The Taipei District Court yesterday morning ordered an agent and a former agent of the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau (MJIB) detained on suspicion of spying for China.
Lin Yu-nung (林羽農), 54, from the bureau's Department of Economic Crime Prevention, and former agent Chen Chih-kao (陳志高), 55, were arrested by bureau agents on Sunday morning as the pair met to exchange confidential documents at the Brother Hotel in Taipei.
Taipei prosecutors said the pair would be charged with corruption, violations of the National Security Law (國家安全法) and the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法).
DENIALS
The court said the pair denied any involvement in spying.
The MJIB said Chen left the bureau in August 1997 and became a businessman in China.
He ran a commercial travel magazine in Shanghai, officials from the bureau said.
They said because Chen's business was not doing well, the Shanghai intelligence bureau had enticed him to work for it in exchange for cash.
Chen, who had become friendly with Lin when the pair trained to become agents, resumed contact with Lin two years ago and allegedly offered him cash in exchange for intelligence. The pair had met many times in Taipei, officials said.
Lin initially came under suspicion in 2005 after colleagues had noted certain abnormalities in his daily activities. A special task force was established to track his movements, and his access to classified information was restricted.
The MJIB said Chen was followed by agents when he returned to Taipei from Shanghai on Thursday.
MEETING
On Friday evening Chen and Lin met in a tea shop near the headquarters of the MJIB and Chen gave Lin US$3,000 in cash.
Bureau officials said because Lin did not hand any documents to Chen on that occasion, MJIB investigators did not arrest the pair.
On Sunday morning the pair met at a coffee shop in the Brother Hotel and Lin handed some documents to Chen. Lin also signed a receipt for Chen to prove he had received US$3,000 from him.
Investigators then arrested the pair, officials said.
The bureau said Lin had been suspended from his position.
The bureau is responsible for tracking Chinese intelligence operations against Taiwan, as well as drug prevention and other national police functions.
Additional reporting by AP and CNA
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
RESTRAINTS: Should China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, China would be excluded from major financial institutions, the bill says The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which states that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude Beijing from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China must be prepared
Taiwanese trade negotiators told Washington that Taipei would not relocate 40 percent of its semiconductor production to the US, and that its most advanced technologies would remain in the nation, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said on Sunday. “I told the US side very clearly — that’s impossible,” Cheng, who led the negotiation team, said in an interview that aired on Sunday night on Chinese Television System. Cheng was referring to remarks last month by US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, in which he said his goal was to bring 40 percent of Taiwan’s chip supply chain to the US Taiwan’s almost
RSS