Retired lieutenant colonel Tu Yung-hsin (杜永心), who was convicted of contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), has lost his appeal to the Taipei High Administrative Court, after a lower court removed his retirement pension.
Tu retired from active service in 1994 and went to China to start a business, where he met and befriended a member of China’s Central Military Commission surnamed Luo (羅), the court filing said.
Luo enticed Tu with financial rewards to set up a spy network in Taiwan, where he would access classified information and pass it on to Luo, it said.
Photo: Taipei Times file
After Tu returned to Taiwan in October 2011, he began recruiting people for the spy network and approached a lieutenant colonel surnamed Tsai (蔡), a section chief at an army combat unit, they said.
Tu offered Tsai NT$200,000 (US$6,174 at the current exchange rate), expensive foreign brand alcohol, top-grade tea gift packs and an all-expenses paid trip, the ruling said, adding that Tu even arranged for an overseas trip to meet Luo.
“Tsai was told to swear loyalty to China during the meeting with Luo, and to sign a pledge that if a war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, Tsai and his unit would not fight nor put up any resistance against enemy forces,” the filing said.
Prosecutors charged Tu with developing a spy network and contravening the National Security Act.
Meanwhile, Tsai was not charged, since he returned the cash and the gifts, recorded their conversations and gave it to prosecutors as evidence.
The New Taipei City District Court found Tu guilty in 2020 and sentenced him to four years in prison. He filed an appeal, but the Supreme Court upheld the verdict in 2022. Tu is in prison, serving his sentence.
The Taipei High Administrative Court also rejected Tu’s appeal regarding his pension, saying that the Ministry of National Defense has ruled that Tu no longer has a right to a military pension. As part of the verdict handed down in 2022, Tu was required to return the pension paid to him for 11 years.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
RESTRICTIONS: All food items imported from the five prefectures must be accompanied by radiation and origin certificates, and undergo batch-by-batch inspection The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that almost all produce from five Japanese prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster would now be allowed into Taiwan. The five are Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi. The only items that would still be blocked from being imported into the nation are those that are still banned from being circulated in Japan, the FDA added. With the removal of the ban, items including mushrooms, the meat of wild birds and other wild animals, and koshiabura” (foraged vegetables) would now be permitted to enter Taiwan, along with the other
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
A new tropical storm is expected to form by early tomorrow morning, potentially developing into a medium-strength typhoon that is to affect Taiwan through Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration said today. There are currently two tropical systems circulating to the east of Taiwan, agency forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The one currently north of Guam developed into Tropical Storm Gebi this afternoon and is expected to veer toward Japan without affecting Taiwan, Hsu said. Another tropical depression is 600km from the east coast and is likely to develp into the named storm Krathon either late tonight or early tomorrow, he said. This