The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau is investigating a claim on an international online forum that offered classified Taiwanese intelligence files for sale.
The bureau issued a statement about the probe yesterday after the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times) reported earlier in the day that the advertisement published on the forum was for confidential documents allegedly from the nation’s intelligence agencies.
The report quoted a seasoned military analyst with the pseudonym “Malan” as saying that the posting provided snippets of the information, detailing people the agencies have gathered intelligence on.
Photo: screen grab from the breached.vc Web site
It was not immediately known why these people were targeted, but the information included descriptions of the work, hobbies, politics and personalities of the targeted people.
For example, one post described someone as “facing a diminished income” and “intending to go to China in the future for further development,” while another described another person as “a business professor who is active in cross-strait exchanges” and their “outward showing is not obvious, although they harbor ideology inclined toward Taiwan independence,” the report quoted “Malan” as saying.
The seller is asking for US$150,000 for 10 gigabytes of classified data, the report said.
The bureau yesterday said it is aware of the situation and is investigating the advertisement, but that it could not disclose details of an ongoing probe.
It does not matter whether the data was leaked or obtained by a hacker, the incident still constitutes a breach of national security, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said yesterday.
As such, national security officials must take responsibility and give the public an explanation as soon as possible, he added.
DPP Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) called for answers to a few questions, including why national intelligence information was posted on a foreign Web site in the first place.
Officials should also explain whether an individual or a group is responsible, and whether it is true or false information intended to create disorder, he added.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS