The National Immigration Agency (NIA) has been criticized for not cracking down on a Chinese woman who has been in Taiwan illegally for more than a year, allegedly touring the nation in an elaborate “united front” (統戰) campaign.
Local media reports have alleged that Meng Ming (孟鳴), a Chinese national who came to Taiwan independently on a Hong Kong passport, has been meeting with retired Taiwanese military officials and engaging in political propaganda efforts on behalf of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Meng is said to be the daughter of a high-ranking general of the PLA Fourth Field Army, which is headquartered in Guangzhou City, and is representing herself as a PLA-affiliated official.
According to the Chinese-language Next Magazine, she entered Taiwan in September 2013 and has been in the country illegally for more than a year.
NIA officials said they were not able to track her whereabouts.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the NIA have come in for criticism because the woman allegedly entertained guests with a theatrical performance of a certain “PLA musical show” at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, as well as at the Friends of Armed Forces Association Building, which is administered by the ministry.
In a statement on Friday, the ministry acknowledged that its officials had been negligent and confirmed that Meng’s “PLA musical show” had taken place at MND-administered facilities.
“We have asked the Friends of Armed Forces Association to review its management and have requested all local facilities throughout Taiwan to improve the scrutiny of their guests, and to check up on the functions that rented venues are to be used for,” the statement said.
The ministry said that Meng’s “PLA musical show” was booked by the “Chinese Women Party” (中華婦女黨), which is a registered civic group.
Meanwhile, an NIA spokesperson said the agency is investigating the case and making an effort to track down Meng, and would deport her once she has been located.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS