Investigators credit tip for spy charges

NATIONAL SECURITY: The Bureau of Investigation said it had been tailing three suspects since 1999 and that a tip paved the way for their arrest Tuesday

By Jimmy Chuang

STAFF REPORTER

The Ministry of Justice said yesterday a tip led to Tuesday's arrest of three men who allegedly spied for China.

Businessman Yeh Yu-chen, Chen Shih-liang, a senior researcher at the Ministry of National Defense's Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, and retired Boeing technician Hsu She-che, allegedly Yeh and Chen's partner, were detained on charges of breach of national security.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday night, special agents arrested Yeh and Chen at their offices on Tuesday morning.

Hsu flew to Taipei from Los Angeles and arrived at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport around 8:30pm on Tuesday. Agents arrested him immediately after he walked out of the gate on his way to a flight to Kaohsiung.

"We have tailed these three guys since 1999. Secret tips indicated that Hsu was flying back to Taiwan to meet Yeh and that then they would fly to China. As a result, we decided to make our move on Tuesday night," said Yang, a senior agent of the investigation bureau, who wished to remain anonymous.

According to the bureau, Yeh, Chen and Hsu sold military secrets, such as details of the P-3C anti-submarine aircraft procurement and military troop deployment, to China over the past 10 years.

Prior to Tuesday's arrest, agents had discovered a suspicious US$40,000 deposit in Chen's bank account. They are now investigating where the money came from.

Yeh, 53, is the owner of the Ai-yin-hsi High-tech Co in Chungli, Taoyuan County. Yeh and his Chinese wife's residence is above his office, where he was arrested. The company imports aircraft parts, electronic devices, radio devices and tiles.

The bureau's investigation showed that the institute had invited more than 20 companies and groups to visit its campus and that Yeh's company was one of them.

According to the investigation, agents discovered that Yeh has a close relationship with the Chinese authorities, adding that some of the shareholders in his company are Chinese citizens. In addition, of Yeh's three marriages, two of them were to Chinese women.

Chen, a 52-year-old researcher, had access to classified information at the institute, where he has been working since 1979.

Hsu, a 56-year-old Taiwanese-American, retired as a technician from Boeing and lives in Seattle.

If indicted, Yeh, Chen and Hsu would face charges under Article 109 and 110 of the Criminal Code.

Article 109 says, "A person who discloses or delivers a document, plan, information or other thing of a secret nature concerning the defense of the Republic of China shall be punished with imprisonment for not less than one and not more than seven years.

"A person who discloses or delivers to a foreign state or to its agent a document, plan, information or other thing specified in the preceding paragraph shall be punished with imprisonment for not less than three and not more than 10 years."

Article 110 says, "A person who searches out or gathers a document, plan, information or other thing specified of Article 109 shall be punished with imprisonment for not more than five years."

China is biggest security threat

Who is the biggest espionage threat to the US? It is no longer Russia, the Cold War archenemy, nor the recently fashionable "axis of evil" countries -- Iran, Iraq and North Korea. The rapidly rising China has replaced the Soviet Union as the biggest espionage threat to the US in the past decade.

Among the spies who have emerged in recent years are Larry Chin, who spied for Beijing in the CIA for 30 years; scientist Lee Wen-ho, who was suspected of providing missile information to China; and Katrina Leung, who used sex to obtain FBI intelligence. These were were all major Chinese spy cases that shocked the US and the rest of the world.

According to an FBI estimate, Beijing has set up more than 3,000 front companies in the US to cover espionage activities. In addition, many of the Chinese students, businessmen and visitors entering the US every year are believed to be on intelligence-gathering missions. For the US, China poses a multi-faceted, all-round threat of infiltration. Chinese spies are not only increasing in number but also gradually expanding the scope of their work to reach the core of the US national security establishment.

On Tuesday, Taiwan's law enforcement authorities exposed a Chinese spy ring. Yeh Chen-yu, a member of the espionage group, obtained research and development information from Chen Shih-liang, a technician at the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, Taiwan's top defense research institution. Yeh also obtained intelligence on US-Taiwan military cooperation from Howard Hsu, a retired Boeing engineer living in the US, and sold sensitive military equipment to China.

Along with the increase in cross-strait exchanges, Chinese citizens coming to Taiwan as immigrants, businessmen or tourists -- as well as Taiwanese citizens doing the same in China -- can be recruited by Chinese intelligence agencies and become Beijing's spies.

From the recent increase in Chinese spy cases, and from the expanding scope of infiltration into the military and defense research institutions, one can easily see the alarming loopholes in Taiwan's national security. These cases tell us that China is not just Taiwan's top enemy in intelligence security work. Chinese espionage activities have also become the biggest potential threat to American security.

Taiwan has many years of experience in dealing with Chinese spies and has a deep understanding of Beijing's intelligence-gathering strategies and operations. The US has advanced intelligence and counter-intelligence technologies and facilities. Taiwan and the US need to increase their intelligence cooperation to ensure the security of both sides and to stop the harm done by the Chinese spy network to the security of Taiwan, the US, Asia and the world.

Both Taiwan and the US are victims in this most recent case of Chinese espionage. It is not appropriate for the US to restrict the transfer of military technologies or curb weapons sales to Taiwan on account of this case. No side stands to benefit from such an act.

By restricting weapons sales and the transfer of defense technologies, the US will be falling into China's trap -- Beijing has always been trying to sow discord between Taiwan and the US. Taiwan's security will then be seriously harmed, and the US will lose one layer of protection for its defense security. The only beneficiary will be China.

Both Taiwan and the US should take this opportunity to review their intelligence and security systems, find the loopholes and jointly formulate strategies to resolve the threat. This will be the only win-win strategy.