The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday unveiled a draft act that would require Taiwanese who take part in activities related to Chinese infiltration to disclose details about their connections in China.
The draft anti-annexation and anti-infiltration act (反境外敵對勢力併吞滲透法) would require all Taiwanese people and organizations that help an enemy state, government or organization infiltrate Taiwan to disclose on a government Web site their relationship with the enemy entity, as well as information about their related activities and finances, NPP Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) told a news conference in Taipei.
Activities that would be considered as providing assistance to an enemy entity include helping it distribute propaganda, develop organizations and recruit members, solicit support for the election or recall of certain candidates or referendum proposals, and acquire key infrastructure or politically sensitive technologies, he said.
Photo: Peng Wan-hsin, Taipei Times
Taiwanese people and organizations taking part in the aforementioned activities and failing to disclose such information would be fined between NT$1 million and NT$10 million (US$31,762 and US$317,622), the bill says.
The fine could be meted out consecutively until a correction was made.
If the disclosed information was false, the responsible individuals could be sentenced to prison for six months to five years and fined between NT$2 million and NT$20 million.
Authorities could investigate people and organizations required to disclose related information and those refusing to cooperate could be fined between NT$500,000 and NT$5 million, it says.
The bill also bans Taiwanese people and organizations providing assistance to an enemy’s infiltration activities from lobbying for political support, spreading false information and distributing propaganda.
Those who breach the proposed act could be sentenced to prison for one to 10 years and fined between NT$2 million and NT$50 million.
While the National Security Act (國家安全法), 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) and the Criminal Code already contain some provisions that address Chinese infiltration, the anti-annexation and anti-infiltration bill proposes that a person who breaches the draft act and another law in a single offense would face increased penalties, unless the anti-annexation and anti-infiltration act entails heavier punishment — in which case only the heavier punishment would apply, Huang said.
“Outside powers such as China have been cultivating and sponsoring their proxies in Taiwan and using them to influence Taiwan’s elections and referendums. This has posed a serious threat to our nation’s freedom and democracy,” NPP caucus whip Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said.
Hopefully, the bill, designed to address this issue, would receive support from legislators across party lines, he said.
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