The TSU held a news conference yesterday to accuse 11 former senior officials, including two past chairmen of the National Science Council (NSC, 國科會) of working illegally for Chinese companies.
Ex-civil servants may not serve in Chinese organizations without the government's permission. Officials whose jobs involved defense, technology, intelligence and other national development and security issues can't visit China without the government's permission within three years of leaving office.
TSU legislator Liao Pen-yen (
He said, "They have shared knowledge of Taiwanese industry with the Chinese side and they should be punished for that."
Liao also called on the NSC and other agencies to monitor such officials and "stop them from leaving for other countries if necessary" to prevent them from "leaking national secrets."
The TSU accused Liu Chao-shiuan, a former NSC chairman and vice premier, of regularly "shuttling across the Taiwan Strait."
Liu rejected the charge yesterday, saying the allegation was based on an erroneous report in the China Times that the newspaper had admitted was wrong.
The paper had reported that Liu, as a founder of the Monte Jade Science and Technology Association of Taiwan (
Liu said that he had visited China to take part in a forum hosted by Taiwanese businessmen and that the event had nothing to do with investment activities. He said the association is a private group of professionals from the high-tech industry, whose purpose is to exchange information and opinions.
Also named in the TSU list were Steve Hsieh (
KMT spokesman Justin Chou (周守訓) yesterday dismissed the allegations as "ridiculous" and urged the TSU to stop making "unfounded allegations."
"People should not get a bad name just because they have been to China," he said. "Think how many people have been to China. Even Minister of Economic Affairs Christine Tsung (宗才怡) ... has been to China."
Liu also highlighted what he called the "absurdity" of the TSU's list by pointing out that Shu Hsien-hsiu (徐賢修), who was alleged to be planning a science and technology park in Beijing, is in fact dead.
The Mainland Affairs Council's deputy director for legal affairs, Yang Chia-chun (
People who serve in Chinese agencies without permission could be fined between NT$100,000 and NT$500,000.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit