Fri, Dec 27, 2019 page1

• ‘Infiltration’ bill aimed at actions: MAC

  CRACKDOWN NEEDED: The bill would not affect law-abiding citizens working or studying in China, Premier Su Tseng-chang said, adding dialogue would allay fears

  • By Sean Lin / Staff reporter
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  A proposed anti-infiltration bill would crack down on acts of infiltration, rather than target certain people, while agencies would not “punish” offenders, but lodge lawsuits against them, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said yesterday.

  Chen made the remarks at the weekly Cabinet meeting.

  The opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) this week has dubbed the bill “green terror,” “thought censorship” and an attempt to reinstate martial law.

  

  Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong speaks at the legislature in Taipei in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

  The bill defines acts of infiltration by integrating provisions from existing laws — including the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法), the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法), the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), the Referendum Act (公民投票法), the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) and the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) — and strengthens regulations covering infractions that constitute infiltration, Chen said.

  The bill would not target people, nor would it give agencies the right to punish offenders, he said, adding that it would instead give agencies the authority to file lawsuits against those who have allegedly committed infractions.

  The nation’s three-tiered judicial system would decide whether a defendant is guilty and what their penalty would be, he said.

  The council believes a bill to crack down on infiltration is necessary, Chen said, citing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) speech on Jan. 2, which Chen said revealed China’s plan to annex Taiwan through infiltration, “united front” tactics and so-called “democratic negotiations.”

  China’s growing economic power has intensified its influence in other nations and several democracies — including the US, the UK and Australia — have introduced legislation against infiltration, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said.

  The nation is at the center of Chinese infiltration and needs an anti-infiltration act more than any other nation, he said.

  The bill would not affect law-abiding citizens working or studying in China, Su said, adding that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should allay the public’s concerns through extensive dialogue.

  Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said that Chinese meddling in the nation’s elections started many years before the bill was introduced, when asked by a reporter with the Chinese-language China Times whether the Executive Yuan thinks five days is long enough for “extensive dialogue with the public” — as the DPP-controlled Legislative Yuan has scheduled the bill’s final review on Tuesday next week.

  Taiwanese have long discussed Chinese infiltration, she said, adding that the bill was sponsored by lawmakers, not the Executive Yuan, reflecting the anxiety and concern of their constituents.

  Yesterday, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) softened his stance against the bill, saying that he is “not against it.”

  On Wednesday, Gou had said that he would launch a “Sunflower movement 2019” and sleep at the Legislative Yuan if the DPP insisted on passing the bill on Tuesday next week.

  The tycoon yesterday said that he was not opposed to the legislation, adding that his previous remarks were meant to convey his hope that the legislative process would be open and transparent.

  Additional reporting by CNA
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