US EditionChinese national arrested with surveillance device near Philippine election commission
- The National Bureau of Investigation arrested Chinese national Tak Hoi Lao on April 29 near the Philippine Commission on Elections headquarters in Manila for allegedly operating a surveillance device.
- The arrest followed allegations by Senator Francis Tolentino and others of a China-funded operation aiming to influence the upcoming midterm elections through surveillance and social media manipulation.
- Authorities confiscated an IMSI catcher, a device capable of intercepting mobile communications within a 1 to 3 km radius, which Tak allegedly used near sensitive government sites including Comelec and the US Embassy.
- Tolentino commended the NBI for preventing what he described as a covert attempt to promote Beijing’s interests, while the head of Comelec reassured the public that no election data had been breached, amid denials from both the Chinese Embassy and Foreign Ministry.
- The arrest heightened concerns of foreign interference in Philippine elections, leading to ongoing investigations and calls for vigilance over national security before the May midterm polls.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Chinese National Arrested Near Philippine Election Commission With Alleged Spy Device
A Chinese national has been arrested by the Philippine equivalent of the FBI on suspicion of spying after allegedly being found with an electronic eavesdropping device in the trunk of his car. The man, identified as 47-year-old Lao Tak-Hoi, was allegedly in a gray Mitsubishi Adventure parked outside the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) headquarters in Intramuros, Manila, when he was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (N…
Palace: Arrest of Chinese 'spy' alarming
MALACAÑANG said it was alarmed by the arrest of a suspected Chinese spy near the premises of the Commission on Elections earlier this week. "That is an issue of national security. So, we will just leave it at that. And we will just have an investigation, thorough investigation on that matter," Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing Wednesday. "It's quite alarming... So, we will just have to wait for th…
Election interference a heinous accusation – Chinese embassy
The Chinese embassy in Manila denounced claims that China is seeking to interfere in the coming midterm elections, after a Chinese national suspected of spying was nabbed by authorities outside the office of the Commission on Elections in Intramuros.
Palace alarmed over alleged Chinese spy arrest - BusinessWorld Online
THE Presidential Palace is “alarmed” by the arrest of an alleged Chinese spy near the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Manila amid concerns about China’s interference in the upcoming midterm elections in the Philippines. “It’s quite alarming, and… President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., has this trust in the intelligence agents who made the operation. So, we will just have to wait for the final investigation on that matter,” Presiden…
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