Former legislator Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) has been found not guilty of attempting to recruit spies for China in the final ruling, after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by prosecutors to retry the case.
However, the court also ordered a partial retrial of for retired rear admiral Hsia Fu-hsiang (夏復翔) in the same case.
Prosecutors had appealed a High Court decision in April aquitting Lo — a former Taiwan Solidarity Union lawmaker — and Hsia on charges of contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法).
Photo: Taipei Times
The two were accused of attempting to create a spy network for China, with prosecutors citing Lo’s connection with a former Chinese People’s Liberation Army officer named Li Ying (李鷹).
Prosecutors said that Lo recruited Hsia, then president of the Naval Academy’s Alumni Association, to help organize 13 group tours for retired military officers to attend events in China from 2014 to 2018.
They said that the groups met with high-ranking Chinese officials, showing that the events they attended were not merely nonpolitical banquets.
In the first ruling in July last year, the Kaohsiung District Court acquitted Lo due to insufficient evidence, but handed Hsia a five-month sentence for attempting to form a spy network.
The Supreme Court in its decision this week aquitted Lo of all charges and Hsia of most charges.
However, it ordered a retrial of the charge against Hsia for attempting to create a spy ring.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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