The Ministry of the Interior said yesterday that any attempt to ask for donations for the Sunflower movement against the cross-strait service trade agreement would constitute a violation of the Political Donation Act (政治獻金法), which is punishable by a fine of twice the amount of money raised and the confiscation of all donations.
The ministry made the remarks one day after a Facebook page, titled “Repairing 318 Legislative Yuan,” was set up by netizens supportive of the Sunflower movement to solicit money for repairs to the damage inflicted to the legislative chamber during the protesters’ 24-day occupation.
The netizens planned to use the money to cover the rental fees for audio equipment installed inside and outside the legislature during the protest, which is scheduled to come to an end today.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
Legislative Yuan staffers say the occupation has caused damage to chairs, doors, carpets, microphones, the broadcasting system and some valuable paintings.
“As the student movement is categorized as a political activity, any money donated to or raised for it will be deemed a political donation,” the ministry said, adding that only political parties, political associations and election candidates are allowed to accept political donations.
The ministry said student organizations that have claimed that their fund-raising attempts are for charitable purposes would have the legitimacy of their actions determined by the Control Yuan or the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The ministry’s statement drew immediate criticism from netizens, some citing the more than NT$100 million (US$3.3 million) raised in 2006 by civic groups supporting a movement against then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and accused the ministry of double standards.
“I wonder if anyone who solicited money for the movement at that time was ever fined,” a netizen wrote.
Separately yesterday, Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said that as many “kind-hearted people” have expressed an intention to pay for the repairs, not a penny of taxpayers’ money would be used to cover the costs of the restoration work on the legislature.
Tsai Wei-min (蔡衛民) of the Legislative Yuan’s General Affairs Department on Tuesday turned down the offer by netizens to help to pay for the repairs.
Meanwhile, Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said yesterday that the Cabinet plans to seek NT$3 million compensation from the protesters who broke into and briefly took over the Executive Yuan compound on March 23.
Sun said the protesters destroyed four timber doors, 13 windows, a refrigerator, a photocopy machine, a fax machine, a cabinet, and several tables and chairs, which combined were worth NT$3 million.
“All the parties involved in the brief occupation have given their statements to police and have been summoned by prosecutors for questioning. We will file a civil lawsuit against them once prosecutors conclude their investigation,” Sun said.
Sun said that the Executive Yuan “is not currently considering” dropping the case against the protesters and “has not thought about” the possibility of accepting donations from businesses rather than asking the protesters to pay for the damage.
Additional reporting by CNA
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
CONCESSION: A Shin Kong official said that the firm was ‘willing to contribute’ to the nation, as the move would enable Nvidia Crop to build its headquarters in Taiwan Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) yesterday said it would relinquish land-use rights, or known as surface rights, for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), paving the way for Nvidia Corp to expand its office footprint in Taiwan. The insurer said it made the decision “in the interest of the nation’s greater good” and would not seek compensation from taxpayers for potential future losses, calling the move a gesture to resolve a months-long impasse among the insurer, the Taipei City Government and the US chip giant. “The decision was made on the condition that the Taipei City Government reimburses the related
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity