Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday pushed to expedite a “spy bill,” aimed at striping retired or active military personnel of their pension if they are convicted of espionage, but the bill was blocked by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The bill was introduced in light of a case involving two ranking officers accused of spying for China and would invalidate pensions and benefits for military personal convicted of espionage, or reduce benefits in proportion to the severity of the crime.
DPP legislative caucus secretary-general Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) said the bill — an amendment to the Act of Military Service for Officers and Noncommissioned Officers of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍軍官士官服役條例) — has been introduced and approved on the first reading, but is now being stalled by KMT legislators.
“The bill is now in the cross-caucus negotiation phase before it can advance to its second and third readings for passage through the legislature,” Liu said. “DPP lawmakers attended the cross-caucus negotiation this morning, but no KMT legislators showed up.”
The KMT has delayed the process, because the committee cannot proceed without reaching a quorum, said Liu, who is on the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Liu appealed for political parties to work together.
“We urge the KMT to stop using stalling tactics and help to pass this bill through three readings at the earliest time,” she said.
Liu said the bill was introduced and signed by many legislators to better protect the nation’s security, and it is also supported by a vast majority of the public.
Liu said that the DPP wanted to pass the bill due to the latest investigation into two retired lieutenant colonels who allegedly sold sensitive military information to China for financial gain.
One suspect, surnamed Pien (邊), who was detained incommunicado on Tuesday, had worked for the Ministry of National Defense’s Communications Development Office.
Investigators allege that Pien gave Chinese authorities the defense ministry’s annual report and a photograph catalogue that identifies the nation’s air force pilots.
It is also alleged that Pien took a group of retired Taiwanese military officers to China to meet with a Chinese People’s Liberation Army major general surnamed Wang (王), who was tasked with conducting espionage activities against Taiwan.
The other suspect, surnamed Lin (林), worked at the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Systems Manufacture Center and was reportedly involved in developing the long-range hypersonic Hsiung Feng III missile.
Lin said he did visit China and meet with Wang on an all-expenses paid trip, and that he had introduced two Taiwanese air force pilots to Wang.
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