Three Taiwanese affiliated with the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) were yesterday charged with developing a spy network to infiltrate the Taiwanese military, contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法).
The Kaohsiung branch of the High Prosecutors’ Office charged Wen Lung (溫瓏), who runs a business in China, along with two retired Taiwanese military officers, Chu Hsin-yu (朱新瑜) and Chiang Chiung-lin (江瓊麟), both members of the CUPP’s Shih Chung chapter.
Wen started a business in China in 2016 to import agricultural technology and specialty crops from Taiwan for the Chinese market, prosecutors said, alleging that he was recruited by Beijing’s United Front Work Department to target Taiwanese.
Photo: Pao Chien-hsin, Taipei Times
Wen had made several media appearances touting the benefits of doing business in China, and urging Taiwanese to work there, the indictment showed.
He got to know Chiang and Chu and allegedly invited them on all-expenses-paid trips to China, it said.
Wen arranged for the two retired military officers to meet with “united front” officials, and the duo allegedly promised to use their personal connections and networks in Taiwan to recruit military personnel as spies and procure confidential materials to pass on to their Chinese handlers, prosecutors said.
The trio allegedly worked to form a spy network in Taiwan including both retired and active Taiwan military personnel, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement officers in May raided residences in Kaohsiung and other cities to gather evidence and summon the trio for questioning.
The trio have been charged under Article 2 of the National Security Act, which prohibits a person from working for China, Hong Kong, Macau or foreign hostile forces to “fund, direct or develop an organization,” prosecutors said.
The act also prohibits “spying on or collecting confidential documents, messages, articles or electromagnetic records that are for official use.”
During questioning, the trio admitted to having met with united front officials and other Chinese intelligence officers, prosecutors said.
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
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS