National security and military secrets are at risk if the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) does not revise its list of legislator-at-large nominees, as many of those chosen are “red” (pro-China) and “pro-unification,” while some are “black” (have ties to organized crime), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials have said.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) at a news conference yesterday called on retired army lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷) and retired National Police University associate professor Yeh Yu-lan (葉毓蘭) to give up their nominations.
“The biggest risk for leaks of Taiwan’s military and national security secrets will come from Wu and Yeh,” Lin said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“If they become legislators, when the Legislative Yuan reviews bills pertaining to national security, they will have access to highly classified information,” Lin added. “This is a worrying development for our nation’s armed forces.”
Wu and Yeh would create a national security crisis, DPP New Taipei City Councilor Ho Po-wen (何博文) said, adding that most people would not approve of their becoming legislators.
In the KMT, Wu has been a leading advocate for veterans’ rights and Yeh for the rights of police personnel, especially over their pensions.
Yeh has defended her backing of the Hong Kong Police Force and its tough crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, saying that the demonstrators were “rioters seeing red” and that she always supports the police forces of other nations.
Wu’s inclusion at No. 4 on the KMT’s list has stirred up controversy, as he was filmed attending an event in Beijing in 2016 during which he listened to a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and stood during the playing of the Chinese national anthem.
Calling into question Wu’s national identity, Ho asked: “Do Wu and other retired military personnel pledge their allegiance to Taiwan’s military forces, or to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army [PLA]?”
Local media last week reported that Wu had allegedly worked as a consultant for the PLA, with news footage showing Wu advising on strategies for the rapid deployment of PLA troops to trouble spots worldwide.
In a broadcast of Strategy Room (寰宇大戰略) posted on the Web site of Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite TV, Wu said that the PLA should hold more training exercises with militaries in the Middle East to adapt to the environment, as well as become familiar with military bases and forces’ operating procedures.
China could increase its military strength and influence in the Middle East and reduce the region’s reliance on US forces, Wu said, adding that China would need to keep a low profile when projecting its military strength abroad to avoid alarming the US and European countries.
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said he could not imagine Wu becoming a legislator, which would allow him to sit on the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, giving him access to top-level classified materials, intelligence documents, military budget spending and weapon procurement programs.
Wang asked the KMT to reconsider its legislator-at-large list and to replace Wu, saying: “Maybe it is good for their party’s interests, but it will gravely damage Taiwan’s national security.”
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
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