The Executive Yuan is mulling amending the law to bar Taiwanese who have Chinese residency cards from government posts related to national security, an official said yesterday.
The planned changes are part of a broader government proposal to amend 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), the official said on condition of anonymity.
The Executive Yuan believes that Taiwanese who hold or have held Chinese residency cards should be permanently disqualified from jobs at the National Security Bureau, the integrity of which is paramount, the official added.
Photo: CNA
They would also not be allowed to work for the Military Intelligence Bureau, the Military Police Command, the Investigation Bureau, the Coast Guard Administration or the National Police Administration, but the agencies would be allowed to hire such people 10 years after they renounce their Chinese residency, the official said.
The proposal would also impose a broader ban on residents of China in Taiwan’s civil service, armed forces, law enforcement, public education and state-owned enterprises, the official said.
The ban would be lifted five years after they renounce their Chinese residency, the official added.
The Cabinet has ruled out suggestions by some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers to revoke the citizenship of Taiwanese who apply for residency in China, the official said.
Revoking the citizenship of Taiwanese students who apply for residency in China out of convenience or children born to parents who work there was deemed unfair, they said, adding that strict scrutiny would be exercised when drafting national security laws.
Sources said that after the Cabinet briefed DPP lawmakers about the matter on Monday last week, most of them agreed that strict restrictions should be implemented for employment at the National Security Bureau.
However, views were mixed about the proposed restrictions for the Military Intelligence Bureau, the Military Police Command, the Investigation Bureau and the Coast Guard Administration, with some lawmakers deeming the proposed time restriction on former residents of China as too lenient.
The Mainland Affairs Council and the DPP caucus policy work group are trying to forge a consensus among party members before a final proposed draft is put forward, group convener Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said.
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