Taiwan should be concerned over potential breaches of human rights and national security ramifications after a Hong Kong court-appointed liquidator sought permission to order Taiwan-based Apple Daily and Next Magazine to turn over all of their assets, the Economic Democracy Union said yesterday.
The union, a consortium of non-governmental organizations, urged the government in Taipei to take immediate action to ensure that Hong Kong’s National Security Law would have no foothold in Taiwan.
Hong Kong courts are nothing more than a rubber stamp for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the liquidator could function as a “fixer,” representing the CCP in Taiwan, union member Chiang Min-yen (江旻諺) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The union urged the government and the public to pay attention to the issue, which it said could seriously infringe on privacy rights, and harm press freedom and national security.
The Ministry of Culture should issue an administrative order restricting Apple Daily and Next Magazine from turning over personal information to the liquidator, the union said.
Until authorized by courts here, the Ministry of the Interior should not allow the liquidator to pass through customs and operate in Taiwan, the union said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs should annul Hong Kong-based Next Digital’s registration of its Taiwan operations, it said.
The situation is still pending a decision, with the court in Hong Kong to meet on Dec. 15, union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said, adding that the appointment of the liquidator was a unilateral decision that was not witnessed by Next Digital’s legal representatives.
The Code of Civil Procedure (民事訴訟法) says that Taiwan’s courts can decline to enforce rulings made in foreign courts, Lai said.
The demands would exceed the liquidator’s authority, as turning over opinion and commentary pieces would be unnecessary, with such an order demonstrating clear political motives, he said.
Taiwan’s Apple Daily and Next Magazine are not direct subsidiaries of Next Digital, so the liquidator should provide a legal basis showing that Next Digital owns and controls the Taiwan-based newspaper, he said.
Taiwanese courts have not examined the liquidator’s demands, so Apple Daily would be within its rights to ignore them, he said.
Taiwan Citizen Front member Hsu Kuan-tse (許冠澤) said that Next Digital’s assets have been frozen and its offices raided by Hong Kong police, which are acts of political oppression by Beijing.
Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai (黎智英), Next Digital chief executive officer Cheung Kim-hung (張劍虹) and five other top executives are serving prison terms, proof that Beijing is waging a war against free press within its borders, Hsu said.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS