Beijing Agricultural Tourism Association officials circumvented regulations to visit Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials earlier this month, and National Immigration Agency should provide information on the trip so that the Legislative Yuan can investigate its legality, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said.
Lee said the group was originally scheduled to meet with Kaohsiung City Government tourism and agricultural bureau officials on Oct. 13, but the group canceled the meeting, saying that their car had broken down.
However, the group then showed up at the KMT’s Kaohsiung headquarters and met with KMT members, Lee said.
Article 36 of the Act on Permission for Entrance of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法) stipulates that Chinese visiting Taiwan for business or official purposes may not change their main activity without prior notice and approval.
A resolution agreed by the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee last year mandated that the location, specific activity and name of the governmental organization approving the request be made available online.
Lee demanded that the agency submit all information on the group’s visit to the Legislative Yuan within the next week, as he said that the section on an agency document detailing the group’s itinerary was left blank, or did not fit the actual travel itinerary.
The agency said it would comply with the legislature’s requests and provide data for the Internal Administration Committee.
Chinese-language online news outlet Up Media reported that the group made ad hoc adjustments to its itinerary, as it conflicted with Chinese guidelines for such visits.
The report said that the group was scheduled to meet with South Taiwan Tourism Industry Alliance convener Frank Lin (林富男), but had to cancel as Lin doubles as a consultant for the Executive Yuan.
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