The New Party yesterday decried what it said was the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) “barbaric arrest” of four of its members for alleged violations of the National Security Act (國家安全法).
Investigation Bureau officers at about 6:30am yesterday raided the homes of New Party spokesman Wang Ping-chung (王炳忠) and party members Hou Han-ting (侯漢廷), Lin Ming-cheng (林明正) and Chen Ssu-chun (陳斯俊) in Taipei and New Taipei City, seizing documents, computers and cellphones, and taking the four to the bureau for questioning on the grounds that they allegedly collected and provided intelligence to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“What intelligence could they possibly collect and provide? What have they done other than openly oppose [Taiwanese] independence and advocate unification” between Taiwan and China, New Party Deputy Chairman Lee Sheng-feng (李勝峰) told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
Wang, Hou and Lin are household names for their anti-independence, pro-unification remarks in the media, and by targeting the three most well-known young members of the party, the DPP is attempting to silence the New Party, Lee said.
Wang’s lawyer, Chen Li-ling (陳麗玲), said the four were denied the right to seek legal assistance before their arrest, because they were initially slated to be summoned as witnesses at 8:30am yesterday.
“However, their residences were raided at 6am, which was a procedural violation,” she added.
By perpetrating a move that is reckless, barbaric and “messed up,” the DPP is forcing the public to rebel, and the New Party will respond by devoting itself to the local elections next year to overthrow the DPP to let it “feel people’s wrath and bring about justice,” he said.
The four were arrested in connection with an espionage case implicating alleged Chinese spy Zhou Hongxu (周泓旭), Lee said, but added that he did not know Zhou personally, nor did he know how close Zhou was with the four men.
“The DPP can ignore the need to drive economic growth and discourage diversity. However, it will never take away the pride of being Chinese from New Party Youth Corps members,” New Party Youth Corps head Yang Shih-kuang (楊世光) said, adding that his party would do everything in its power to clear his colleagues’ names through legal action.
New Party member Kolan Kaoti (戈蘭高地), who provided Chen Ssu-chun with accommodation, said she was terrified and compared the investigators to Gestapo because they made a mess of Chen Ssu-chun’s belongings.
“The move was like a reprise of the White Terror,” she said.
“The DPP will have bad karma for the many evil deeds it has done,” Hou’s mother said.
Separately, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesman Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said the raids and arrests were disproportionate, as authorities did not have enough evidence to prove that the four had committed an offense.
The move has raised public concern that the DPP is reinstating martial law, he said, urging investigators and prosecutors to promptly give an explanation to ease concerns.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) said he knew the details of the case, but declined to elaborate, citing the confidentiality principle on cases under investigation.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Chunghwa Telecom yesterday confirmed that an international undersea cable near Keelung Harbor had been cut by a Chinese ship, the Shunxin-39, a freighter registered in Cameroon. Chunghwa Telecom said the cable had its own backup equipment, and the incident would not affect telecommunications within Taiwan. The CGA said it dispatched a ship under its first fleet after receiving word of the incident and located the Shunxin-39 7 nautical miles (13km) north of Yehliu (野柳) at about 4:40pm on Friday. The CGA demanded that the Shunxin-39 return to seas closer to Keelung Harbor for investigation over the
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
EARTHQUAKE: Taipei and New Taipei City accused a construction company of ignoring the Circular MRT’s original design, causing sections to shift by up to 92cm The Taipei and New Taipei City governments yesterday said they would seek NT$1.93 billion (US$58.6 million) in compensation from the company responsible for building the Circular MRT Line, following damage sustained during an earthquake in April last year that had shuttered a section for months. BES Engineering Corp, a listed company under Core Pacific Group, was accused of ignoring the original design when constructing the MRT line, resulting in negative shear strength resistance and causing sections of the rail line between Jhonghe (中和) and Banciao (板橋) districts to shift by up to 92cm during the April 3 earthquake. The pot bearings on
RSS