7 indicted for allegedly leaking military secrets to China

Taipei, Nov. 18 (CNA) Prosecutors said Tuesday they would seek the maximum punishment for a Chinese man and six serving and retired Taiwanese military personnel indicted for leaking sensitive information to China.

The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office said the Chinese man named Ding Xiaohu (丁小琥), or Ting Siu Fu in Cantonese, who holds a Hong Kong passport, and his six alleged accomplices were charged with violating the National Security Act, the Classified National Security Information Protection Act, and the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces.

The Taiwanese defendants were identified as Wang Wen-hao (王文豪), Tan Chun-ming (譚俊明), Lu Fang-chi (呂芳契), Chiu Han-lin (邱翰林), Yang Chien-hui (楊千慧) and Yang Po-chih (楊博智).

Ding allegedly recruited retired officers, including Wang, Tan, and two others surnamed Chang (張) and Ho (何), as core members of a network tasked with developing contacts and gathering classified information.

These core members then used their former military connections to recruit additional active-duty and retired personnel, including Lu, Chiu, Yang Chien-hui and Yang Po-chih.

Ding also sought to persuade active-duty personnel to lead their subordinates in offering no resistance in the event of a future cross-strait conflict, investigators said.

According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), the investigation originated when its Political Warfare Bureau identified suspicious behavior by a major surnamed Yang during an internal review.

The case was reported through the national security joint-defense mechanism, prompting a coordinated probe by the National Security Bureau, the Military Police Command, and the Investigation Bureau.

Following evidence collection and damage-control efforts, investigators said they uncovered the wider network and referred the case to prosecutors.

Authorities said Ding and Chang, now deceased, instructed an associate named Chen Chun-an (陳俊安) to transfer more than NT$11.12 million (US$356,444) into Taiwan via underground banking channels to fund intelligence-gathering operations and pay recruited military personnel.

The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office indicted Ding and the six military personnel on charges including developing an organization for a hostile foreign force and collecting and leaking national and military secrets.

Meanwhile, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted Ding, Wang, and Chen for money laundering and violations of the Banking Act. Charges against Chang and Ho, both deceased, were dropped.

The MND said Tuesday it "strongly condemns" treasonous acts committed by a small number of service members and warned that China's infiltration efforts "have never ceased."

The ministry said it has strengthened security vetting procedures for personnel with access to classified information, implemented a clearance certification system, and expanded counterintelligence training to improve security awareness.

It will continue collaborating with related agencies through the joint-defense mechanism to safeguard national security, the ministry added.