Kuala Lumpur – An anonymous post circulating on Taiwanese online forums recently claimed that a network of Taiwan’s military intelligence operations in Thailand was exposed on May 30th, with several personnel subsequently leaving Thailand and returning to Taiwan on commercial flights.
According to the post, the unit in question belongs to the Telecommunications Development Office (CDO) under the General Staff Headquarters of Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, primarily responsible for collecting signals and video intelligence. This agency has long operated in the Bangkok area of Thailand, reportedly housing “secret listening stations” to monitor communication signals in several Southeast Asian countries. Previously, related documents had circulated online, sparking speculation about Taiwan’s overseas intelligence deployments.
This intelligence network was suddenly exposed on May 30th, leading to the hasty evacuation of more than ten personnel back to Taiwan. This incident quickly sparked heated discussions on the internet across Taiwan, mainland China, and Southeast Asia, particularly regarding intelligence surveillance and internal management, adding to the mystery.
The anonymous post claimed that the network had been operating in Thailand for many years, receiving long-term funding and resources. Personnel involved in the project had been receiving special funding and allowances related to intelligence activities and had established a complex network of contacts and operational systems in the region.
However, the unexpected events of May 30th forced the disruption of these arrangements. More than ten personnel were notified and left their original work locations, then traveled in batches to the airport and boarded commercial flights back to Taiwan. Some were forced to evacuate hastily without even having time to handle any follow-up matters.
The whistleblower believes that the intelligence network, built over many years, suffered a significant waste of funds due to this incident, and questions whether there were problems with risk management and contingency plans.
In addition to describing the evacuation, the post also mentioned the internal handling of their return to Taiwan. According to the whistleblower, some personnel underwent rigorous internal questioning and were required to cooperate with subsequent investigations.
The post also named a person referred to as Feng Zhixiang. He was the head of the Telecommunications Development Department responsible for Thai operations, but was in an entertainment venue in Taipei before the incident, only traveling to Thailand the day after it occurred.
The whistleblower also angrily accused Feng Zhixiang of traveling to Thailand on an EVA Air business class flight and returning in first class at an extremely expensive price. He then spent approximately 10 days in Thai entertainment venues before returning to Taiwan, and was not punished.
The post also named another individual, Zhao Jianguo, questioning whether there was internal collusion and blame-shifting, causing immense pressure on lower-level personnel. Some of those returning to Taiwan subsequently faced internal scrutiny and investigation by the Taiwanese authorities, fearing they would become scapegoats.
In addition to the written allegations, several videos, seemingly related to the evacuation, circulated on YouTube. A channel named “@RafiIslam-l9p” uploaded multiple short videos showing people hastily evacuating from airports and transportation hubs.
(Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs7oIAIdcS4)
This incident, involving details of Taiwan’s military intelligence system’s overseas deployments and intelligence unit operations, continues to generate discussion on Taiwanese social media. Southeast Asian countries are historically sensitive to foreign intelligence activities in the region, and as a regional hub, Thailand is particularly vulnerable to such incidents that could impact its local security situation.
Currently, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense and related agencies have not issued any public response, and the subsequent developments are drawing significant attention.
