Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) contacted police and requested an investigation after a man allegedly attempted to intimidate Shen and his five-year-old daughter in public in Taipei over the weekend.
While walking with his daughter after a concert at the National Concert Hall on Sunday, Shen said he was accosted by a man using his phone to record, who asked Shen questions in a threatening tone such as “Why are you heading up a cyberarmy?” “Do you not know you are doing unlawful things?” and “You are in danger, even in Taiwan.”
“I asked him where he heard that, but he didn’t respond to my question,” Shen said. “Politicians are used to being questioned, and facing a hostile crowd, but it is a very different matter when children are involved. That incident on Sunday frightened my daughter... People must know to never embroil kids into political feuds.”
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Time
Shen said he contacted police, requesting an investigation.
DPP legislators at a news conference yesterday said they fear China’s transnational repression through proxies in Taiwan is escalating after it last month said that Shen was wanted for “criminal activities of secession,” with Chinese state media saying that Interpol should be used to arrest Shen.
DPP caucus deputy secretary-general Tiunn Nga-lim (張雅琳) said: “When in a public place, if someone comes up with threatening questions, an adult would feel intimidated, and even more so for a child. To scare a child could result in psychological trauma. We must not permit this.”
DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) condemned China’s long-arm tactics in using proxies to threaten lawmakers in Taiwan.
“Taiwan’s national security laws must protect all our citizens, including politicians. Citizens in our country, in any place in Taiwan, must not be subjected to this kind of intimidation,” Fan said.
“We urge opposition parties to boost our national security laws, to enhance protection for all citizens, and to fight againsttransnational repression here in Taiwan,” she added.
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