It is sad that military personnel would allegedly sell out Taiwan, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday after the High Prosecutors’ Office on Monday questioned a lieutenant colonel and others over accusations that they leaked national defense secrets to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spies.
Officers searched the 601st Aviation Brigade’s base in Taoyuan and questioned a lieutenant colonel surnamed Hsieh (謝) and his alleged handler, also surnamed Hsieh.
Four others, three civilians and a retired major, were also questioned.
Photo: Chen Yun, Taipei Times
The major posted bail of NT$60,000, two civilians posted bail of NT$20,000 each and the other civilian posted bail of NT$50,000.
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office received a tip-off saying that the lieutenant colonel and others were leaking national defense secrets.
The High Court on Monday approved a request by the High Prosecutors’ Office to detain the two Hsiehs on charges of colluding with a foreign aggressor.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
The Ministry of Justice said that the arrests were conducted in a joint operation conducted by the ministry and national security agencies.
The ministry would continue counterintelligence efforts within the military and keep protecting classified projects, it said.
Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Alex Huang (黃重諺) said that the alleged actions were “shameful.”
The case should be investigated thoroughly and there should be severe sentences for anyone found guilty, Huang said.
Treason by active-duty military personnel by passing confidential information to China carries a maximum 10-year sentence.
Taiwanese trust the military to guard the nation, so acts betraying that trust should be met with the most severe recriminations, he said.
The government and national security agencies would maintain their defense of information security to prevent such incidents, he said.
Separately, Chen Tsung-yuan (陳宗元), a lawyer, said that previous cases of retired military personnel contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) involved district prosecutors’ offices, but this case was being handled by the High Prosecutors’ Office, which usually oversees cases involving rebellion, sedition and collusion with foreign state aggressors.
The case shows that the CCP’s methods to lure Taiwanese personnel have improved markedly, Chen said.
If it is proven that active military personnel have leaked classified defense documents to the enemy, it would be a great blow to national security, he said.
Additional reporting by Chien Li-chung
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