Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) said yesterday that prosecutors would look into allegations by former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) attorney that Chen was an “agent” of the US government.
Wang made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee.
She was referring to the former president’s petition last week for the US to intervene as the “principal occupying power of Taiwan” to seek his immediate release and restore his civil and human rights.
Roger Lin (林志昇), a member of the Taiwan Civil Rights Litigation Organization, said last week that his organization was sponsoring legal action for Chen and demanding full respect for his civil rights and his immediate release.
Lin said that Chen had declared himself an “agent” of the US government during his eight-year presidency and that the Republic of China government was in exile because Taiwan remains under the US Military Government as per the 1952 San Francisco Peace Treaty.
Wang said prosecutors would look into the matter and investigate whether Chen has committed treason or other crimes.
During the committee meeting, Wang also vowed to crack down on individuals who owe large amounts to the national treasury in unpaid taxes.
More than NT$400 billion (US$12 billion) is owed to the national treasury in outstanding taxes by businesses and individuals, Wang said.
She said that because of limited budgets, the ministry’s Administrative Enforcement Agency had only 700 officials, meaning that each enforcement officer is responsible for 20,000 cases, causing delays in the process.
The issue of outstanding tax revenue recently surfaced as the agency sought payment from Jack Sun (孫道存), the former chairman of Pacific Electric Wire and Cable (太平洋電線電纜), who owes an estimated NT$300 million in taxes. Sun’s extravagant lifestyle despite his large debts has attracted much criticism from lawmakers and the public.
‘GLOBAL WARNING’: The infiltration is not just a local problem, as Beijing has been deploying the same tactics worldwide against Western democracies, a report said Between 50,000 and 100,000 Chinese spies are operating in Taiwan, far more than the National Security Bureau’s previous estimate of 5,000, German journalist and author Jurgen Kremb said on Monday. Kremb presented his research, titled “The War of Spies: How China’s Intelligence Services Are Infiltrating Taiwan — and What Europe Must Learn from It,” at a joint event held by the Taiwan offices of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the European Values Center for Security Policy. The report was published in June in the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s Prospect & Exploration Monthly (展望與探索月刊). By spies, he said he was referring to informants,
PRICE STABILIZATION: The Ministry of Economic Affairs has urged the legislature to support the Cabinet’s supplementary budget for state-owned energy companies State-owned oil supplier CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) on Saturday announced that it would raise domestic gasoline prices by NT$0.7 (US$0.02) per liter and diesel prices by NT$0.6 per liter this week after international crude oil prices rose above US$100 per barrel last week. Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) yesterday said that it matched CPC’s price adjustments for this week. The decisions end a six-week period during which CPC and Formosa kept fuel prices in Taiwan unchanged. Retail gasoline prices this week would rise to NT$31.2, NT$32.7 and NT$34.7 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively at CPC
More than 100 Taiwanese-Americans, Taiwanese lawmakers and members of civic groups on Saturday marched through New York City to call for Taiwan’s participation in the UN, with Marshall Island Permanent Representative to the UN John Silk joining the event to show support. Participants chanted: “UN for Taiwan” and “Keep Taiwan Free” as they marched through central Manhattan, passing Times Square and Bryant Park before ending near the New York Public Library. The annual march brought together Taiwanese community groups from across the US East Coast. Silk expressed hope that Taiwan would one day be able to participate in UN meetings
Two aides at independent Legislator May Chin’s (高金素梅) office were ordered detained incommunicado yesterday in a broadening probe into alleged Chinese espionage by Chin’s former chief of staff, Chang Chun-chieh (張俊傑). The move to hold Lin I-chun (林怡君) and current chief of staff Chen Chih-huang (陳智葟) in custody came four days after Chang, indicted on corruption charges, cut off his electronic monitoring wristband and jumped bail. The High Prosecutors’ Office said that it believes Chang had developed a Chinese spy ring, which might have operated for more than a decade, with funding from China, and that Lin and Chen were suspected of
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