Lo Hsien-che
Encyclopedia
Major General Lo Hsieh-che (羅賢哲) was the head of the electronic communications and information department in the Republic of China Army
until his arrest in early 2011 on charges of spying for the People's Republic of China. Lo is reported to be the highest ranking officer arrested for allegedly spying for the PRC, and thus represents Taiwan's worst espionage case in 50 years.
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Lo's elder brother joined the Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School, after which he attended the Republic of China Military Academy. He achieved the rank of Colonel,and has since retired.
Following in his brother's footsteps, he entered the ROC Military Academy, where he graduated from the 51st Communications section. Being proficient in languages, he also studied in the United States Defense Language Institute
in Monterey, California. He graduated from Colleges of Army and Warfare of the National Defense University
. In 2000, he became Commander of the 73rd Communications unit of the 6th Army Corps, and was promoted to Colonel.
China Times reported that he had been lured by sex and money; news reports dubbed the case as "honey trap". Lo is said to have met a woman in her thirties and got involved with her when he was stationed in Thailand between 2002 and 2005, and had been selling high-level secrets since 2004. The woman, said to hold an Australian passport and described as "tall, beautiful and chic," induced Lo to collect secrets for her. He reportedly received payment on a case by case basis. According to local media cited by the South China Morning Post
, Lo may have received US$1 million on occasions. However, United Daily News
said: "sexual and financial temptations aside, the choice was definitely related to Lo's confusion over the country's future and the loyalty of military servicemen."
China Post cites media reports that the American Institute in Taiwan
(AIT), the de facto US mission in Taiwan, had been aware of the affair Lo was having in 2002 and had conducted their own investigation into it between 2002 and 2005. Although Lo was already married, he conducted his affair with the woman even after he returned to Taiwan. The media reported that his trips to the US with her had been monitored by US intelligence, who alerted Taipei to the liaison.
There are particular concerns that Lo may have passed on classified information on the "Po Sheng Operation", an advanced island-wide electronic warfare communications network used for directing the army, navy and air force in joint Taiwan–US war operations and communicating with the US Pacific Command. Military officials noted the Po Sheng system was so sensitive that different sections were constructed by different contractors to avoid the entire system being exposed. However, spokesman for the Taiwanese military said that the head of the army's communications and electronic information bureau did not have access to overall details of the Po Sheng project.
Republic of China Army
The ROC Army's current operational strength includes 3 armies, 5 corps. As of 2005, the Army's 35 brigades include 25 infantry brigades, 5 armoured brigades and 3 mechanized infantry brigades...
until his arrest in early 2011 on charges of spying for the People's Republic of China. Lo is reported to be the highest ranking officer arrested for allegedly spying for the PRC, and thus represents Taiwan's worst espionage case in 50 years.
Biography
Lo was born in 1951, the younger son, into a military family. His father, an "honorable citizen" from a mainland province (外省榮民) His mother hails from Penghu County; his parents met when his father was stationed there. Lo's father retired from the army, where he was a Platoon Leader, and took up farming in Guanshan, TaitungGuanshan, Taitung
Guanshan is an urban township in northern Taitung County, Taiwan. It is located in the Huatung Valley South segment. Beinan River flows through. In the east it is bordered by the Haian Range and in the west by the Central Mountain Range. Guanshan has a Tropical Monsoon Climate...
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Lo's elder brother joined the Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School, after which he attended the Republic of China Military Academy. He achieved the rank of Colonel,and has since retired.
Following in his brother's footsteps, he entered the ROC Military Academy, where he graduated from the 51st Communications section. Being proficient in languages, he also studied in the United States Defense Language Institute
Defense Language Institute
The Defense Language Institute is a United States Department of Defense educational and research institution, which provides linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies and numerous and varied other customers...
in Monterey, California. He graduated from Colleges of Army and Warfare of the National Defense University
National Defense University
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy. It is chartered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Navy Vice Admiral...
. In 2000, he became Commander of the 73rd Communications unit of the 6th Army Corps, and was promoted to Colonel.
Military career
- Military attache in Thailand 2002-2005.
- Returned to Taiwan in 2006 as deputy director of international intelligence affairs.
- became head of the electronic communications and information department in the ROC Army.
- Promoted to Maj. Gen. in 2008
Spying allegations and motivations
Military officials said Lo's office and house were raided by security authorities on 27 January 2011, and classified documents about current military electronic warfare and strategies were found.China Times reported that he had been lured by sex and money; news reports dubbed the case as "honey trap". Lo is said to have met a woman in her thirties and got involved with her when he was stationed in Thailand between 2002 and 2005, and had been selling high-level secrets since 2004. The woman, said to hold an Australian passport and described as "tall, beautiful and chic," induced Lo to collect secrets for her. He reportedly received payment on a case by case basis. According to local media cited by the South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post , together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper, published by the SCMP Group with a circulation of 104,000....
, Lo may have received US$1 million on occasions. However, United Daily News
United Daily News
The United Daily News is a newspaper published in the Republic of China in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in Taiwan, the other two being the China Times and the Liberty Times.-History:...
said: "sexual and financial temptations aside, the choice was definitely related to Lo's confusion over the country's future and the loyalty of military servicemen."
China Post cites media reports that the American Institute in Taiwan
American Institute in Taiwan
The American Institute in Taiwan is a non-profit, public corporation established under the auspices of the United States government to serve its interests in Taiwan...
(AIT), the de facto US mission in Taiwan, had been aware of the affair Lo was having in 2002 and had conducted their own investigation into it between 2002 and 2005. Although Lo was already married, he conducted his affair with the woman even after he returned to Taiwan. The media reported that his trips to the US with her had been monitored by US intelligence, who alerted Taipei to the liaison.
Implications
Although Lo is said to be the highest ranking officer arrested for allegedly spying for the PRC, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense downplayed the threat posed by the possible leaks by Lo, stating that he only had limited access to highly classified information. The acting director of the MND political warfare bureau said that Lo's duties as Director of the army’s information and communications bureau were mainly "management duties". However, some military experts believe that Lo had access to a information about vital air, ground and sea battle management systems which could have severely compromised Taiwan’s military command system in the case of conflict with Mainland China. Experts also believe joint military cooperation between Taipei and Washington may also have been jeopardized by the security breach.There are particular concerns that Lo may have passed on classified information on the "Po Sheng Operation", an advanced island-wide electronic warfare communications network used for directing the army, navy and air force in joint Taiwan–US war operations and communicating with the US Pacific Command. Military officials noted the Po Sheng system was so sensitive that different sections were constructed by different contractors to avoid the entire system being exposed. However, spokesman for the Taiwanese military said that the head of the army's communications and electronic information bureau did not have access to overall details of the Po Sheng project.