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Taipei, Taiwan (UPI) May 20, 2011 Military prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for former Maj. Gen. Lo Hsien-che, who was indicted on charges of spying for China in exchange for money. Lo, a former head of communications and electronic information at army command headquarters, was arrested in January on suspicion of passing military secrets to Beijing. Taiwanese media claim Lo's case is turning into the country's worst case of espionage in 50 years. Media reports claim Lo had been seduced by sex and money offered by a female Chinese agent when he was a military attache in Thailand between 2002 and 2005. The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement Lo, 61, is alleged to have been recruited by Chinese agents in 2004 and that he received $150,000 in bribes. The statement claimed the government could have recommended the death penalty for Lo if found guilty. But given he had admitted his actions during the investigation and he returned bribes he took from China, military prosecutors requested life imprisonment. The Taipei Times newspaper reported that an article in the Chinese-language United Evening News cited anonymous military sources alleging Lo frequented prostitutes when he was in Thailand. They also allege Chinese agents blackmailed Lo after they filmed him with prostitutes in what is known as a honey trap. The Ministry of Defense did not comment on the sex allegations. Local media have noted the Ministry of Defense statement did not mention whether Lo had had access to, and leaked information about, a major military communications project called Po Sheng. The project is an advanced island-wide electronic warfare communications network, including the latest fiber-optic systems, for coordinating Taiwan's army, navy and air force with the U.S. Pacific Command. Lo was the younger son of a military family, and his father was an immigrant from mainland China. He entered Taiwan's Military Academy, where he graduated from the 51st Communications section. He also studied in the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif. In 2000 Lo became commander of the 73rd Communications Unit of the 6th Army Corps and was promoted to colonel. After returning from Thailand in 2005 he was promoted to the rank of major-general. His arrest could cause diplomatic irritations with Beijing, whose communist government -- in power since 1949 -- claims Taiwan as part of its territory. Meanwhile, Taiwan consistently asserts its independence. The two countries periodically announce spy arrests. In December 2003 China's official news agency Xinhua said 24 spies from Taiwan and 19 from mainland China had been arrested in a major crackdown by security services in Beijing.
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Arms sales to Taiwan damage US-China ties: ChenWashington (AFP) May 18, 2011 A top Chinese general said Wednesday that further US arms sales to Taiwan could damage fledgling military ties between Washington and Beijing, and that it amounted to American meddling. When asked by a reporter if US weapons sales to Taiwan would affect defense relations between the two economic powers, China's Chief of General Staff Chen Bingde said: "My answer is affirmative. It will." ... read more |
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