A former temple that was converted into a shrine to communism could become a security threat if it remains standing, a National Security Bureau official said on Sunday, adding that the bureau was happy that the Changhua County Government intends to demolish it.
The county government on Friday cut water and power supply to the former Buddhist temple and said it would demolish illegal buildings on the property tomorrow.
Wei Ming-jen (魏明仁), a contractor and former military officer, bought the property and used it as a means to allow Chinese influence to serve his own interests, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Wei is nobody of importance on either side of the Taiwan Strait, but people who embrace communism and “[Chinese President] Xi Jinping [習近平] thought” are used as pawns by Chinese officials in their “united front” strategy, the official said.
Flag-raising ceremonies at the temple were watched by the Chinese government, the official said, adding that former intelligence and national security officers found that doors opened for them in China after they attended the ceremonies.
Taiwanese looking to secure influence in China would use Facebook to “check in” at the temple, or share photographs of themselves with Wei, the official said.
Some retirees have taken advantage of this to do business in China, the official said, adding that one retiree had become wealthy by selling Taiwanese fruit in China.
With the recent instability in cross-strait relations, the bureau is concerned that some retired officials might sell confidential information in a bid to stay in China, the official said.
For some “unworthy retired officials,” going to the temple was a way to get a new lease on life in China, making it increasingly a national security matter, the official said.
Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) on Sunday said that “not a single brick or tile would be left in place” after local residents asked whether the county government would honor its promise to tear down illegal buildings on the property.
After power to the temple was cut, Wei Ming-jen set up a portable generator to continue broadcasting the Chinese national anthem.
“Buying a portable generator is within Wei Ming-jen’s rights, but if his blasting of the Chinese national anthem disturbs local residents, the Environmental Protection Bureau would deal with it,” the commissioner said.
Former Czech Republic-based Taiwanese researcher Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) has been sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage-related charges, China’s Ministry of State Security announced yesterday. China said Cheng was a spy for Taiwan who “masqueraded as a professor” and that he was previously an assistant to former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰). President-elect William Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday last week announced Cho would be his premier when Lai is inaugurated next month. Today is China’s “National Security Education Day.” The Chinese ministry yesterday released a video online showing arrests over the past 10 years of people alleged to be
THE HAWAII FACTOR: While a 1965 opinion said an attack on Hawaii would not trigger Article 5, the text of the treaty suggests the state is covered, the report says NATO could be drawn into a conflict in the Taiwan Strait if Chinese forces attacked the US mainland or Hawaii, a NATO Defense College report published on Monday says. The report, written by James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, states that under certain conditions a Taiwan contingency could trigger Article 5 of NATO, under which an attack against any member of the alliance is considered an attack against all members, necessitating a response. Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that an armed attack in the territory of any member in Europe,
LIKE FAMILY: People now treat dogs and cats as family members. They receive the same medical treatments and tests as humans do, a veterinary association official said The number of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan has officially outnumbered the number of human newborns last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s pet registration information system showed. As of last year, Taiwan had 94,544 registered pet dogs and 137,652 pet cats, the data showed. By contrast, 135,571 babies were born last year. Demand for medical care for pet animals has also risen. As of Feb. 29, there were 5,773 veterinarians in Taiwan, 3,993 of whom were for pet animals, statistics from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency showed. In 2022, the nation had 3,077 pediatricians. As of last
XINJIANG: Officials are conducting a report into amending an existing law or to enact a special law to prohibit goods using forced labor Taiwan is mulling an amendment prohibiting the importation of goods using forced labor, similar to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed by the US Congress in 2021 that imposed limits on goods produced using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. A government official who wished to remain anonymous said yesterday that as the US customs law explicitly prohibits the importation of goods made using forced labor, in 2021 it passed the specialized UFLPA to limit the importation of cotton and other goods from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region. Taiwan does not have the legal basis to prohibit the importation of goods