Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday threw his support behind former National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Su Chi’s (蘇起) planned trip to the Boao Forum in China next month, saying the visit does not morally or legally constitute a problem for the government.
Su resigned from the NSC last month, citing health and family reasons although it was widely believed that he stepped down to take responsibility for the controversy surrounding US beef imports.
His plan to visit China raised questions because government officials with access to classified information who resigned less than three years ago are legally required to file an application for permission to travel to China a minimum of three weeks prior to the date of departure. The Boao Forum is scheduled for April 9 to April 11 in Hainan Province.
During the legislature’s question-and-answer session yesterday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shyu Jong-Shyoung (徐中雄) called on the government to deny Su permission to visit China.
“Is it that important for[Su] to attend the forum? It would be a grievous mistake if he goes because it could lead to deeper distrust of the government,” Shyu said.
The case is to be looked into by a joint review panel composed of representatives from government agencies, including the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), the Mainland Affairs Council and the NSC.
Wu disagreed with Shyn, saying that Su will be taking part in a public forum, not discussing any secret deals.
Wu said that it would not be a problem for Su to participate in the forum “nor would it be a wrong thing to do,” though he did agree with Shyu that “it doesn’t look good from the public’s point of view.”
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