Many Taiwanese were indignant when a group of former military officers in November last year attended an event in Beijing, where they listened to a policy address by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in which he warned against Taiwanese “separatism.”
The group was made up of seven retired generals, 12 former lieutenant generals and 18 retired major generals. The group were seen standing at attention and singing the People’s Republic of China’s national anthem along with Chinese political and military officials. The Veterans Affairs Council at the time reminded retired military personnel that they should not attend official events held by the Chinese government, while Premier Lin Chuan (林全) threatened to cancel the pensions of retired civil servants and military personnel who participate in political activities in China.
However, just how determined the Cabinet is to curb such conduct among military personnel remains to be seen.
Media reports regarding proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) are telling. Last week, reports said that the Executive Yuan was considering fining members of the group between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000 each, but an Executive Yuan official said that this was only one example of the punishment the Cabinet was considering.
The Executive Yuan yesterday proposed a fine of between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000 (US$318 and US$1,591) for retired military personnel who do not apply for permission to visit China and a fine of NT$200,000 to NT$2 million for those who “engage in Chinese Communist Party political events and behave in ways that damage our national dignity,” rather than cuts to pensions or other retirement benefits, media reports said.
Although these reports were denied by Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇), who said the amendments are among various proposals being discussed, the scale of possible punitive measures are indicative of the Cabinet’s seemingly lenient stance on the matter.
While a fine of up to NT$2 million might sound like a lot to average Taiwanese, such an amount is disproportionate to how much classified information military personnel have access to during their careers. The fines are hardly a deterrent for those who are eager to take part in political activities in China and shake hands with Chinese Communist Party officials; if anything, a fine of NT$2 million might play into the hands of Beijing, which would certainly be willing to pay a fine as a “favor” to an informant.
How is the government to reinforce military ethics and loyalty when such punitive measures make light of conduct by retired military officials in China?
A Taiwan Thinktank survey last month found that 73.8 percent of respondents think it is inappropriate for former military officials to engage in political activities in China, while 73.9 percent said they support the establishment of regulations for retired military officials visiting China.
The Cabinet is certainly unfit to trumpet the importance of national security if its proposed amendments will let retired military officials who engage in inappropriate events in China off the hook so easily. Hopefully the Cabinet does not fall short of public expectations.
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