The military is to cut retired general Tsang You-hsia’s (臧幼俠) pension by 75 percent for the next five years after he was found guilty of contravening laws governing cross-strait relations by standing for the Chinese national anthem in Hong Kong, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
On Aug. 20, Tsang, a former head of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Huang Fu-hsing chapter, stood to attention when the Chinese national anthem was played and its flag raised at a Hong Kong event hosted by China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification.
That act is an offense under the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the defense ministry said in a statement.
Photo: Taipei Times
In collaboration with the Mainland Affairs Council, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice, the defense ministry said it found Tsang guilty of contravening Article 9-3 of the act.
Under the article, high-ranking officials and former officials, such as generals and deputy ministers, cannot participate in any “ceremony or activity held by political party, military, administrative or political agencies (institutions) or organizations of the mainland area which in turn harm the national dignity.”
Conduct harmful to national dignity includes “saluting the flag or emblems, singing anthems, or any other similar behavior that symbolize the political authority” of China, the article says.
The punishment is retroactive as of Aug. 20, and Tsang must reimburse the government for any funds that have been paid out since then, in addition to relinquishing any honors he has received that are not related to his service, the defense ministry said.
The penalty for retired generals who contravene the act is relinquishing 50 to 100 percent of their pension, it said.
In more serious cases, offenders can be stripped of their medals, have their pensions completely revoked and be punished in accordance with the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), it added.
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