Taiwan spies to serve prison terms
By Di Fang (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-03 22:34

An employee at a local TV station in East China's Anhui Province has been sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Anqing Intermediate People's Court for spying on behalf of Taiwan.

A Taiwanese citizen was sentenced to 10 years by the court at the same time for being involved with the espionage case, according to a China News Agency report Thursday.

The report did not say on what specific date the verdicts were decided.

Li Qingsheng, former deputy director of the Anqing Television Station's advertising department, was sentenced for selling military and economic information to Taiwan, the China News Service reported.

The local court in Anqing also sentenced Chang Hsin-min, an unemployed Taiwanese man, for helping Li convey the information to Taiwan's intelligence agency.

Both men have appealed the decisions, sources said.

The court ordered the seizure of assets worth 50,000 yuan (US$6,000) from each, the report said.

Li, 47, was judged by the court as having collected intelligence on behalf of Taiwan for six years.

Li moved his residence to Taiwan in 1994 together with his wife, but still chose to live in Anqing afterwards, Xinhua News Agency reported.

He visited the island three times between 1994 and 1997 and joined the "Taiwan military intelligence bureau" during that period with a monthly salary of US$400.

He received espionage training and equipment and was paid another US$20,000 for classified documents he had provided to the spy agency in Taiwan.

Li's relatives have returned 164,000 yuan (US$19,800) out of Li's income after the case was raised by police, sources said.

Chang, 34, travelled frequently to the Chinese mainland between 1999 and 2003 to convey information provided by Li to Taiwan.

Chang met Li almost 20 times in several cities including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hefei, Anqing, Guangzhou and Xiamen for information exchanges and handing over fees for the espionage work.

Chang was arrested by the State security authorities in September of last year.

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