The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MOFA) Department of European Affairs said yesterday it did not know the extent of any classified information that was allegedly disclosed in a book recently published by Taiwan’s former representative to Switzerland, Rex Wang (王世榕).
The ministry had previously said that Wang would be investigated for possibly leaking classified information.
Wang served as Taiwan’s top diplomat to Switzerland from 2002 until last year. His memoir, Straight Talk (直言), touches on the challenges and details of his life in that job.
The ministry alleges that Wang disclosed secret information about Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts in Switzerland, including its bids to attend the World Health Assembly and reciprocal recognition of drivers’ licenses.
Acting ministry spokesman James Chang (章計平) said the ministry was looking into the matter and that it would be handled “appropriately.”
Department of European Affairs Director-General Anne Hung (洪慧珠) said the department had yet to finish going through the book, so she did not know what, if any, classified information had been leaked.
Chang said the ministry had not contacted Wang and refused to confirm whether it had plans to meet him.
Wang has said that several people had asked if the contents of his book would cause him trouble and he had told them: “I asked colleagues at the ministry and my attorney to look at it and we all thought it would be fine.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) had previously said the ministry would take legal action against Wang if its internal investigation determined that Wang had broken confidentiality laws.
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
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