Proposals to increase penalties for treason and to bar people with criminal convictions from running for public office were forwarded to legislators yesterday.
An amendment to the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法) proposed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) would jail people found guilty of treason for 10 years during peacetime and 12 years during wartime.
The proposal has been referred to the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
Existing laws only provide for the death penalty, a life sentence or a sentence of more than 10 years for those who seek to benefit an enemy or undermine the nation militarily, Wang said, adding that there is no penalty specifically covering collusion to gain non-military benefits.
Wang proposed the changes after former army colonel Hsiang Te-en (向德恩) was found guilty last month of accepting NT$560,000 from China in exchange for signing a “surrender agreement.”
Hsiang was indicted on corruption charges for appearing in a video in which he swore allegiance to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, promising to act against Taiwan should it invade.
Wang’s proposal includes a clause that states if an individual provides non-military benefits to an enemy and undermines the Republic of China or its allies, they would face three to 10 years in prison, or five to 12 years during wartime.
DPP Legislator Huang Shih-chieh (黃世杰), who is a lawyer, said that the decision by prosecutors to charge Hsiang with corruption stemmed from legal strategy, not a lack of laws against treason.
The penalty for conspiring to commit treason during peacetime is a sentence of three to 10 years, which is lighter than the punishment stipulated for breaching the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), Huang said.
Authorities were not prevented from charging Hsiang with conspiracy to commit treason during peacetime, he said.
Additionally, Executive Yuan-proposed amendments to the Civil Servant Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) and the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法) were referred to the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee.
The amendments would bar those convicted of treason, bribery, or trafficking of drugs or firearms from being nominated for election to public office.
Also yesterday, the Legislative Yuan approved the third reading of a proposed amendment to the Commodity Tax Act (貨物稅條例), extending until 2026 a program to subsidize commodity taxes up to NT$400,000 for owners of large diesel trucks who switch to newer vehicles.
The project, enacted in 2017, seeks to encourage owners of diesel trucks to buy newer vehicles to improve air quality.
The original plan ends on Saturday next week.
Additional reporting by Wang Chien-hao
TENSIONS: The Chinese aircraft and vessels were headed toward the western Pacific to take part in a joint air and sea military exercise, the Ministry of National Defense said A relatively large number of Chinese military aircraft and vessels were detected in Taiwan’s vicinity yesterday morning, apparently en route to a Chinese military exercise in the western Pacific, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. In a statement, the ministry said 36 Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, including J-16 fighters and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or an extension of it, and were detected in the southern and southeastern parts of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) from 5:20am to 9:30am yesterday. They were headed toward the western Pacific to take part in a
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. “We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.” The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the