Dai Li Memorial Hall (戴雨農先生紀念館), the Military Intelligence Bureau’s (MIB) on-site memorial for intelligence operatives killed in the line of duty, was reopened on March 8 after two years of renovation.
The memorial houses the spirit tablets of 75 people killed while conducting intelligence operations at home or abroad, including military intelligence officers and assets, as well as a book of deeds of 4,903 military heroes.
The bureau also disclosed that Liu Liankun (劉連昆), a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) major general, executed by Beijing in 1999 for espionage, was among the fallen honored at the shrine.
Liu, the PLA’s then-director of logistics, was the highest-ranking Chinese officer the bureau has ever turned, a bureau official said on condition of anonymity, adding that Liu’s defection was motivated by discontent with China’s political direction at the time.
Liu passed on crucial intelligence to Taiwanese officials about the Qiandao Lake Incident in 1994, the missile crisis in 1996 and then-Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping’s (鄧小平) death in 1997, an official said.
PLA brigadier general Shao Zhengzong (邵正宗), who was also executed in 1999, is honored at the shrine next to Liu.
The shrine also commemorates major Ma Mei-chiang (馬美強), a military intelligence officer killed in Moscow in 2000 while on a mission.
As Liu and Shao died providing crucial intelligence to Taiwan, the bureau considers them martyrs of the nation, which justifies their enshrinement at the memorial, the official said.
It is customary for military intelligence officers to make an offering at the shrine prior to a mission, both to obtain blessings from the heroic spirits and to remind themselves that they must succeed in their mission or die trying, he said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in a speech she made at the memorial to mark its reopening that elevating the nation’s intelligence capabilities has never been more important, as China refuses to abandon military aggression.
The motto “We write the blank pages of history” written on a wall at the memorial testifies to the uncelebrated and unknown sacrifices of the intelligence community in defense of freedom and democracy, Tsai said before extending her gratitude to their memory.
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in local markets revealed a 25 percent failure rate, with most contraventions involving excessive pesticide residues, while two durians were also found to contain heavy metal cadmium at levels exceeding safety limits. Health Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said the agency routinely conducts inspections of fresh produce sold at traditional markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail outlets and restaurants, testing for pesticide residues and other harmful substances. In its most recent inspection, conducted in May, the department randomly collected 52 samples from various locations, with testing showing
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the