MND denies Chinese spouses of military personnel pose threat
ROC Central News Agency
2013/05/03 19:36:41
Taipei, May 3 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) acknowledged Friday that some members of Taiwan's military are married to Chinese nationals but said that the situation did not pose a security threat.
"On those who have access to sensitive intelligence, whether they are military officers or non-commissioned officers, the MND has kept abreast of them, and there is no question of security leaks," military spokesman Luo Shou-he said.
The MND was responding to news reports, citing information provided by the MND to legislators, that said at least 70 military people with access to sensitive intelligence have spouses from China (including Hong Kong and Macau), with the most senior of them a colonel.
The ministry said the information it submitted to legislators on the subject noted that 70 servicemen had Chinese spouses, but it did not say that all of them were in sensitive intelligence units.
"The media reports are inconsistent with the data provided by the ministry," the MND said.
Only one or two out of the 70 have access to sensitive information, Luo said, and most Chinese spouses of military personnel had already obtained legal residency in Taiwan or were naturalized as ROC citizens before getting married.
"The ministry has obtained an in-depth understanding of the situation of related personnel," Luo said.
(By Angela Tsai and Lilian Wu)
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