CRIME
Former spokesman indicted
Prosecutors on Thursday indicted former Cabinet spokesman Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) for allegedly trading political favors for sex while serving in the Tainan City Government more than a decade ago. The Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office said it would seek a harsh punishment for Chen, including removing his civil rights, due to his uncooperative demeanor during the investigation. Wiretaps and witness testimony showed that Chen had paid multiple times for sexual encounters with hostesses working for a club operator surnamed Wang (王) in 2012 and 2013, prosecutors said. Despite closing an initial investigation in August 2015, citing a lack of evidence, prosecutors reopened their probe into Chen in February last year following a new complaint against him. Chen on Thursday maintained his innocence, saying there was no evidence against him and that he would seek to clear his name in court. Chiou Jiunn-yann (邱駿彥), head of the Democratic Progressive Party’s anti-corruption committee, said that a meeting is to be held on Aug. 27 to discuss how to deal with Chen.
DEFENSE
Suicide drone in the works
The Military News Agency on Thursday released footage of a suicide drone that is under development. The clip showed a soldier operating a quadcopter, or quadrotor, uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) via remote control to destroy a car and a ship by crashing into them. A voiceover on the footage states: “The armed forces are actively working closely with domestic and international partners to develop small UAVs to meet the nation’s defensive needs.” Through military exercises, “these UAVs are being tested to prove their excellent capabilities and the results of training,” the narrator said, adding that “in the future, [the armed forces] would be working with domestic UAV supply chains to construct reliable defensive capabilities [for the nation].” The suicide drone is still under development by the navy and has not been officially commissioned, a source said. The 30-second clip is part of more than seven minutes of footage that the agency filmed on several rounds of live-fire exercises in April to test the precision shooting capabilities of its missiles and rockets.
CROSS-STRAIT
Spies claim untrue: MAC
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday said that China’s claim of detecting more than 1,000 cases of espionage by Taiwanese spies was a means of achieving “goals” set by top Chinese authorities. If the Chinese authorities’ claim is not a boast, then it suggests that they are abusing their power to detain people, MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. He was referring to an article published on Tuesday on the social media account of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, which said that its authorities had “uncovered more than 1,000 cases of espionage by Taiwanese spies,” without providing any details. A large number of espionage networks established by Taiwanese spies in China have been destroyed, while “Taiwan independence leaders,” such as Yang Chih-yuan (楊智淵) have being arrested, it said. Liang said the approach taken by the Chinese Communist Party over the years has been very simple, with top authorities setting certain targets and subordinates working to achieve those “goals.” “Historically, whether it is the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the Cultural Revolution, the Great Leap Forward or others, it has always been the same [approach],” Liang added. Regarding Yang’s arrest, Liang said the MAC has been in contact with his family and has “a better understanding of his current situation,” but cannot disclose any detailed information, as it has to respect his family’s wishes. Liang said Yang’s political stance has often been fluid, aligning sometimes with the Democratic Progressive Party and at other times with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which means it is difficult to categorize his views. “Before his arrest, he was teaching Go in China and participating in some Go competitions,” Liang said. “It is quite absurd that someone like him can be labeled as a leading advocate of Taiwanese independence, just to achieve those [Chinese] ‘goals.’”
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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