An investigation into New Party Youth Corps members was launched because Wang Ping-chung (王炳忠) is suspected of attempting to create a paramilitary organization to destabilize Taiwan with financial backing from China, political and national security experts said yesterday.
Media personality and political pundit Clara Chou (周玉蔻) made the allegation during a talk show on Thursday, saying she had information that one of Wang’s family members recently received NT$5 million (US$166,845) in a bank account and she believes that the money came from China.
The New Party, through Wang and his colleagues’ efforts, “has established a paramilitary organization in Taiwan, which was set up on behalf of the Chinese government. The members would be receiving military training. Its purpose is to spring into action in the event of a conflict between Taiwan and China,” Chou said.
“All the information points to Wang and his New Party colleagues having contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法). They are being investigated because reports indicated they were developing networks and organizations in Taiwan under the guidance of the Chinese Communist Party,” she said.
National security expert and retired army colonel Tseng Miao-hung (曾淼泓) concurred with Chou’s information, saying that top-level intelligence reports indicate that China has been active in establishing paramilitary organizations and political warfare units, and offering financial backing to unification parties in Taiwan.
“The judiciary and law enforcement agencies must work together to uncover the extent of the recruitment and penetration into Taiwanese government and military agencies, and uproot them. The New Party’s paramilitary organization is only one of China’s proxies that forms part of their ‘united front’ works against Taiwan,” said Tseng, who specializes in military intelligence and warfare information, and formerly headed National Defense University’s computer center.
“China’s proxy groups in Taiwan receive regular funding through indirect channels and some have been trained by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army [PLA] to conduct unification political campaigns and espionage, recruit government and military officials, and entice them to pass on classified information,” he said.
“China’s paramilitary organizations, or ‘fifth column troops,’ are concealed as ‘sleeper cells’ conducting underground activities most of the time, but when military conflict arises, such as China trying to invade Taiwan, then these organizations and personnel are expected to spring into action in coordination with the PLA,” Tseng said. “Their mission is to carry out advanced strikes, such as destroying or disabling Taiwan’s telecommunication lines, power plants, main transportation routes and bridges, as well as other vital infrastructure.”
DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) talked about the case on the talk show with Chou, saying prosecutors must have had sufficient evidence against New Party members to be able to carry out Tuesday’s arrests.
The behind-the-scenes work has been going on for more than one year and the investigation was focused on national security breaches, he said.
“From what I have gathered, they contravened Article 2-1 of the National Security Act, which prohibits the collection and delivery of confidential documents, images or information, or developing an organization for China or for another foreign country,” he said.
At a news conference in Taipei yesterday, Wang Ping-chung downplayed Chou’s allegations.
“I do not know what her source of information is. Prosecutors did not present any information about this,” Wang said.
Separately yesterday, Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), when asked if he knew about Chou’s allegations, said: “No, I have no information and cannot comment on any individual case.”
Additional reporting by Stacy Hsu
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