A proposed anti-infiltration bill would crack down on acts of infiltration, rather than target certain people, while agencies would not “punish” offenders, but lodge lawsuits against them, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said yesterday.
Chen made the remarks at the weekly Cabinet meeting.
The opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) this week has dubbed the bill “green terror,” “thought censorship” and an attempt to reinstate martial law.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The bill defines acts of infiltration by integrating provisions from existing laws — including the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法), the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法), the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), the Referendum Act (公民投票法), the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) and the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) — and strengthens regulations covering infractions that constitute infiltration, Chen said.
The bill would not target people, nor would it give agencies the right to punish offenders, he said, adding that it would instead give agencies the authority to file lawsuits against those who have allegedly committed infractions.
The nation’s three-tiered judicial system would decide whether a defendant is guilty and what their penalty would be, he said.
The council believes a bill to crack down on infiltration is necessary, Chen said, citing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) speech on Jan. 2, which Chen said revealed China’s plan to annex Taiwan through infiltration, “united front” tactics and so-called “democratic negotiations.”
China’s growing economic power has intensified its influence in other nations and several democracies — including the US, the UK and Australia — have introduced legislation against infiltration, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said.
The nation is at the center of Chinese infiltration and needs an anti-infiltration act more than any other nation, he said.
The bill would not affect law-abiding citizens working or studying in China, Su said, adding that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should allay the public’s concerns through extensive dialogue.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said that Chinese meddling in the nation’s elections started many years before the bill was introduced, when asked by a reporter with the Chinese-language China Times whether the Executive Yuan thinks five days is long enough for “extensive dialogue with the public” — as the DPP-controlled Legislative Yuan has scheduled the bill’s final review on Tuesday next week.
Taiwanese have long discussed Chinese infiltration, she said, adding that the bill was sponsored by lawmakers, not the Executive Yuan, reflecting the anxiety and concern of their constituents.
Yesterday, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) softened his stance against the bill, saying that he is “not against it.”
On Wednesday, Gou had said that he would launch a “Sunflower movement 2019” and sleep at the Legislative Yuan if the DPP insisted on passing the bill on Tuesday next week.
The tycoon yesterday said that he was not opposed to the legislation, adding that his previous remarks were meant to convey his hope that the legislative process would be open and transparent.
Additional reporting by CNA
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
As eight basketball-playing international students appealed to the Taiwanese basketball industry after they were excluded from the draft of an upcoming new league merging the P.League+ and the T1 League, the new league’s preparatory committee spokesperson Chang Shu-jen (張樹人) yesterday said the committee would tomorrow discuss the supplementary measures and whether the international students can join the draft. The students on Tuesday called for support on their right to play in the upcoming new league, after a merger involving the two leagues impacted their eligibility for the draft. The international players from the University Basketball Association (UBA), led by first pick prospect