The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the sentences given to two retired air force officers who helped or attempted to help a Chinese Ministry of State Security agent recruit intelligence assets in Taiwan.
Lieutenant Colonel Wei Hsien-yi (魏先儀) was given a two-year suspended sentence and ordered to pay a penalty of NT$3 million (US$92,681). Former major general Chien Yao-tung (錢耀棟) was given a suspended 16-month prison sentence and an NT$1.5 million fine.
The court also ordered Chien and Wei to attend five and 10 classes on Taiwanese law respectively.
Photo: Chang Wen-chuan, Taipei Times
The prosecutors said that Chien and Wei accepted gifts and all-expenses-paid trips to China on multiple occasions from a Hong Kong man surnamed Tse (謝) — who had told Chien and Wei he was working covertly on behalf of the Chinese government — in exchange for connecting Tse with fellow retired officers.
Chien and Wei introduced Tse to at least five high-ranking former or current officers — including Chang Che-ping (張哲平), who served as deputy minister of national defense in 2019, prosecutors said.
At the time that Chien and Wei approached Chang, the ex-minister held a high-ranking position in the air force combatant command.
Tse, posing as a businessman, was working for a front organization set up by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission to gather intelligence about Taiwan’s military and politics, and conduct counterespionage, prosecutors added.
Chien and Wei continued to arrange banquets and accept gifts from Tse to arrange meetings with retired officers, until Tse, fearing his cover had been blown, abruptly ceased his visits to Taiwan in 2019, prosecutors added.
An initial ruling by the Taipei District Court found Wei guilty of espionage, and Chien guilty of attempted espionage.
The judges ruled that as retired military officers, Wei and Chien neglected their loyalty to their country.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS