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Former general charged with spying
for China
By Rich Chang / Staff Reporter
Major-General Lo Hsien-che,
ex-head of communications and electronic information at Army Command
Headquarters, is seen in this undated file photo.
Photo: CNA
Military prosecutors yesterday indicted Lo
Hsien-che (ù½åõ), former head of communications and electronic information at the
army command headquarters, on suspicion of providing military secrets to China,
saying they would seek a sentence of life in prison.
Lo, at the center of the nation¡¦s biggest espionage case in 50 years, has been
detained since Jan. 25.
The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that Lo was charged in
accordance with military law with spying for the enemy, delivering military
secrets to the enemy and receiving bribes.
The statement alleged that Lo was recruited by Chinese agents in 2004 and is
suspected of collecting military secrets and delivering confidential information
to Beijing.
The statement said that Lo, as a high-ranking military official who had been
cultivated by the ministry and his country, should have been loyal and served
his country. Instead, Lo¡¦s actions seriously jeopardized national interests,
national security as well as the reputation and morale of the military, it said.
The statement added that Lo could have been recommended for the death penalty,
but given that he had admitted his actions during the investigation and that he
returned bribes he took from China, military prosecutors requested life
imprisonment instead.
The statement did not mention whether the 51-year-old one-star general had had
access to a joint Taiwan-US military communications project, called Po Sheng,
and whether he had leaked confidential information about the project.
Local media previously alleged Lo was lured by sex and money offered by a female
Chinese agent while he was stationed in Thailand between 2002 and 2005.
The Chinese-language United Evening News yesterday cited anonymous military
sources as alleging that Lo frequented prostitutes when he was in Thailand and
that Chinese agents blackmailed him after they had filmed him.
The ministry yesterday declined to comment on the sex allegations against Lo.
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