A Taiwanese air force captain at a radar command and control centre has been arrested for allegedly leaking classified data to China, officials and media said Wednesday. The captain, identified only by his surname Chiang, was arrested in January for allegedly leaking illegally obtained data to China via his uncle, a Taiwanese businessman based on the mainland, according to a report by the widely-circulated Next Magazine.
It said the Chinese military has long sought access to the centre which houses highly sensitive information including details on the air force's "Strong Net" radar system and the US-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles. Taiwan's defence ministry spokesman David Lo confirmed the arrest but declined to provide further details on the case while the investigation continues.
But Chen Chen-hsiang, a former general who is now a legislator in the ruling Kuomintang party, said he was "shocked" at the news. "The unit is supposed to be highly confidential," he said. Next Magazine cited a military source warning: "Should the air force captain leak electronic factors of the various radar systems to China, the damages from the case would go beyond imagination".
It said the centre in the north is responsible for surveillance of the skies stretching from the island's north to south-eastern Chinese coastal provinces like Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi. Pan Meng-an, a lawmaker from the major opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), called on President Ma Ying-jeou to immediately hold a national security meeting.
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