CRIME
Former spokesman indicted
Prosecutors on Thursday indicted former Cabinet spokesman Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) for allegedly trading political favors for sex while serving in the Tainan City Government more than a decade ago. The Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office said it would seek a harsh punishment for Chen, including removing his civil rights, due to his uncooperative demeanor during the investigation. Wiretaps and witness testimony showed that Chen had paid multiple times for sexual encounters with hostesses working for a club operator surnamed Wang (王) in 2012 and 2013, prosecutors said. Despite closing an initial investigation in August 2015, citing a lack of evidence, prosecutors reopened their probe into Chen in February last year following a new complaint against him. Chen on Thursday maintained his innocence, saying there was no evidence against him and that he would seek to clear his name in court. Chiou Jiunn-yann (邱駿彥), head of the Democratic Progressive Party’s anti-corruption committee, said that a meeting is to be held on Aug. 27 to discuss how to deal with Chen.
DEFENSE
Suicide drone in the works
The Military News Agency on Thursday released footage of a suicide drone that is under development. The clip showed a soldier operating a quadcopter, or quadrotor, uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) via remote control to destroy a car and a ship by crashing into them. A voiceover on the footage states: “The armed forces are actively working closely with domestic and international partners to develop small UAVs to meet the nation’s defensive needs.” Through military exercises, “these UAVs are being tested to prove their excellent capabilities and the results of training,” the narrator said, adding that “in the future, [the armed forces] would be working with domestic UAV supply chains to construct reliable defensive capabilities [for the nation].” The suicide drone is still under development by the navy and has not been officially commissioned, a source said. The 30-second clip is part of more than seven minutes of footage that the agency filmed on several rounds of live-fire exercises in April to test the precision shooting capabilities of its missiles and rockets.
CROSS-STRAIT
Spies claim untrue: MAC
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday said that China’s claim of detecting more than 1,000 cases of espionage by Taiwanese spies was a means of achieving “goals” set by top Chinese authorities. If the Chinese authorities’ claim is not a boast, then it suggests that they are abusing their power to detain people, MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. He was referring to an article published on Tuesday on the social media account of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, which said that its authorities had “uncovered more than 1,000 cases of espionage by Taiwanese spies,” without providing any details. A large number of espionage networks established by Taiwanese spies in China have been destroyed, while “Taiwan independence leaders,” such as Yang Chih-yuan (楊智淵) have being arrested, it said. Liang said the approach taken by the Chinese Communist Party over the years has been very simple, with top authorities setting certain targets and subordinates working to achieve those “goals.” “Historically, whether it is the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the Cultural Revolution, the Great Leap Forward or others, it has always been the same [approach],” Liang added. Regarding Yang’s arrest, Liang said the MAC has been in contact with his family and has “a better understanding of his current situation,” but cannot disclose any detailed information, as it has to respect his family’s wishes. Liang said Yang’s political stance has often been fluid, aligning sometimes with the Democratic Progressive Party and at other times with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which means it is difficult to categorize his views. “Before his arrest, he was teaching Go in China and participating in some Go competitions,” Liang said. “It is quite absurd that someone like him can be labeled as a leading advocate of Taiwanese independence, just to achieve those [Chinese] ‘goals.’”
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
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