Retired lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷) was yesterday spotted in the audience as Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) cautioned against “separatism” at an event held to mark the 150th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen’s (孫逸仙) birth.
Xi praised Sun for the revolution against the Qing Dynasty, say ing that “the separation of Chinese territory will not be tolerated.”
During a live televised broadcast of the ceremony, New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明), Wu and other retired military officers were seen sitting in the audience.
Wu has recently been active in opposing reforms of the pension system proposed by the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), and, along with National Civil Servant Association president Harry Lee (李來希) and National Federation of Education Unions vice president Liu Ya-ping (劉亞平), formed a group to fight the proposal.
On Jan. 3, the group led more than 10,000 people in protest on streets outside of key government buildings in Taipei.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) yesterday criticized the former officials’ attendance at the ceremony in Beijing, saying that participation by retired Taiwanese officials at a Chinese government event was an “extraordinarily ridiculous situation.”
Tsai Shih-ying said that Wu, as a former military officer, was responsible for the protection of Taiwan, adding that Wu’s attendance at the event in an “enemy state” raised the question: “Does he have Taiwan in his heart?”
“These men receive monthly pensions of between NT$100,000 and NT$200,000 and enjoy many social benefits in Taiwan, yet they take to the streets and go on TV criticizing the government,” DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said on Facebook
“Sitting next to Chinese People’s Liberation Army officers and listening to Xi, do you not feel embarrassed?” Wang asked.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) said retired military personnel attended the ceremony not to listen to Xi, but to honor Sun, but added that it would be inappropriate for them to participate in military exchanges.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said that Wu is already retired, adding that the ministry had no further comment on the matter.
No comment was available from Wu at press time last night.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
A BETRAYAL? It is none of the ministry’s business if those entertainers love China, but ‘you cannot agree to wipe out your own country,’ the MAC minister said Taiwanese entertainers in China would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked if they are holding Chinese citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan would be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.” The MAC would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have Chinese IDs and added that it would revoke their Taiwanese citizenship if they did, Chiu told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper
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