China’s claim that five Taiwanese companies provided support for a “psychological warfare unit” is a harmful attempt to intimidate and divide Taiwanese society, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
The Xiamen Public Security Bureau on Saturday last week published the names, photographs and ID numbers of 18 alleged “core members” of a Taiwanese “psychological warfare unit.”
China Central Television’s online Ri Yue Tan Tian (日月譚天) on Friday reported that “netizens in Taiwan” told it about the “crimes” of the supposed military unit and listed five Taiwanese firms: EZTrust Technology Co, LargeitData Inc, DiTV Technolog Co, Digimiracle Tech Co and MasterConcept Co, which it said funded the unit.
Photo: Taipei Times
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using spurious legal tactics of psychological warfare to sow division in Taiwan by claiming that Taiwanese Internet users informed China about Taiwanese companies and the military, the MAC said yesterday.
The CCP is attempting to pressure the Taiwanese public, the MAC said, adding that Beijing could easily use such tactics against any company in any industry, creating the illusion that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has jurisdiction over Taiwan.
The CCP hopes to demoralize the military and discourage Taiwanese, the MAC said, adding that Taiwanese must see such actions for what they are and not play into China’s hands.
The CCP has no jurisdiction over Taiwan and its threats are in direct contravention of the rules-based international order, it said, adding that Taipei has the ability and resolve to protect Taiwanese and businesses.
The public should pay no heed to the reports and not be easily threatened by China, it said.
Any individual or industry that provides China with information would, depending on the information supplied, risk contravening the National Security Act (國安法), the National Intelligence Act (國家情報工作法) or the Criminal Code and face up to seven years in prison, it said.
People should not work with China and risk breaking the law for tiny benefits, the MAC added.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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