The Taiwan High Court yesterday upheld a ruling by a lower court that sentenced a former Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officer last year to four years in prison for alleged violation of the National Security Act (國家安全法).
In September last year, the Taipei District Court found Zhen Xiaojiang (鎮小江), a retired PLA captain, guilty of setting up a spy ring in Taiwan.
Zhen, based in Xiamen, China, was found to have traveled to Taiwan frequently after he acquired Hong Kong residency in 2005.
Traveling on a tourist visa, Zhen set up the espionage ring by recruiting retired and active Taiwanese military officers to collect secret military intelligence, according to the district court.
Retired Republic of China Army major-general Hsu Nai-chuan (許乃權) who once ran unsuccessfully for the post of Kinmen county commissioner, was also given a three-year jail term at the district court in relation to the case.
Hsu is the highest-ranking army officer in Taiwan to be prosecuted for an offense against national security.
The Taiwan High Court yesterday reduced the sentence for Hsu to two years and 10 months.
Teng Chen-chiu (鄧振球), the presiding High Court judge, said that although Hsu was found guilty of helping Zhen expand his spy network by introducing other retired and serving military officers, his conduct could only be determined as an “attempt” — an offense that occurs when a person comes dangerously close to carrying out a criminal act and intends to commit the act, but does not commit it.
As for Zhen, the court found that the number of criminal acts involving the Chinese national was higher than those unearthed in the first trial, Teng said.
However, thanks to Zhen’s confession and cooperation with the trial proceedings, the court decided to retain the original sentence, he said.
The ruling can be appealed.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS