The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that following the arrest of a senior official on suspicion he was spying for China, the military has decided to give all military officials stationed overseas a polygraph test before, during and after their posting.
Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu’s (高華柱) remarks came after one-star General Lo Hsien-che (羅賢哲) was arrested in late January on charges of spying for China.
According to preliminary investigations, Lo was recruited by Chinese intelligence in 2005, when he was a defense attache in Thailand.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
‘TEST OF LOYALTY’
Kao called the polygraph test proposal a “test of loyalty.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-Fang (林郁方) said that after returning from Thailand, Lo became head of communications and electronic information at the Army Command Headquarters.
When asked if Lo had undergone a lie detector test before assuming the position, Kao said he had not.
Lin said he supported immediate amendments to the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法) making it compulsory for intelligence officials stationed abroad or taking a vacation to undergo a polygraph test.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said military officials could feel slighted if they were to take lie detector test, to which Kao said: “National security is more important.”
AIRPORT CLOSING
Meanwhile, Kao said the military planned to close a navy airport near Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, adding the land should be added to the Taoyuan Aviation Special Zone.
Lin said that once the military acquired P-3C “Orion” marine patrol warfare aircraft from the US, it had proposed deploying six at Taoyuan, three in Pingtung County and three in Hualien County.
Lin said he feared closing the military base in Taoyuan would undermine those plans.
Kao said the aviation special zone was one of government’s most significant construction projects and that as the military had found an alternative scheme, closing the base would not have an impact on national security.
A domestically developed “suicide drone,” also known as a loitering munition, would be tested and evaluated in July, and could enter mass production next year, Taiwan’s weapons developer said on Wednesday. The yet-to-be-named drone was among nine drone models unveiled by the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) on Tuesday. The drone has been dubbed the “Taiwanese switchblade” by Chinese-language media, due to its similarity to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which has been used by Ukraine in counterattacks during Russia’s invasion. It has a range of more than 10km, a flight time of more than 15 minutes, and an electro-optical
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
TECH PROGRAM: A US official said that an important part of the delegation’s trip would be to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executives The US is to send officials in charge of chip development to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to promote cooperation in the global semiconductor supply chain, the US Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chips Program Office Director Michael Schmidt announced the visit, which marks the first time officials from the office are to visit the three nations since it was set up in September last year. “As semiconductors and technologies continue to evolve, the United States will keep working with allies and partners to develop coordinated strategies to ensure that malign actors cannot use the latest technologies to undermine our collective
RSS