The president will try to prevent prosecutors in the "state affairs fund" case from unsealing documents that the administration describes as sensitive papers concerning diplomatic efforts that affect national security, officials said yesterday.
The Taipei District Court ruled in favor of unsealing the documents in the "state affairs fund" case on Friday and plans to open the documents today, court spokesman Liu Shou-sung (劉壽嵩) said yesterday.
In its ruling on Friday, the court gave the president until noon yesterday to provide information supporting his claims that the documents should fall under the protection of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法).
Insufficient
The court decided yesterday that the information it had received was insufficient to support this position. Liu said attorneys and prosecutors in the case would be able to read the documents today.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Office is ready to file a request for a constitutional interpretation if the court opens the documents.
The Taipei District Court ruled that the six secret diplomatic missions President Chen Shui-bian (
Presidential Office Spokesman David Lee (李南陽) said it was regrettable that the court had decided to open the documents and that those involved would be called to account for their actions.
Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (
"The documents the court intends to open are top secret and should be kept secret for the sake of the nation's image, security and interests," Cho said. "If the court sees it differently, the dispute must be settled by the Council of Grand Justices."
No timeline
Cho, however, did not specify when a request for a constitutional interpretation would be filed or whether the Presidential Official or Chen himself would make the request.
"What matters most is that there shouldn't be a dispute. If a dispute is unavoidable, we are concerned with how it should be resolved. Who resolves it and when it is resolved are secondary," he said.
Cho said the court should realize that the president has the constitutional power to set policies concerning national security. Such policies cover the areas of defense, foreign affairs, cross-strait affairs and major national disasters.
Since the president's privilege is protected by the Constitution, Cho argued that state secrets protected by such privilege are not covered by the Classified National Security Information Protection Act.
The information Prosecutor Eric Chen (
Cho said that Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (
The five have been fined NT$30,000 each for refusing to testify in court.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
A clandestine US Navy special missions unit colloquially known as SEAL Team 6 has been training for missions to assist Taiwan’s defense against an attack by China, the Financial Times said in a report yesterday. The navy commando team famous for killing Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, has been conducting training to take part in a Taiwan conflict at its Dam Neck headquarters in Virginia Beach for more than one year, it said, citing sources familiar with the matter. “The secret training underlines the increased US focus on deterring China from attacking Taiwan, while stepping up preparations for such an event,”
RSS