Former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) office yesterday announced that he had accepted an invitation to attend this year’s World Chinese Economic Summit in Malaysia, adding that an application for the trip would be submitted to the Presidential Office in due time.
In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Ma’s office said that he has agreed to attend the summit, which is to take place on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 in Malacca, Malaysia.
“During his planned trip, Ma is also scheduled to give a speech at Malaysia’s Southern University College. Planning is still under way for the trip and Ma will file a request within the required time with the Presidential Office to leave the country,” Ma’s office said.
Asked how many days the former head of state plans on staying in Malaysia, Ma’s office did not give a specific answer, saying only that things are still being planned.
It is the second time that Ma has planned to travel overseas since leaving office on May 20.
Ma was forced to cancel his first such plan, a one-day trip to Hong Kong to attend the Society of Publishers in Asia’s Awards for Editorial Excellence ceremony on June 15.
The Presidential Office denied his request to leave the country three days before his scheduled departure.
The Presidential Office said it made the decision due to national security concerns and the highly sensitive nature of the destination.
According to Article 26 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), people who exercise the original classification authority, handle classified information within the scope of their official duty, retire or resign from the official positions mentioned in the act, or have handled the transfer of classified information within three years should obtain prior approval before leaving Taiwan.
Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) yesterday said that the office was yet to receive an application from Ma, adding that it would process it prudently and in accordance with regulations.
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