Sat, Aug 17, 2024 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  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.’”
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Bologna advance to face AC Milan in Coppa final

  • 2

    Bukele proposes prisoner swap with Maduro

  • 3

    Wild’s top line too much for Vegas Golden Knights

  • 4

    HK, Macau residency rules tightened

  • 5

    Eric Chu, 2 others to be questioned for leading illegal assembly last week