The Homemakers’ Union and Foundation yesterday accused the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau (MJIB) of harassing its officials after the foundation launched a signature drive for a referendum on the controversial issue of US beef imports.
Officials from the Homemakers’ Union and Foundation protested against the MJIB’s actions outside the Ministry of Justice in Taipei yesterday afternoon.
Mary Chen (陳曼麗), a foundation board member, said an MJIB agent surnamed Wu phoned the secretary of the foundation’s Taichung branch, Lin Shu (林淑), a few days ago asking her about the progress of the signature drive.
Chen said Wu also visited the Taichung branch on May 7 to learn about the branch’s activities and asked them to hand over information about the signature drive.
Chen added that MJIB agents had also visited the foundation’s Kaohsiung branch a few times to inquire about the progress of the signature drive.
“The MJIB’s investigations into the activities of civic groups are the kind of thing that went on during the White Terror, so it appears that the nation’s human rights have taken a step backwards,” Chen said.
Lin said she was terrified that MJIB agent Wu was able to get her cellphone number and call her. She said later that Wu’s cellphone number had disappeared from her cellphone record.
MJIB chief secretary Wu Li-chen (吳莉貞) said yesterday that she had visited the foundation to apologize for the agent’s behavior, adding that the bureau has banned such activities.
The Homemakers’ Union and Foundation has been working with the Consumers’ Foundation and the John Tung Foundation as well as other groups since November to collect signatures supporting a referendum on reopening talks with Washington about US beef imports. The signature drive continues.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS