China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said that as of 5pm yesterday it had received 323 emails sent to its new reporting portal for “Taiwan independence thugs, accomplices and persecutors” about people such as Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯).
Complaints have been lodged against Taiwan independence figures, public officials and social media influencers, who the TAO pledged to hold accountable “according to the law.”
The TAO yesterday announced a new reporting portal for people to inform authorities about “malicious acts.”
Photo: CNA
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has criticized the move, saying that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often sets up various reporting portals in an attempt to create the illusion of extraterritorial jurisdiction over Taiwan, a false narrative which has little effect on Taiwanese citizens.
Reports claimed that the individuals fabricated accusations to suppress the opposition in Taiwan, threatened to dissolve patriotic pro-unification groups, purposefully detained supporters of peaceful cross-strait relations, and encroached the rights of Chinese-born spouses of Taiwanese nationals by initiating “witch hunts” against them.
Other Taiwanese politicians and officials named in reports include Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislators Puma Shen (沈伯洋) and Huang Jie (黃捷), DPP caucus secretary-general Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Taipei prosecutor Lin Ta (林達), TAO spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said.
Complaints have also been lodged against public figures such as United Microelectronics Corp founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠), the financial backer of non-profit civil defense organization Kuma Academy, and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), he added.
The TAO would investigate the tip-offs and take necessary legal action against the “thugs, accomplices and persecutors,” he said.
Throughout the CCP’s history, informant systems have been used to suppress dissent, the MAC said.
Once a culture of informing and reporting takes hold, it can be difficult to stop, it added.
The MAC compared this latest move to the Anti-Rightist Campaign in China in the 1950s, in which the CCP purged alleged “rightists” and “intellectuals” from the party and the nation as a whole, enlisting ordinary people as spies and informants.
In Hong Kong, a similar reporting system has resulted in 750,000 complaints, the MAC said, warning that encouraging informants is political oppression which only escalates the situation and leads to disaster.
The TAO’s tactics would only disrupt and damage cross-strait exchanges, it added.
The MAC once again warned citizens to remain vigilant about China’s arbitrary detentions and illegal arrests of Taiwanese citizens, urging them to carefully assess personal safety before traveling to China.
Rosalia Wu said today at the Legislative Yuan that “being 'blacklisted' by the TAO means she must have spoken the truth, which the CCP does not do."
She would continue to do and say the right things even if China adds her to a dozen blacklists, she said, adding “I’m not afraid.”
China views those it dislikes as “thorns in its side,” she added.
China’s intentions are crystal clear, she said — to extend the long arm of the law to create disturbances in Taiwan’s internal affairs and meddle in Taiwan’s legal system, she said.
Huang Jie said on Threads that being named by the TAO is “a form of recognition,” which she would accept with honor as it signifies her contributions to protecting Taiwan.
Instead of “Taiwan independence thugs,” the TAO should refer to them as “Taiwan defenders,” she added.
Huang has personally proposed many national security bills, she said, and reaffirmed her unwavering commitment to safeguarding Taiwan.
“Hurry up and classify me as a hardcore Taiwan independence figure!” she added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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