The Legislative Yuan at an extraordinary session yesterday passed a third reading of draft amendments to 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) that could see the monthly pensions of retired officials or military officers revoked for engaging in behavior that “impairs national dignity” at celebrations or events hosted by the Chinese Community Party, the Chinese government, or China-based military or political groups.
Such behavior includes saluting the Chinese national flag or emblem, and singing the Chinese national anthem, according to the draft amendments.
The amendments were proposed after 32 retired generals in November 2016 attended an event in China marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山), at which they listened to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) give a speech and stood during a rendition of the Chinese national anthem.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
In a version of the amendments that passed a preliminary review, only the retired heads and deputies of government agencies associated with national defense, foreign affairs, China affairs and national security; retired heads of intelligence agencies; and retired officers ranked lieutenant general or above would be subject to the restrictions.
However, before a vote in the second reading, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus proposed a revision motion to have the amendments apply to retired officers ranked major general and above, and to expand the restricted area beyond China.
The penalties were also raised from the amount that the DPP caucus originally proposed.
In the revised version, which passed yesterday, offenders could lose half to all of their monthly pensions for five years, as well as their medals, military orders, licenses and certificates.
Severe breaches could result in the permanent cancelation of monthly pensions, or the return of payments that have already been made.
Offenders who opted for a one-time pension payment would be fined NT$2 million to NT$10 million (US$64,247 to US$321,234).
Whereas three years was the “standard” time frame for travel restrictions, with government agencies reserving the right to extend or shorten that period, the passed version makes three years the minimum, and only allows agencies to prolong, but not shorten, the restrictions.
To avoid confusion over the words “national secrets” in the act, which some had interpreted as only referring to “classified national security information” regulated by the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), the amendments have changed the words “national secrets” to “national security, interests or secrets.”
Under current regulations, the mayors, county commissioners and government officials would need the approval of the Ministry of the Interior, in conjunction with the National Security Bureau, the Ministry of Justice and the Mainland Affairs Council’s review committee, before traveling to China.
Under the amendments, government officials would also be required, upon returning to Taiwan, to report to the agency they serve, with the mayors of special municipalities reporting to the Executive Yuan, and the mayors of other cities and county commissioners to the Ministry of the Interior.
Retired or former employees of government agencies associated with national defense, foreign affairs, technology, intelligence or China affairs agencies and who worked with national security, interests or secrets could also be required by the agency to report before and after travel to China, according to the amendments.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
RSS