Following reports that a retired military officer allegedly helped China collect sensitive information about the nation’s missile defense systems when he was in active service 10 years ago, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday reaffirmed its counterintelligence efforts, saying it would communicate with the US about the case.
Retired army major general Hsieh Chia-kang (謝嘉康), the former commander of the Air Defense Missile Command, has been under investigation over allegations he leaked classified information to China.
Hsieh was allegedly approached by retired army colonel Hsin Peng-sheng (辛澎生), who was reportedly recruited by Chinese intelligence operatives as far back as 10 years ago when he was in charge of the missile command.
Hsieh and Hsin were questioned by prosecutors and released on bail earlier this week.
Hsin admitted during questioning to spying for China, but denied allegations that he leaked state secrets, the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) reported.
The ministry is concerned that key information pertaining to the nation’s missile systems might have been compromised when Hsin was in charge of the command, one of the nation’s top missile units, which controls a large array of weaponry, including Tien Kung and US-made MIM-104F Patriot anti-ballistic missile systems, Hawk anti-aircraft missiles and Hsiung Feng-2E cruise missiles.
“This is the most serious and most damaging espionage case in history, as it involves the most critical missile unit and the compromising of its top officials,” Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said at the legislature yesterday.
Ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) reaffirmed the military’s counterintelligence operations, but did not confirm if any information had been compromised.
The ministry is to communicate with the US about the case and counterintelligence measures, due to concerns the US might put arms sales to Taiwan on hold, he said.
“We will communicate with the US through appropriate channels and explain our counterespionage and damage control efforts. I believe the US will appreciate our efforts,” Chen said.
About 90 percent of espionage cases have been uncovered due to the ministry’s internal investigations or tip-offs from military personnel, suggesting the ministry’s counterintelligence efforts work, he added.
Counterintelligence measures were in place 10 years ago, Chen said, adding that the ministry collected information on Hsin and Hsieh’s alleged espionage last year.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
RSS