The Ministry of Interior yesterday said that it was seeking to forcibly disband the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP), adding that it would present evidence the party developed organizations and interfered in elections on behalf of China.
The CUPP has engaged in organized activities on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that infringed on people’s rights and endangered Taiwan’s free and democratic order, the ministry said in a statement.
It accused the party of crimes, including contraventions of the National Security Act (國家安全法), the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法) and the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The ministry said there are eight cases involving 11 people from 2010 to this year, with police agencies suspecting that up to 134 party members have breached the Criminal Code, the Social Order Maintenance Act (涉違反刑法) and the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制).
The illegal activities range from obstruction of justice to human trafficking and homicide, it said.
The comments came only two days after prosecutors charged CUPP members Chang Meng-chung (張孟崇) and his wife, Hung Wen-ting (洪文婷), for allegedly receiving NT$74 million (US$2.3 million) from the CCP to make propaganda promoting its political agenda and influencing elections in Taiwan.
Although it is legal to form political parties, they should abide by the Constitution and conform to democratic principles, the ministry said, adding that the CUPP’s alleged crimes jeopardize national security, social order and fairness in elections.
If a party’s purpose or conduct undermines the nation, or its free and democratic order, then it is unconstitutional and authorities can ask the Constitutional Court to dissolve it, the ministry said.
Sixty political parties have applied to disband since the Political Parties Act (政黨法) was promulgated on Dec. 6, 2017, due to a loss of members, funding issues or other reasons, ministry data showed.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shi-yuan (馬士元) said that evidence related to CUPP would be transferred to the Constitutional Court, adding that would be the first time it would review such a case.
The law applies to top members of political parties and should be enforced to protect Taiwan’s freedom and democracy, Ma said.
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