By Yian Lee | Updated on Oct 07, 2026 at 04:23 PM
Taiwan prosecutors said two Hong Kong residents paid for the surveillance of a lawmaker and his family, and indicted four Taiwanese individuals in a case they described as transnational repression.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office said Wednesday that the 2024 operation targeted Puma Shen, a prominent advocate of strengthening Taiwan’s defenses against potential Chinese aggression. Authorities charged the defendants under Taiwan’s Personal Data Protection Act and issued wanted notices for the two Hong Kong clients, who they said had fled Taiwan.
One client allegedly paid about HK$100,000 ($12,700) to the operator of a private investigation company, who subcontracted the assignment. Prosecutors said information gathered on Shen and his family was relayed to a Hong Kong contact through Telegram.
The authorities said the information was collected “to provide to hostile forces outside Taiwan.” The statement did not identify any Chinese or Hong Kong government agency behind the effort.
In response to questions about the case, the Hong Kong government said in a statement that it is “absolutely not involved in the security incident outside Hong Kong.”
Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to bring it under its control, by force if necessary.
The disclosure came after the Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli announced the arrest of a Chinese woman for allegedly surveilling Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s son and his family in 2025. She was detained at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday before she could board a flight to China.
Asked about the US arrest, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Tuesday said he was unfamiliar with the case. “China opposes vilifying China by peddling the so-called ‘Chinese spy’ narrative,” he added.
The apparent targeting of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party underscores Beijing’s concern after the party won three successive presidential elections in the self-ruled democracy. Beijing has refused to engage in talks with the DPP, which favors self-determination for the island, while showing favor towards Taiwan’s pro-unification Kuomintang.
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Shen co-founded Kuma Academy, which trains civilians to counter information manipulation and prepare for conflict. Beijing sanctioned him and the academy in October 2024, accusing him of promoting independence and anti-China ideas among young Taiwanese. The measures barred Shen and his family from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and restricted related business dealings.
Shen is also the DPP’s candidate for Taipei mayor, challenging incumbent Chiang Wan-an of the opposition Kuomintang in Nov. 28 elections.