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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 TSU, DPP pan military parade attendance
Taiwan Solidarity Union （TSU） Legislator Chou Ni-an, right, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday as TSU caucus whip Lai Chen-chang looks on. Photo: Chang Hsiao-ti, Taipei Times
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter
The Taiwan Solidarity Union （TSU） and the Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） yesterday panned retired officials — including three retired military officers — for planning to attend a military parade in Beijing today.
“Including former vice president Lien Chan （連戰）, there are 46 people — including three retired generals — in a group planning to attend the military parade,” TSU caucus whip Lai Chen-chang （賴振昌） told a news conference at the caucus office.
“The Ministry of National Defense and the Veterans Affairs Council must explain this situation to the public,” Lai said.
Lai said that at the moment, China is still an enemy of Taiwan, with many of its troops and missiles targeting the nation, thus the group’s attendance at the military parade, which is to display China’s military forces, is a severe act of treason.
TSU Legislator Chou Ni-an （周倪安） said that other than Lien, well-known personalities on the list include New Party Chairman Yu Mu-ming （郁慕明）, People First Party Secretary-General Chin Chin-sheng （秦金生）, former legislator Lin Ping-kun （林炳坤）, Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin （高金素梅）, former Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） vice chairman Lin Feng-cheng （林豐正）, former Shih Hsin University professor Wang Hsiao-po （王曉波） and former KMT secretary-general Chang Jung-kung （張榮恭）.
While the Mainland Affairs Council （MAC） declined to disclose the full list of participants or the names of the three retired generals, Lai said the TSU would continue work to find out their names.
“If they dare to go, they would have to face criticism from the public,” Lai said.
In a separate news conference, DPP caucus whip Chen Ting-fei （陳亭妃） also criticized the council, saying it had refused to provide a list of former civilian and military officials attending the military parade.
“The government has repeatedly advised against attending the military parade, but so many retired or incumbent government officials, whose salaries and retirement payouts are paid with Taiwanese taxpayers’ money, still insist on going,” Chen said.
“The names should be made public,” Chen added.
According to Chen, the council only responded by saying that among the 200 to 300 people who traveled to China, only one applied through the council in line with the Regulations Governing Entry Permission to Mainland China for Government Employees and Persons with Special Status in the Taiwan Area （台灣地區公務員及特定身分人員進入大陸地區許可辦法）.
Chen said that the Ministry of the Interior, citing privacy reasons, also refused a request for a list of names of people attending the event.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
