Former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), should be prosecuted according to the Criminal Code for colluding with an enemy state, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
The controversy sparked by Lien’s attendance of a military parade in Beijing last week has not dissipated following his return to Taiwan.
Lu made the remarks at a public hearing held by DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), DPP Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus whip Lai Chen-chang (賴振昌), at which they outlined their allegations against Lien.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Because China’s intention to use military force to attack Taiwan remains unchanged, Lien’s attendance of the military parade was as “ridiculous” as “a murderer displaying his weapons and you [Lien] clapping for him,” Lu said.
Lien’s actions should make him liable for prosecution under the Criminal Code for colluding with an enemy state to initiate war against the Republic of China or colluding to subject territory of the Republic of China to another state, she said, adding she presented the case against Lien to the High Prosecutors’ Office earlier this week.
Lu also criticized a 2005 trip by then-KMT chairman Lien to China to meet with then-Chinese president Hu Jin tao (胡錦濤), during which he signed a memorandum of understanding with Beijing.
Liu said that the trip had diminished Taiwan’s identity and confused the distinction between China and Taiwan.
As a result, Taiwanese courts do not consider China an “enemy country” when dealing with Chinese spies, preventing the Criminal Code from being applied and leading to them being given relatively light sentences under the National Security Act (國家安全法), she said.
Because court decisions have effectively “frozen” Criminal Code provisions concerning collusion with the enemy, the Legislative Yuan should amend the law with provisions that explicitly apply to China, she said.
Yu said that Lien had taken advantage of Taiwan’s democracy and freedom to go to an undemocratic and non-free country for the purpose of making Taiwan non-free and undemocratic.
Lien bore political responsibility for his choice and probably also had a legal responsibility, she said, calling for further investigation.
Chinese Culture University law professor Hsu Hui-feng (許惠峰) said that Lien’s attendance of the military parade implied he concurred with the idea that China should govern Taiwan.
“The Republic of China Constitution is not a protective talisman,” he said, adding that judicial authorities should move away from mechanical legal interpretations of the law to better protect national security.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to