networks out of concern for the security of defense-related information.
Wang Teh-pen (王德本), a ministry division chief in charge of information and communication security, said the ministry had adopted many strategies, including constant renewal of protective measures, to reinforce its cyber-security.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition