MAC links impersonation, threats to possible Chinese transnational repression

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Thursday that threats made by one or more persons impersonating a Taiwanese documentary distributor who brought a film about alleged forced organ harvesting in China to the country in 2024 appear to be a "new method" of Chinese transnational repression.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Taipei, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said one or more unidentified individuals have contacted and threatened people and organizations on at least three occasions, while claiming to be Kuan Chien-chung (管建忠), who distributed the documentary State Organs in Taiwan.

After the people who were threatened reported the matter, Kuan, head of Lion Movies Culture Co., was questioned by police in connection with the cases, Liang said.

"The purpose is to make Mr. Kuan run around exhausted," Liang said.

According to Liang, someone used Kuan's phone number in November 2025 to threaten a lawyer and demand money, prompting police to summon Kuan for questioning.

A similar incident involving the Kuma Academy -- a Taiwan-based civil defense group -- occurred the following month, while on Sept. 29 this year someone again claiming to be Kuan and using his phone number threatened the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association, a local organization of Falun Gong practitioners.

Liang said that, with MAC's assistance, Kuan reported the matter to police Thursday, adding that the council will coordinate with the National Police Agency and Ministry of Justice in handling the case.

Asked what led MAC to suspect the involvement of the Chinese authorities, Liang said the incidents did not appear to be simple cases of impersonation and threats, but rather "systematic" operations.

"For now, we are provisionally classifying it as a case of transnational repression," he said, adding that the designation could be reviewed as more information emerges.

Liang also noted that authorities have not identified those behind the threats and the circumstances surrounding the cases remain under investigation by judicial authorities.

State Organs is a Canadian documentary about two families searching for missing relatives and allegations of state-run forced organ harvesting targeting Falun Gong practitioners in China, according to the film's official website.

In late 2024, cinemas and other organizations involved in screenings of the documentary in Taiwan received dozens of threats, including bomb threats.

Taiwan's National Security Bureau said at the time that the Criminal Investigation Bureau had traced threatening emails to overseas IP addresses and determined that the senders had used virtual private networks (VPNs).