Following a press conference yesterday by former Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) deputy minister Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) responding to allegations that he leaked national secrets to China, most politicians and political parties have responded by either being critical of the government’s handling of the case or showing sympathy to the former deputy minister.
“If the government suspects that Chang is involved in leaking classified information [to China], it should first launch a probe, then make a formal announcement after getting some concrete evidence, instead of releasing information now when nothing is clear yet,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) said yesterday. “Upset about the accusation, Chang repeatedly strikes back, and the government counterstrikes with more accusations — this is only causing harm to the government itself.”
“After all, Chang was appointed by the president — shouldn’t the president also share some responsibility as well?” he added.
The People First Party (PFP), with which Chang was affiliated from 2000 to 2012, also lashed out at the government with a press statement, asking the government to stop making groundless accusations without concrete evidence.
“[Government officials] accuse Chang of leaking classified information and spying, which is the same as accusing the Chinese government of buying off a negotiator from our side and spying, and this is a serious humiliation to the other side in a negotiation,” the statement said. “It causes severe harm to cross-strait relations, as well as mutual trust and mutual respect.”
The statement then called on the government to stop making accusations, and panned it for making such accusations before starting an official investigation.
PFP Deputy Secretary-General Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) panned the government for “acting like the mafia.”
“Some people in the MAC may not like Chang because of his performance and try to get rid of him,” Liu said. “However, this is not the way that you should treat a government official appointed by the president — only the mafia would wipe someone out like this.”
Liu warned that the way the government handles the issue could break the mutual trust between Taiwan and China, and could make the public doubtful about cross-strait agreements signed in the past.
While saying that he would trust the judiciary to take care of the dispute, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chi Kuo-tung (紀國棟) said he is also worried that the problem may increase public distrust of past cross-strait agreements.
However, another KMT Legislator, Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾), said it was inappropriate for MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) to ask Chang to resign before speaking to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), “because Chang was appointed by the president.”
“Moreover, how could Wang try to arrange another job for Chang if he is really a spy?” Lo asked.
DPP Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女), on the other hand, called on the government to suspend all ongoing cross-strait negotiations immediately.
“The government promised us that cross-strait talks could be halted if there are national security concerns,” Yu said. “Well, it’s time for the ‘brake’ mechanism to come in as one of the top negotiators now is suspected of being a spy for China.”
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS