The Cabinet is to submit an amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) to stop retired top brass from embarrassing the nation and themselves.
An Executive Yuan spokesperson said the changes would cover travel to China by retired political appointees — lieutenant generals, vice admirals and higher — officials who were involved in highly confidential work and intelligence officers, with sanctions ranging from a 30 percent pension reduction to its complete loss, or fines ranging from NT$500,000 to NT$3 million (US$16,119 to US$96,712).
The bill would bar them from visiting China for a minimum of three years after retiring, taking part in events in China attended by Chinese leaders and singing the Chinese national anthem.
It is overdue, but it should not have come to this.
As relations began to warm across the Taiwan Strait more than two decades ago, the trickle of visits turned into a stream and then a flood, which is understandable given that many retirees were Mainlanders with family and school connections in China.
However, no one should forget former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) first trip to China in 2005, when he, in his role as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, met then-Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and kickstarted annual KMT-Chinese Communist Party forums.
It was not the ice-breaker that the KMT likes to bill it as, but an attempt by Lien to retain influence after losing his second presidential bid, as well as an effort by the KMT to undercut then-president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) Democratic Progressive Party administration.
As Taiwan-China exchanges expanded after the KMT prioritized cross-strait ties following its return to power in 2008, many Taiwanese were repeatedly reminded that they were not being represented by those who traveled to China, especially the ex-brass.
Retired Republic of China (ROC) Air Force general Hsia Ying-chou (夏瀛洲), during a 2011 trip to a gathering for retired generals, said the ROC armed forces and China’s People’s Liberation Army were “all China’s army.” On another trip the following year, he said that the two militaries shared the same goal of promoting the unification of all “Chinese people.”
Efforts by the Ministry of National Defense to dissuade a group of more than 20 men from attending the sixth cross-strait “festival” for retired generals in April 2013 in Foshan, Guangdong Province — part of celebrations to mark the 90th anniversary of the Whampoa Military Academy — did not stop former commander-in-chief of the ROC Army Huang Hsing-chiang (黃幸強) or others from going.
However, the final straw for many Taiwanese was the attendance of at least 32 retired generals at a government event in Beijing on Nov. 11 last year to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) that included a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), which was widely covered by the Chinese media.
The actions and words of these men have forced the government to act because they appear to have forgotten a crucial element of their former jobs: that Beijing has not renounced the use of force to take Taiwan, and its “United Front” propaganda units thrive on such displays.
It is clear that too many are being purposely obtuse. Retired ROC Army general Wu Sze-huai (吳斯懷), who attended the Sun event, asked why the proposed restrictions only covered China and not other nations, while retired vice admiral Lan Ning-li (蘭寧利) said a requirement to tell the government about plans to attend Chinese forums or seminars was fine, but reporting private travel plans was going too far.
Such retirees may no longer wear a uniform or hold political office, but they still enjoy many privileges. If they besmirch those honors and the nation, they should have to pay a price.
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