Taipei, Sept. 14 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) declined to comment Tuesday on a media report that Myanmar's junta has allowed Taiwanese spies to operate in the Southeast Asian country for nearly two decades.
"As usual, we will not comment on any media report related to intelligence, " MND spokesman Yu Sy-tue said of the story titled "Taiwanese Spies on Burmese Soil? " that was published Sept. 11 by Myanmar's The Irrawaddy online newspaper.
The website quoted unnamed sources saying that dozens of Taiwanese agents have been working in Myanmar with the regime's knowledge since the early 1990s.
The network was not uncovered until a colonel named Win Naing was arrested, The Irrawaddy reported, adding that Naing was later released under orders from the office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army) , which instructed officials to keep quiet about the case in exchange for Taiwanese information on China. The network is still active, it reported.
Taiwan severed diplomatic ties with Myanmar in 1950 and does not have a representative office there, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Henry Chen. However, he added, Taiwan does have trade relations with Myanmar.
According to the report, despite Myanmar's adherence to a "one China" policy, the junta has been trying to keep a distance from Beijing so that the country does not become too dependent on China.
It added that exchanges between Taiwan and Myanmar have been active in recent years, evidenced by a trade agreement signed in 2009. Bilateral trade totalled US$136.6 million in that year, according to statistics compiled by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J