Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), yesterday said that he supports the purpose of the anti-infiltration bill proposed by the Democratic Progressive party (DPP), but its content requires further discussion before it is passed.
The DPP has said it aims to pass the third reading of the draft on Dec. 31. It advanced to a second reading last month.
The 12-article draft would subject those who disrupt the social order under the command or at the request of “infiltration sources” to a prison term of up to seven years or a fine of NT$5 million (US$165,508), and prohibits anyone from donating to a political party, influencing elections, proposing the recall of a government official or launching a public referendum on the instructions or with the financial support of an “infiltration source.”
Photo: Chang Ching-ya, Taipei Times
“The intention behind drafting the act is okay,” Ko said yesterday on the sidelines of a campaign event for TPP legislative candidate Hsieh Wen-ching (謝文卿) in Taichung.
“For sure everyone supports the idea of preventing foreign infiltration from influencing Taiwanese politics and elections, so I support the purpose of the act,” Ko said.
However, the key point to consider is that the act would regulate Taiwanese citizens and businesspeople in China, so there should be adequate discussion about possible problems enforcing the law, he said.
Photo: Cheng Ming-hsiang, Taipei Times
Ko said when he made a similar remark on Friday, some reports and people online described him as being against the act, which he thought was “misleading.”
Ko on Friday said that the bill should not be passed without sufficient discussion, because if it was passed without a clear understanding on how it would be enforced, it would make many Taiwanese citizens feel anxious and worry about whether they were breaching the law.
Separately yesterday, People First Party Chairman and presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) said he disagrees with the draft.
“More than 2 million Taiwanese businesspeople are working hard in China to make a living for their families,” he said. “They are all our fellow citizens and should not be viewed as enemies.”
“If cross-ministerial coordination, sufficient understanding or verification of accusations cannot be achieved, allowing the act to be passed in such a hurry will affect the government’s credibility and be unfair to innocent citizens,” he said.
There is less than a month until the elections, which would represent what the latest public opinion was, so arbitrarily trying to pass the draft at this time would be controversial, Soong said.
He urged the DPP not to insist on passing the bill hastily for election gains, saying that the party should exercise restraint or it could face unsettling consequences.
Additional reporting by Cheng Ming-hsiang
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
RSS