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MIB DENIES TAIWAN SPIES ARRESTED IN MAINLAND CHINA: LAWMAKER

2003-12-22 23:09:50

    Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) Both the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) have denied that any of their spies have been arrested in the mainland since President Chen Shui-bian announced that Beijing has 496 missiles aimed at Taiwan, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Wen-chung said Monday.

    As a member of the National Defense Committee at the Legislative Yuan, Lee said he checked with the MND and the MIB about reports that 36 people spying for Taiwan on the mainland were arrested as a result of President Chen's Nov. 30 remarks, and was told that none of their agents has been arrested since Nov. 30.

    Displaying satellite photos downloaded from a U.S. Website, Lee told a news conference that the pictures clearly show every one of Beijing's missile launch trucks. Since each truck is equipped with six missiles, it is easy to figure out the total number of missiles targeting Taiwan, he pointed out.

    According to the pictures posted on the Website, Lee said, Beijing has deployed 96 missiles in Lepin, Jiangxi Province, 96 missiles in Ganxian, also in Jiangxi Province, 96 missiles in Meizhou, Guangdong Province, 144 missiles in Yongan, Fujian Province, all of which are within range of Taiwan.

    Lee said the information about Beijing's missile deployment depends more on satellite photos than intelligence gathered by spies. The Hong Kong newspaper that claimed Chen has exposed the sources of Taiwan's intelligence, thereby risking the lives of Taiwan's spies on the mainland by making public the number of Beijing's missiles, is militarily ignorant, he added.

    He disputed a claim made by a retired intelligence official that a local intelligence unit has lost contact with several agents on the mainland since the president revealed the number of Beijing's missiles, saying that it is a politically motivated accusation aimed at smearing the president.

    Lee called the news conference in response to a report by Hong Kong's Ming Pao daily that claimed Beijing had arrested 36 Taiwan spies as a result of Chen's Nov. 30 missile remarks.

(By Maubo Chang)

ENDITEM/J