Former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), should be prosecuted according to the Criminal Code for colluding with an enemy state, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
The controversy sparked by Lien’s attendance of a military parade in Beijing last week has not dissipated following his return to Taiwan.
Lu made the remarks at a public hearing held by DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), DPP Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus whip Lai Chen-chang (賴振昌), at which they outlined their allegations against Lien.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Because China’s intention to use military force to attack Taiwan remains unchanged, Lien’s attendance of the military parade was as “ridiculous” as “a murderer displaying his weapons and you [Lien] clapping for him,” Lu said.
Lien’s actions should make him liable for prosecution under the Criminal Code for colluding with an enemy state to initiate war against the Republic of China or colluding to subject territory of the Republic of China to another state, she said, adding she presented the case against Lien to the High Prosecutors’ Office earlier this week.
Lu also criticized a 2005 trip by then-KMT chairman Lien to China to meet with then-Chinese president Hu Jin tao (胡錦濤), during which he signed a memorandum of understanding with Beijing.
Liu said that the trip had diminished Taiwan’s identity and confused the distinction between China and Taiwan.
As a result, Taiwanese courts do not consider China an “enemy country” when dealing with Chinese spies, preventing the Criminal Code from being applied and leading to them being given relatively light sentences under the National Security Act (國家安全法), she said.
Because court decisions have effectively “frozen” Criminal Code provisions concerning collusion with the enemy, the Legislative Yuan should amend the law with provisions that explicitly apply to China, she said.
Yu said that Lien had taken advantage of Taiwan’s democracy and freedom to go to an undemocratic and non-free country for the purpose of making Taiwan non-free and undemocratic.
Lien bore political responsibility for his choice and probably also had a legal responsibility, she said, calling for further investigation.
Chinese Culture University law professor Hsu Hui-feng (許惠峰) said that Lien’s attendance of the military parade implied he concurred with the idea that China should govern Taiwan.
“The Republic of China Constitution is not a protective talisman,” he said, adding that judicial authorities should move away from mechanical legal interpretations of the law to better protect national security.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS