The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday charged seven former or active-duty military officers in relation to allegations that they sold military secrets to China, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported.
Police on Tuesday detained the suspects following raids on their homes and offices. Hours later, prosecutors pressed charges in a court hearing in the early morning.
Four of the suspects are held in pretrial detention. They are a retired air force colonel surnamed Liu (劉), the alleged ringleader, and three field-grade active-duty military members serving in the air force or the navy — a lieutenant colonel surnamed Sun (孫), a major surnamed Kung (龔) and a major surnamed Liu (劉).
Photo: Huang Liang-chieh, Taipei Times
Additionally, three majors serving in the armed forces, including one in the army, were released on bail of between NT$100,000 and NT$200,000.
The CNA report cited an unnamed source as saying that the prosecutors did not seek pretrial detention for the three majors even though they are suspected of staying in contact with the alleged ringleader, but they had not yet agreed to provide him with information.
The report said that colonel Liu was allegedly recruited to spy on behalf of Beijing after retiring from the military.
He was allegedly recruited during a business trip to China in 2013, after which he developed a network of informants in Taiwan, recruiting them from among his professional contacts, it said, adding that he paid them NT$30,000 to NT$100,000 through shell corporations.
Among the information the ring provided to China were the distribution of armed forces in Taiwan and other sensitive information, it added.
HOT-SPRING RETREAT: A hotel in Japan incurred a loss of about US$1,846 after a Taiwanese man failed to show up for his reservation due to a misunderstood message A Taiwanese man who failed to show up for a hotel reservation in Japan has apologized and offered compensation, the hotel said yesterday. The man, surnamed Lee (李), reserved a room at the Yufuin Tsubaki hot-spring hotel in Oita for the Lunar New Year holiday, but failed to show up on Friday. Lee yesterday called the hotel to apologize and offered to compensate the losses caused by his failure to show up, a hotel employee surnamed Yashiro said. Lee’s wife also called on Sunday to apologize, she said. Lee had booked a two-night stay with upscale seafood and beef meals, the hotel said. His
Two Taiwanese Americans were among those killed in a mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles (TECO LA) said it contacted local authorities, who confirmed that two of the 11 killed in the shooting were Taiwanese Americans. “TECO LA conveys our heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, and sends our prayers to the injured for a speedy recovery,” it said in a statement. The office said it is assisting the relatives of one of the victims to travel from
A senior US senator on Monday questioned the willingness of some US allies to help defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. Although Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) expects the US and Japan to respond in a war in the Taiwan Strait, he was “a little less confident what our other allies would do,” US Senator John Cornyn said. Australia and New Zealand have voiced support for Taiwan, but it “is a far cry from committing troops to repel an invasion,” Cornyn said during a discussion on China, Russia and the state of US military readiness at a forum hosted
Whisky connoisseurs are a rapidly growing demographic in Taiwan, driving prices ever higher as collectors vie for the most coveted editions. Although not a new pastime, whisky collection has been picking up steam in recent years. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, Taiwan was the third-largest buyer of Scotch whisky in 2021 in monetary terms. One collector, surnamed Fu (傅), said there are many types of whisky that are ripe for collecting. One that has skyrocketed in price in recent years is the Macallan 12-year-old Gran Reserva, which bears a striking purple label, said Fu, who has more than 10 years of experience as