Spy Allegations: DPP’s Lin files complaints over ‘Chinese spy’ photos

By Chiu Chun-fu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer





Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) yesterday filed formal complaints against the owners of several Internet accounts that were used to spread misinformation about him.

Speaking to reporters outside of the Criminal Investigation Bureau building in Taipei yesterday, Lin and DPP spokeswoman Lee Yen-jong (李晏榕) showed photographs posted to social media platforms that are allegedly of Lin dining with self-confessed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強).

The individual in the photographs alleged to be Wang was not him, Lee said, adding that the posts were an example of aggravated slander and document forgery, and contravene several laws, including the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法).

From left, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokeswoman Lee Yen-jong and DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan arrive at the Criminal Investigation Bureau building in Taipei yesterday to file legal complaints. Photo: Chiu Chun-fu, Taipei Times

Nearly 20 Line and Facebook accounts were used to spread the false information, which was intended to establish a relationship between the DPP and Wang, she said.

The photos were from a January 2017 meeting with Hong Kong democracy campaigner Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) and former Hong Kong lawmaker Nathan Law (羅冠聰) during their visit to Taiwan, she said.

It was taken during a dinner with exiled Chinese dissident Wang Dan (王丹), Wong, Law and others from Hong Kong, that took place after Wong and Law met with members of the Taiwanese government, she said, adding that the person purported to be William Wang Liqiang was actually former Hong Kong Legislative Council member Edward Yiu’s (姚松炎) assistant Lee Chi Wing (李志榮).

Lee Yen-jong had been in touch with Lee Chi Wing in recent days, who told her that he was “astonished” at being mislabeled in a photograph as William Wang Liqiang, she said.

Such misinformation would have a significant effect on the elections if it were allowed to continue spreading, she said.

“In one post there was a link to an article alleging that the DPP provided financial support to Wang Liqiang. This is false information,” she said.

Lee Yen-jong called on “those who care about the effect of fake news on Taiwan’s elections” to take screenshots of any suspicious posts and the information of the accounts that post them, and send the screenshots to the authorities.

She also advised caution in reposting suspicious links or information that is likely to be very divisive, as posting information found to be false comes with “legal responsibilities.”