Former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) planned attendance at a Chinese military forces parade on Thursday has met with stiff opposition and might be the catalyst for proposed amendments to the Act Governing the Recompense for the Discharge of Special Political Appointees (政務人員退職撫卹條例) once the Legislative Yuan session begins.
According to opposition legislators, the issue is one more on a long list of events where retired politicians or military officials have acted inappropriately in relation to cross-strait issues during visits to China.
In 2011, retired air force general Hsia Ying-chou (夏瀛洲) reportedly asked the public not to differentiate between the Republic of China Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), as both “are armed forces of China.”
Standing regulations under the Act of Military Service for Officers and Non-commissioned Officers of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍軍官士官服役條例) is insufficient as a deterrent against such actions, opposition legislators said.
The military act stipulates that officers and non-commissioned officers can only be deprived of their pensions if they lose their citizenship, are put on death row or are serving a life sentence for treason or corruption during their time of service.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said inappropriate conduct and comments by retired generals have lowered the morale of the armed forces, adding that the leaking of highly classified national defense data endangered plans and contributed to a reluctance of nations to conduct arms sales with Taiwan.
Chen and fellow DPP Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) said “actions severely violating loyalty to the nation” should be punished with the removal of pensions for retired government officials.
Violations of the National Security Act (國家安全法), National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法) and the National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法) should also be cause for retired government and military officials to lose their pensions, Chen said.
DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said that Lien, who receives NT$375,000 per year in retirement pension from the government, should not be making the visit.
“Why are you going over to the side that beat you in the war to watch them parade their armed forces?” Chen Chi-mai said.
Chen Chi-mai said he did not understand how Lien, who used to work at the Presidential Office, would not feel uncomfortable watching a parade of an armed force that simulated attacks on the building.
Chinese state-media China Central Television (CCTV) on July 5 reported on exercises at the Zhurihe Training Base in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on a simulated “decapitation” strategy by the PLA. The three-minute video footage featured special forces personnel sprinting into a five-story building with a tower, which closely resembled the Presidential Office Building.
Chen Chi-mai proposed amendments to the Act Governing the Recompense for the Discharge of Special Political Appointees by placing “actions harming the sovereignty of the nation, or participation of actions therein” as one of the conditions on which retirees could lose their pensions.
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