The Ciaotou District Court on Friday ruled that Chinese immigrant Zhou Manzhi (周滿芝) must serve an additional 18 months in prison for contravening the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法) after intervening in Taiwanese elections under orders from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Zhou had once been a member of the Shanxi Province Patriotic Volunteer Association and the China Patriotism Volunteer Association, groups whose core missions are to promote Beijing’s “united front” rhetoric, the ruling said.
The court accepted the argument that the associations were controlled by the CCP’s United Front Work Department, a ministerial-level agency reporting directly to the party’s Central Committee.
Photo: Taipei Times
The associations are legally defined as sources of infiltration, and Zhou followed the instructions of such organizations in founding the Kaohsiung New Immigrants Care Association and the Taiwan New Immigrants Care Foundation to promote the “united front” rhetoric, the ruling said.
During the 2024 elections, Zhou used her influence with new immigrants to garner votes for Labor Party legislator candidate Zhan Xiuying (湛秀英) at in-person rallies and online, the ruling said.
The collegiate bench presiding over the case found that Zhou intended to increase the number of Chinese spouses in legislative seats to raise the number of pro-China voices within the government.
Zhou obeyed orders from a foreign force despite knowing the CCP’s intentions to infiltrate Taiwan militarily, culturally and through diplomatic actions, the ruling said.
Separate charges against Zhou of accepting Chinese hospitality, spreading falsified polls and garnering votes for then-independent presidential candidate Terry Gou (郭台銘) were dropped, the ruling said.
Co-defendant in the case Hsu Wei-fu (徐維甫) was handed one year and 10 months in prison, while Wang Min (王敏), Hsu’s girlfriend, was given a sentence of one year of prison with a four-year deferral.
Taiwan New Immigrants Care Foundation secretary-general Kuo Yung-tsung (郭永聰) was found not guilty of related charges.
The ruling can still be appealed.
Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) on Wednesday said decommissioned coast guard vessels were given to the Philippines to enhance regional rescue capacity and would not affect Taiwanese fishers’ rights and benefits. Kuan made the remarks after confirmation on Tuesday that a 500-tonne Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol and rescue vessel would be given to the Philippine Coast Guard. The donation ceremony was reportedly done in Manila, but whether the vessel — previously numbered “CG123” and named Kinmen (金門) — has been handed over has yet to be confirmed. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Wednesday criticized the donation for “taking
The Ministry of Finance today announced the winning numbers for the July-August uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$314,663) special prize is 89996565, while the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 91098182. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 54348835, 44991397 and 06595111. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits qualify for the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers are eligible for the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
The National Police Agency’s Third Special Police Corps yesterday said that from May to July, it intercepted five smuggling operations from China, seizing more than 70,000 counterfeit Beyblades with an estimated infringement value of NT$34.45 million (US$1.08 million). It added that any bootleg unit that reached the local market could present hidden health hazards to players. Beyblades, a line of spinning toy tops used in competitive gaming and developed in Japan by toy company Takara Tomy, have become popular in Taiwan, making them a target for fraudsters. The Third Special Police Corps, dedicated to safeguarding maritime borders and trade lines,
Five customers who made purchases at 7-Eleven stores across Taiwan won the top NT$10 million (US$313,716) special prize in the July-August uniform invoice lottery, including one who spent just NT$27 on photocopying, the convenience store chain said today. The five special prize winners made their purchases at stores in Taoyuan, Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung, 7-Eleven operator President Chain Store Corp said. The five winning purchases included NT$29 spent on snacks at a store in Taoyuan's Zhongli District (中壢), NT$27 on photocopying at a store in Taipei's Zhongzheng District (中正), NT$139 on City Cafe coffee and daily necessities at a store in Taipei's
RSS