The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office this morning released Lin Yueh-lung (林岳龍) on bail of NT$100,000 and barred him from traveling abroad over alleged involvement in a Chinese espionage case.
Lin served as assistant to several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators, including Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) and Lin Chien-chi (林倩綺).
Photo: Taipei Times
His most recent post was as a part-time social media manager for KMT Taipei City Councilor Wang Hsin-yi (王欣儀), and as a spokesperson for the KMT's Taipei chapter.
Codefendants Wang Kai-min (王凱民), former aide to KMT Keelung City Councilor Lan Min-hui (藍敏輝), and Kuo Wen-pin (郭文彬), former senior executive officer in the Presidential Office under then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), were released without bail.
Lin is suspected of having been recruited by Chinese authorities several years ago.
Prosecutors said he allegedly received payments and provided confidential and sensitive information to the Chinese Communist Party.
The case is being investigated as a possible breach of the National Security Act (國家安全法).
Prosecutors added that the investigation has also implicated Wang Kai-min and Kuo in the case.
Prosecutors yesterday conducted raids at seven locations, including the residences of Lin Yueh-lung and offices of Wang Hsin-yi and Lan.
They also summoned Lin Yueh-lung, Wang Kai-min and Kuo for questioning.
Wang Hsin-yi released a statement last night pledging full cooperation with the investigation to protect national security.
The statement added that Lin Yueh-lung was hired as a part-time social media manager in January and does not work in the councilor's office.
Also last night, Lin Yueh-lung's former legislative employers issued statements expressing support for prosecutors' lawful investigation into suspected criminal behavior.
Lin Chien-chi said that Lin Yueh-lung did not handle any secret or confidential information during his employment in her office.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
RSS