Revelations that the military police, along with a military “counter intelligence agency,” have been criticized for operating with a Martial Law-era mentality after the detention and search of a civilian’s house to seize documents.
The scandal over the treatment of a man surnamed Wei (魏) who offered three historical documents for sale online last month has brought to public attention a shadowy military agency — the Military Security Brigade, which was set up as a special body by the Ministry of National Defense Political Warfare Bureau’s Security Division.
The Military Security Brigade is a counter intelligence organization that conducts surveillance, wire tapping, intelligence gathering and other clandestine operations against suspected dissidents and communist spies, and upholds internal security against leaks of state secrets and to investigate criminal activities by military personnel.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The brigade was formerly part of the military’s Counterintelligence Corps and before the overall restructuring in 1992, it was run by the Taiwan Garrison Command, which was responsible for the arbitrary arrest, torture, imprisonment without trial and executions of tens of thousands of Taiwanese during the Martial Law era from 1949 to 1987.
It was often compared to the Stasi secret police of the former East Germany and also described as Taiwan’s Nazi SS unit during the Martial Law era, because the officers of Taiwan Garrison Command swore loyalty only to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and then his son, former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), as they committed atrocities with impunity.
The Military Security Brigade still operates, remaining among the nation’s four intelligence-gathering secret services, the others being the National Security Bureau, the Military Intelligence Bureau and the ministry’s Office of Telecommunications Development.
Military Security Brigade Chief Colonel Wang Shih-wei (汪世偉) was summoned for questioning by prosecutors in the ongoing investigation into the case, while Security Division head Major General Chao Tai-chuan (趙代川) was removed from his post on Tuesday.
At the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) accused the Military Security Brigade of orchestrated the operation, as they had officers accompanying military police personnel to meet Wei and were stationed outside Wei’s house to carry out surveillance throughout the day.
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said he has obtained information that indicated Chao, as head of the Security Division, was the leading figure in the illegal search, coordinating with officers from Military Security Brigade.
Wang accused Chao of telling military police that search warrants were not necessary, and that Chao, along with officers of Military Security Brigade, approved the decision to carry out the operation on Feb. 19 to meet Wei and afterward lied to top military officials to try to cover up the misconduct.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
‘SIGN OF DANGER’: Beijing has never directly named Taiwanese leaders before, so China is saying that its actions are aimed at the DPP, a foundation official said National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday accused Beijing of spreading propaganda, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had singled out President William Lai (賴清德) in his meeting with US President Joe Biden when talking about those whose “true nature” seek Taiwanese independence. The Biden-Xi meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru on Saturday. “If the US cares about maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is crucial that it sees clearly the true nature of Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in seeking Taiwanese independence, handles the Taiwan question with extra
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to