The Ministry of the Interior on Tuesday said that the Chinese Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) systematically colluded with China in a campaign to develop espionage groups and meddle in elections.
The ministry’s comments came as CUPP founder Chang An-lo (張安樂) told CUPP supporters at a protest in Taipei that the government targeted his party for making plans to turn temples into “neutral zones” in a war with China.
Last month, Chang told a political commentary show on Formosa Television that he secured agreements with Tainan’s Nankunshen Daitianfu Temple (南鯤鯓代天府) and Luermen Tianho Temple (鹿耳門天后宮) to open their doors as safe refuges for civilians should the Chinese People’s Liberation Army invade Taiwan.
Photo: Taipei Times
In response, the ministry said its filing for the CUPP’s dissolution was made on Jan. 2, long predating Chang’s interview.
The request for the Constitutional Court to dissolve the CUPP for attempting to undermine the democratic constitutional order resulted from years of persistent and systematic attempts by the party to develop illegal organizations and meddle in elections on Beijing’s behalf, it said.
Multiple CUPP members are engaged in ongoing breaches of the National Security Act (國家安全法), the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) and the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例), posing a direct threat to national security, the ministry said.
The Ministry of the Interior is the agency in charge of regulating the nation’s political organizations with a mandate to initiate the dissolution of political parties that jeopardize the public interest or the nation’s security, it said.
As Chang is a ranking member of the CUPP, the party has an obligation to explain if his remarks on television represented its official stance and disclose any compact Chang might have made with China, it said.
When questioned by officials, representatives of the temples Chang named in the television segment denied having a stance in the nation’s political or military affairs, the ministry said.
Chang’s latest comments were an effort to deflect blame by sowing confusion and misleading the public, it said.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to announce a new advanced “all-domain” air defense system to better defend against China when he gives his keynote national day speech today, four sources familiar with the matter said. Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding its own advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles. Lai is expected to announce the air defense system dubbed “Taiwan Dome” in his speech this morning, one of the sources said. The system
RSS