Ma's request to visit U.S. in February approved
ROC Central News Agency
2017/01/26 22:03:17
Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) Former President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) request to visit the United States in February has been approved, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said on Thursday.
A screening committee under the Presidential Office considered the request based on the Classified National Security Information Protection Act and gave Ma the green light because the risks to national intelligence and Ma's personal safety are considered controllable, Huang said.
Citing an assessment by the National Security Bureau, Huang said the risks related to Ma's personal security in the U.S. are relatively low.
The government will provide all necessary assistance during Ma's trip, he added.
The former president's 12-day visit to the U.S. will run from Feb. 28 to March 11, during which time he will deliver speeches to groups of academics around the country, including the Asia Society, and Council for Foreign Relations in New York, the East Asian Legal Studies Center and Fairbank Center for East Asian Research in Boston, and Brookings Institution in Washington.
The trip will be Ma's second visit to the U.S. since stepping down, following his invitation to attend the Asian leadership forum held at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in November last year.
Prior to that trip, Ma's application to visit Hong Kong in June last year was rejected for national security reasons. Instead of attending in person, Ma delivered a speech via a video conference call at the award dinner of the Society of Publishers in Asia held in Hong Kong.
(By Sophia Yeh and Ko Lin)
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