Latest news with #LibertyTimes
The Sun
25-06-2025
- The Sun
Taiwan ex-soldier sentenced after spying for China
TAIPEI: Taiwan's High Court on Wednesday sentenced a former soldier to two years and two months in prison for photographing and leaking confidential military documents to China. Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control. The two sides have been spying on each other for decades, but experts say the threat to Taiwan is greater given the risk of a Chinese invasion. The defendant, identified by his family name Chen, was convicted of violating the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces for passing the documents for a payment of NT$80,000 ($2,700), the court said in a statement. It did not identify Chen's rank or what kind of information was leaked. In February 2023, Chen obtained electronic files of military secret-level documents from a classmate under the pretext of 'preparing for supervision by his superiors', printed them out and took them out of the camp. Chen then used his smartphone to photograph the files and sent them to a man he met on the messaging app Line in 2022 when he applied for a loan, the court said. 'He handed over our country's military secrets in exchange for money, which seriously damaged national security,' it added. The court added that Chen received a lenient sentence because he confessed and showed remorse during the investigation and trial. Local newspaper Liberty Times reported that Chen was a former Marines sergeant addicted to online gaming and owed huge debts. He can appeal the ruling.
NDTV
25-06-2025
- NDTV
Ex Taiwan Soldier Sentenced To Two Years In Prison After Spying For China
Taiwan's High Court on Wednesday sentenced a former soldier to two years and two months in prison for photographing and leaking confidential military documents to China. Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control. The two sides have been spying on each other for decades, but experts say the threat to Taiwan is greater given the risk of a Chinese invasion. The defendant, identified by his family name Chen, was convicted of violating the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces for passing the documents for a payment of NT$80,000 ($2,700), the court said in a statement. It did not identify Chen's rank or what kind of information was leaked. In February 2023, Chen obtained electronic files of military secret-level documents from a classmate under the pretext of "preparing for supervision by his superiors", printed them out and took them out of the camp. Chen then used his smartphone to photograph the files and sent them to a man he met on the messaging app Line in 2022 when he applied for a loan, the court said. "He handed over our country's military secrets in exchange for money, which seriously damaged national security," it added. The court added that Chen received a lenient sentence because he confessed and showed remorse during the investigation and trial. Local newspaper Liberty Times reported that Chen was a former Marines sergeant addicted to online gaming and owed huge debts. He can appeal the ruling.
AFP
10-04-2025
- General
- AFP
Pictures show cat rescued after 2024 earthquake in Taiwan, not in Thailand
"A cat getting rescued from the Bangkok collapsed building," reads the Burmese-language Facebook post published on March 29, 2025. The post shares images of an orange cat trapped in debris rescued by a man in protective gear. It was shared more than 900 times on Facebook. Image Screenshot taken on April 8, 2025 of the false post A skyscraper collapsed and killed dozens of construction workers in Bangkok after the devastating earthquake hit on March 28. The ruling military junta in Myanmar also said on April 8 that the jolt killed more than 3,600 people in the country (archived link). The same claim was shared by multiple Facebook users in Myanmar, but the images in fact show a cat rescued after an earthquake struck Hualien in eastern Taiwan in April 2024. A reverse image search on Google found the first photo published on April 13, 2024 in a report by Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) on attempts to rescue the feline from the Uranus building in the city (archived link). The CNA report also said the owner died trying to rescue her cat. Image Screenshot comparison of the picture as seen in the false post (L) and on CNA's website A magnitude-7.4 earthquake left the glass-fronted Uranus building tilting precariously, becoming a symbol of Taiwan's strongest quake in 25 years (archived link). The second photo was featured in an article about the same cat rescue on the same day by Taiwanese news outlet the Liberty Times (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the photo from the false post (left) and from the Liberty Times A similar video was published by local outlet Formosa TV, capturing the moment when the cat was rescued and taken to a veterinarian for treatment (archived link). AFP has fact-checked misrepresented visuals linked to the Myanmar earthquake.
