Attendance of retired military officers at Chinese commemoration events is “inappropriate,” Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said yesterday, adding that rules governing military personnel visiting China say that state-run events should be avoided, while active-duty personnel must defend the Republic of China and its interests.
The comments came after video footage broadcast by China Central Television showed retired Taiwanese military personnel on Friday among a crowd at an event marking the 150th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen’s (孫逸仙) birth, at which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) gave a speech.
The ministry has regulations governing serving or retired military personnel entering China.
There is a [maximum three-year] restriction on visits to China by retired military personnel proportional to how much classified information the individual had access to in their time in service, Chen said.
Even after the time limits have expired, the Veteran Affairs Council will issue reminders that retired military personnel, or family members of veterans should avoid attending official events held by the Chinese government, he said.
The legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee said the ministry should investigate possible violations of the rules and consider punitive action, such as canceling pensions and rescinding honors or medals.
Chen said that the regulations did not permit the ministry to launch an investigations into retired personnel if they are reported to have attended official events in China after the three-year restriction period is over.
However, punitive measures will be considered and every effort will be made to meet legal standards, Chen said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said that he would propose an amendment to 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) that would place clear stipulations on certain Taiwanese attending events organized by the Chinese government.
According to Article 33 of the act, “individuals, legal persons, groups and other organizations are forbidden to have a position of leadership in political or politically inclined organizations affiliated with Chinese Communist Party affairs, military or governmental.”
After the period of restriction is completed, retired military officers are considered ordinary people, according to the rules, but as multiple visits to China and attending Chinese official events can cause concern, the proposal requires retired military and government officials of certain rank to apply for permission to visit China to attend Beijing-run events, Wang said.
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