The Legislative Yuan at an extraordinary session yesterday passed a third reading of draft amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) that could see the monthly pensions of retired officials or military officers revoked for engaging in behavior that “impairs national dignity” at celebrations or events hosted by the Chinese Community Party, the Chinese government, or China-based military or political groups.
Such behavior includes saluting the Chinese national flag or emblem, and singing the Chinese national anthem, according to the draft amendments.
The amendments were proposed after 32 retired generals in November 2016 attended an event in China marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山), at which they listened to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) give a speech and stood during a rendition of the Chinese national anthem.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
In a version of the amendments that passed a preliminary review, only the retired heads and deputies of government agencies associated with national defense, foreign affairs, China affairs and national security; retired heads of intelligence agencies; and retired officers ranked lieutenant general or above would be subject to the restrictions.
However, before a vote in the second reading, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus proposed a revision motion to have the amendments apply to retired officers ranked major general and above, and to expand the restricted area beyond China.
The penalties were also raised from the amount that the DPP caucus originally proposed.
In the revised version, which passed yesterday, offenders could lose half to all of their monthly pensions for five years, as well as their medals, military orders, licenses and certificates.
Severe breaches could result in the permanent cancelation of monthly pensions, or the return of payments that have already been made.
Offenders who opted for a one-time pension payment would be fined NT$2 million to NT$10 million (US$64,247 to US$321,234).
Whereas three years was the “standard” time frame for travel restrictions, with government agencies reserving the right to extend or shorten that period, the passed version makes three years the minimum, and only allows agencies to prolong, but not shorten, the restrictions.
To avoid confusion over the words “national secrets” in the act, which some had interpreted as only referring to “classified national security information” regulated by the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), the amendments have changed the words “national secrets” to “national security, interests or secrets.”
Under current regulations, the mayors, county commissioners and government officials would need the approval of the Ministry of the Interior, in conjunction with the National Security Bureau, the Ministry of Justice and the Mainland Affairs Council’s review committee, before traveling to China.
Under the amendments, government officials would also be required, upon returning to Taiwan, to report to the agency they serve, with the mayors of special municipalities reporting to the Executive Yuan, and the mayors of other cities and county commissioners to the Ministry of the Interior.
Retired or former employees of government agencies associated with national defense, foreign affairs, technology, intelligence or China affairs agencies and who worked with national security, interests or secrets could also be required by the agency to report before and after travel to China, according to the amendments.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
KONG-REY: A woman was killed in a vehicle hit by a tree, while 205 people were injured as the storm moved across the nation and entered the Taiwan Strait Typhoon Kong-rey slammed into Taiwan yesterday as one of the biggest storms to hit the nation in decades, whipping up 10m waves, triggering floods and claiming at least one life. Kong-rey made landfall in Taitung County’s Chenggong Township (成功) at 1:40pm, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The typhoon — the first in Taiwan’s history to make landfall after mid-October — was moving north-northwest at 21kph when it hit land, CWA data showed. The fast-moving storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 184kph, with gusts of up to 227kph, CWA data showed. It was the same strength as Typhoon Gaemi, which was the most
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