Business group, opposition blast DPP over anti-infiltration bill
ROC Central News Agency
2019/12/31 22:24
Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) A business group and opposition parties blasted the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government Tuesday for pushing through an anti-infiltration bill earlier in the day which they fear could be used by the government to suppress those who hold different political views and hinder cross-strait exchanges.
Lee Cheng-hung (李政宏), president of the China-based Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland (ATIEM), told CNA that he found the passing of the bill "regrettable and disappointing."
The head of the largest Taiwanese business association in China said forcing the bill through the DPP-controlled legislature "blatantly disregards the opinion of the Taiwanese people."
Lee said the bill lacks concrete definitions of what constitutes an act of infiltration, meaning the authorities are free to decide whether the law has been broken based on their own interpretations.
This poses a threat to Taiwanese people, especially those who regularly conduct exchanges with Chinese counterparts, he said.
Lee called on the DPP government to act cautiously with the newly passed bill especially with upcoming presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 11 instead of using the law to impact the election results.
Lee's comments were made in response to the passage of the bill which criminalizes political activities backed by "hostile foreign forces," mainly referring to China.
The bill cleared its third reading around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after lawmakers conducted a clause-by-clause review of the 12-article act amid protests by opposition parties.
The main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) warned that the bill could be used by the DPP government to level unsubstantiated accusations against people, especially those who live in China.
In addition, forcing a bill that was only initiated a month ago through the legislature disregards the welfare of millions of Taiwanese business people and students. It could also impact regular exchanges with Chinese people, a KMT press release said.
A smaller opposition party, the People First Party (PFP), which has advocated against the bill's passage, said the DPP-initiated bill has become law before lawmakers had a chance to conduct a more detailed discussion of its content.
This led to a loosely written bill that means Taiwanese people could face prosecution simply because they live and work in China, said PFP spokeswoman and popular TV presenter Belle Yu (于美人).
Yu further questioned whether the DPP government plans to use the new law to gain political advantage ahead of the Jan. 11 elections.
Defending the government's decision to push through the bill with minimal review, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Tuesday the bill is meant to deter individuals and organization from taking instructions from China to infiltrate Taiwan's politics and sabotaging the nation's democratic system.
She dismissed concerns expressed by the opposition parties that the bill could criminalize regular Taiwanese people as "groundless and unfounded."
As its name suggest, Tsai said the bill is meant to be "anti-infiltration" not "anti-exchange," she said, adding that Taiwanese people who study or do business in China will not be affected.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), the nation's top policymaking body on China, said the judicial authorities will only punish criminal activities when they find solid proof after a rigorous fact-finding process and legal proceedings, though no mention was made as to the standards to be applied for the launch of an investigation.
The Executive Yuan also said the related authorities will draft follow-up measures for the anti-infiltration bill soon, to reinforce the government's ongoing efforts to safeguard the nation's democracy, without further elaboration.
According to the DPP, the bill complements existing law and is intended to prevent hostile forces from intervening in the nation's democratic political system or influencing national security through "infiltration sources."
"Infiltration sources" are defined in the bill as organizations or institutions affiliated with the government, political parties or other political groups of a foreign hostile force, and individuals dispatched by those entities.
A hostile force is defined as a country or group at war or in a military standoff with Taiwan that upholds the idea of jeopardizing Taiwan's sovereignty by non-peaceful means, which clearly refers to China, although MAC Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said the bill applies to all foreign hostile forces.
It prohibits anyone from making political donations, influencing elections, proposing the recall of government officials, or launching a public referendum, at the instruction or with the financial support of an infiltration source.
It also prohibits lobbying on issues concerning national security, diplomacy and cross-strait affairs, at the instruction or with the financial support of an infiltration source.
The maximum penalty for such actions is five years in prison or a fine of NT$10 million (US$330,578), according to the bill, which will officially take effect after being promulgated by the president.
In related news, Taiwanese tycoon Terry Gou (郭台銘), who has also voiced concern over the bill, pledged Tuesday that he will provide legal assistance to anyone who faces prosecution for allegedly violating the anti-infiltration bill in the future.
Also on Tuesday, Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮), a spokeswoman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the passage of the bill is yet another example of the DPP's attempts to jeopardize cross-strait exchanges and create confrontation between China and Taiwan.
(By Chou Hui-ying, Wang Cheng-chung, Miao Zong-han, Wen Kuei-hsiang and Joseph Yeh)
Enditem/AW
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